Customer Reviews

A Cinderella Story (Mini-DVD)

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Hilary Duff stars in this movie as a girl whose father dies in an earthquake. Because there is no will left her stepmother gets everything, including Sam (Hilary).

The movie picks up 8 years later where Sam is a senior in high school preparing to go to college at Princeton (that is, if she gets accepted). High school isn't exactly a happy experience for Sam as she has only two friends. One real, one an email friend that texts her constantly. To everyone else in the school she's know as Diner Girl.
Home isn't any better, as she is forced to live in the attic, do all of the chores, wait on her stepmother and sisters constantly, and work seven days a week at the diner owned by her stepmother.

Since I saw the previews of this movie I thought it looked funny. I've been looking forward to it since the first preview. However, now that it's out and I read the reviews I was nervous. Luckily my fears weren't realized. This movie ended up being a sweet, family friendly, romantic comedy. Duff does an excellent job of portraying Sam. She truly is an excellent young actress, the pep rally scene is proof of this.

While this movie wasn't really laugh out loud funny, it was funny at times, but more than that it was sweet and, for lack of a better word, cute. The direction was really nice. It wasn't super artsy, but it was well done and added a certain beauty to the film.

Cinderella Story ended up being a really sweet movie that deserves a better reaction than it recieved. Great acting, a clever update of an old fairy tale, an awesome soundtrack, and a likeable cast makes for a great afternoon at the movies.

Once upon a time not so very long ago a young girl named Sam Martin (Hilary Duff) lived in the San Fernando Valley with her widowed father (Whip Hubley). He delighted in reading her fairy tale stories every night, as well as teaching her good values, including standing up for herself. He ran a successful diner and one day, married again to give Sam a mother: a woman named Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge) who had daughters of her own, fraternal twins Brianna (Madeline Zima) and Gabriella (Andrea Avery). And then Sam?s father died in the Northridge earthquake, leaving her alone with her stepmother and two stepsisters. With no will found to speak of, Fiona takes over ownership of the house and the diner, relegating Sam to live in the attic.

Fast forward eight years: Sam has grown into a pretty young senior in high school (who is often lost in the crowd), and must balance mounds of schoolwork, working at the diner, and taking care of her spoiled stepmother?s every whim. While Sam dislikes being made into a ?slave,? she tries to keep her stepmother happy in order to get money to attend Princeton (her dream). She has a text message secret admirer who she communicates with on a regular basis. Along with best friend Carter (Dan Byrd) they attend the school?s Halloween dance ?incognito?, where Sam is set to meet her secret admirer for the first time. Dressed in a never-before-been-worn wedding gown and mask she was loaned by friends, including ?fairy god-mother? Rhonda (played by Regina King, who has worked at the diner since Sam was a child), Sam is ready to meet her Prince Charming.

When Sam discovers that her secret admirer is non other than popular quarterback, Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray), she is sure anything between them would never work out: after all, why would the most popular boy in school be interested in her? They play ?20? Questions (she gives him ?10?) and Austin learns some things about her: just when he is about to lift her mask and discover her true identity, Sam?s cell rings and she runs away, leaving her cell phone behind. Austin begins searching the school to discover his ?Cinderella?s? identity; Austin, although jock-popular boy on the surface, longs to be a writer and attend Princeton (his dad wants him to be a USC man like him). But can he convince the elusive Sam that he likes her for herself? And when fellow seniors discover who Austin?s ?Cinderella? really is, things could get ugly...

This is one of the cleanest films I have seen in ages! With really no language (no strong words were used, and no deity abuses that I caught) and minimal content issues, this is definitely both family-friendly and young child friendly. A few things are very mildly implied: in one instance a young man goes off with a young woman and you are not sure what they are up to (you soon find out they were ?making out? nearby). Other than that, the only objectionable elements come from things like sisters fighting, a small amount of cleavage, a son going against his father?s wishes, teenagers taunting each other, some mild crude humor, and a ?wicked? stepmother who is egotistical and constantly concerned with her appearance.

The thing I liked best about this film was that it was cute and clean. It has fairy tale elements, but also tries to take it from a realistic slant: of course, her secret admirer turning out to be the most popular boy in school is a bit too fairy tale, but certain scenes were pulled off in such a way that I was nicely surprised. I?m not sure if I believe the mask Sam wears would really disguise her so much that Austin wouldn?t recognize her: maybe if he was a completely self-centered jerk, but as we are to believe he is a nice guy, why wouldn?t he recognize the girl he has gone to school with for at least all of high school?! Sam comes across as almost too unassuming and ?whipped? by her stepmother at times, but I think anyone can appreciate her patience and forbearance in dealing with her difficult ?family.? Sam is really that girl-next-door you like to love.

A ?tween? re-make and update of the classic Cinderella tale, A Cinderella Story, while predictable and not entirely original, was enjoyable and a fun diversion from the everyday crush of Hollywood films. I especially appreciated (and think you will too!) how clean this film is: once in awhile Hollywood realizes that there are people out there who appreciate a storyline and film that have some good morals and leave out the muck: this is one they finally got right!

