By Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Chad Michael Murray (Austin) and Hilary Duff (Sam) star in this lacklustre remake 'A Cinderella Story'.
- Contributed Photos
A CINDERELLA Story is the younger, shallow, though pretty, stepsister of Ever After. Both stories are modernised versions of the age old fairy tale of Cinderella, but parentage is mainly what they have in common. A Cinderella Story is a light, unappealing and unimaginative retelling. The movie tries to add depth by being a tale of accepting your identity, but it remains as shallow as a reflecting pool.
This time, Cinderella emerges as a teenager named Sam (Hilary Duff). She lives in the San Fernando Valley and goes to high school, while acting as a full-time waitress at the behest of her wicked stepmother, the silicone and Botox enhanced Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge). She shares space with her clutzy wanna-be stepsisters Gabriella (Andrea Avery) and Briana (Madeline Zima). The manager of her father's diner, Rhonda (Regina King) takes on the role of the fairy godmother.
A Cinderella Story takes being a remake to heart. Not only does it remake this classic fairy tale, but it is also hodgepodge of other romantic stories. The movie borrows liberally, taking the E-mail plotline of You've Got Mail and mixing it in with the football get together of Never Been Kissed, and there are numerous other snippets from other flicks, peppered through out. It's most original thought is allowing Cinderella to drop her cellular phone in lieu of the proverbial glass slipper. It is interesting that despite the wanton borrowing, and half-hearted attempts at an update Sam and her stepsisters remain so close to their archetypes.
SEARCH FOR PERFECTION
Though it may be 2004, girls still fight over princes who have a tendency to be distracted by their own needs and walk away in their continued search for perfection. In the original story, the ugly step sisters ended up with either a heel or their toes missing, these two get doused by hot wax. Either way they end up scarred and discarded. Of course, both Briana and Gabrielle are so uninteresting, one really does not care about what becomes of them, as long as they are removed.
The movie stars two of Hollywood's young and beautiful Duff and Chad Michael Murray (Austin). Duff has spent her young career playing this Cinderella type character and alas, the fairy dust is beginning to wear off and ugly stereotyping is rearing its head. It was the same role in the Lizzy Maguire movie, and the inane follow up and here she is once again, trying to ply her cuteness for all its worth. Murray, who is disturbingly sexy for his young age, and broods oh, so well, is also playing a character he's done already, as one can easily mistake Austin for his role in The WB's One Tree Hill. The movie tries to play off how cute these two are, and they do seem to have sufficient charm to translate to the big screen. Unfortunately, it's past midnight and both are TV stars and A Cinderella Story should have been a 'made for TV' movie.
The movie hardly manages to be amusing, and certainly spells disaster for young Duff if she does not have anything else to offer but cuteness. The movie hardly amounts to being a teen flick, by today's standards. It brings nothing new to a story that has been told and retold, and really should have been left alone, if they had nothing interesting to add. It's a clear sign that even fairy tales need a little substance to make the magic happen.