Ok, so maybe I am over 16 (20 to be exact), BUT I found this movie really cute, sweet, and of course "FEEL GOOD" because of its happy ending. I don't really care much for Hilary Duff but her acting was not horrible enough for me to notice. Chad M. Murray looks good in this movie and it did have some funny moments because I do admit, it can be cheesy, but nonetheless cute overall. Besides, this is a modern remake of Cinderella and if you love that HAPPY ENDING meeting the PRINCE kind of plot... add some High School TEENS (I guess my heart is at High School), then this movie is worth your 1 1/2 hr... if not then maybe you should pass.

The movie "A Cinderella Story" is an extraordinary movie with an excellent plot. In this movie Sam (Hilary Duff) loses her dad in an earthquake. Sam's stepmother takes over her dad's diner because of his passing. Sam is a pen pal with Austin Ames(Chad Michael Murray). The two communicate through their cell phones and computers. Sam and Austin don't even know that they are talking to each other. At the dance, Sam dresses as cinderella and dances with Austin. After the dance, Austin realizes how much he enjoyed the dance with the "Cinderella". Austin is so desperate to find out who Cinderella is that he posts wanted signs around school.
I believe "A Cinderella Story is an excellent movie. The plot flows with a steady pace. The movie is also clear and understandable. The director of "A Cinderella Story" is Mark Rosman. Also, the story is Ninety-five minutes long (One hour and thirty-five minutes). This movie is rated PG. This means parental guidance is recommended. The movie "A Cinderella Story is a great fairytale story.

This movie is my all time favorite. My friends and my sister enjoyed watching this movie and we watched it over and over.

I am surprised- Hilary Duff has come so far scince Lizzie M.....She is a very good actor and also very pretty!

This has to be one of the best movies I saw in years. Hilary Duff is hot and Chad Micheal Murray shines in this outrageous romantic hit! Hilary Duff plays Sam, an outsider whose dad dies in an earthquake and she has to live in the Valley with her evil-stepmother Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge) and her two dimwitted stepsisters. The only friends she can relay on are her best friebd Carter and the people that help take care of her father's diner. She dreams of going to Princeton and in the Princeton chatroom she meets Austin, the hottest guy in her high school, however she has no clue. At the ball, she meets him and falls in love , however he has no clue who she is. The only clue is her cell phone that she has left behind. Will she ever find his Cinderella?? Go see it and find out. Duff and Murray could not be cast more perfectly and they had the best on-screen chemistry. Duff gave an oscar-worthy performance and she was so believable that she actually made me cry twice during the movie. This is the perfect movie to go on a date with and is more for teens than children because of the simplicity of the plot. If i were you, i would go to moviefone, order your tickets and run to your theater and see it now. Your summer will not be complete without it.

Hilary Duff plays Sam Montgomery, a girl who was close to her father, did everything with him, and who died in an earthquake. Now she's stuck with her step-mother and twin step-sisters who treat her as a servant.

Upon her father's death, the stepmother got control of his diner and she made Sam work in it after every school day (wanting her to put more emphasis on waitressing than her schoolwork) as punishment for having to take care of her.

Sam dreams of going to Princeton University and goes in an Internet chat room to talk with people with the same goal. In there she meets her Prince Charming, someone looking for a girl with substance and who is tired of being surrounded by phony people.

They exchange anonymous cell phone text messages (in addition to "talking" via IM) and he makes a date in the middle of the dance floor at the upcoming Homecoming Dance. There, Sam finds out her Prince Charming is the school's way popular quarterback, Austen Aames (Chad Michael Murray). Austen happens to be dating the too stuck up head cheerleader, head of the most powerful clique in the school.

Austen has no idea that his Cinderella is the one girl in the school who's completely invisible to him (she was wearing a mask at the dance).

The ending came as a total (pleasant) surprise, one that came out of nowhere.

Modern day twist with the Cinderella storyline and another very entertaining movie from the too-cute Hilary Duff.

I watched this movie 2 times and I feel like I can watch it another 100 times.I highly recomend that you watch it.

i really, really enjoyed this movie, and i don't get sick of it no matter how many times i watch it. It's a movie that has a bit of everything. there's lots of humor, romance, and i think that teens especially could really relate to this movie. there are times in the movie where you just crack up laughing, and times when you totally ball your eyes out. i think it's a movie that really sticks in ur head, long after you've watched it. it's also quite appropriate for most viewers, and can be enjoyed by practically everyone. the actors were awsome, and it was acted out really well. after you've finshed watching it, you just sit back and think "wow", (well that's what happened to me anyway). it was a great re-enactment of the Cinderella fairy tale, with heaps of modern changes so that it's up to date, (but at the same time sticking to the basics of the fairy tale). i thought it was a really good story to modernize, because so many people know the fairy tale, and can therefore relate to the movie. i loved the ending, because everything turns out okay (just like in the fairy tale). overall i thought it was a really funny, romantic, magical, and basically fun movie, and i really enjoyed it. i would really reccomend others to watch it, because it totally rocks!