A Cinderella Story

Plot synopsis:
Sam Montgomery lives in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, with her widowed father Hal, who runs a popular sports-themed diner. Hal soon marries an exceedingly vain, and selfish woman named Fiona, who has socially-awkward fraternal twin daughters, Brianna and Gabriella. During the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Hal is killed when he runs to save Fiona. Having supposedly left no will, Fiona receives all of his belongings, including the house, the diner, and to her dismay, Sam.
Eight years later, Sam is employed as a waitress at the diner to save money to attend Princeton University, but she is regularly tormented by her stepfamily: constant insulting and treat her like if they were popular, despite them being regarded as weirdos. Sam struggles to cope socially at North Valley High School, where queen bee, cheerleader Shelby Cummings, also torments her and calls her "Diner Girl" along with other members of the popular clique.
Sam confides in her online pen pal "Nomad" about her dream to attend Princeton, a dream which he also shares. However, Nomad's true identity is Austin Ames, the popular, yet unhappy, quarterback of the school's football team, and Shelby's ex-boyfriend, although she refuses to accept that he has broken up with her. The reason why he is unhappy is because Austin's father planned for him to go to the University of Southern California with a football scholarship, other than going to Princeton. Nomad proposes that they meet in person at the school's Halloween themed homecoming dance. On the night of the dance, Fiona orders Sam to work the night shift at the diner, then leaves to drive Brianna and Gabriella to the dance. Initially reluctant, Sam is convinced by her best friend, Carter Ferrell, to go to the dance and meet her mysterious online friend.
Rhonda, Sam's other best friend, and the rest of the diner's staff also convince her to disobey Fiona and go to the dance anyway. Sam, wearing a mask and a beautiful white dress, meets "Nomad" at the dance, and is surprised to learn that he is Austin, who had become smitten with her upon her entrance. The two decide to leave the party to walk alone and get to know each other a little better. While sharing a romantic dance, Sam and Austin begin to fall in love. But just as Austin is about to unmask her, Sam's cell phone alarm goes off, warning her to return to the diner before Fiona returns at midnight. She leaves without revealing her identity to Austin, and drops her phone on the way out.
Austin picks up her phone and begins a desperate search to figure out who his "Cinderella" really is, but every girl at school claims to be the mysterious owner of the phone. Sam is reluctant to reveal her identity to Austin, feeling that he will not accept her due to her being ordinary and Austin being popular. When Austin comes into the diner one day, Sam is forced to help him and, after a talk, she attempts to reveal her identity to him, but is cut off by Fiona. Sam's stepsisters discover Sam and Austin's email relationship, and (after having failed to convince Austin that one of them is the owner of the phone) convince Shelby that Sam tried to steal Austin from her. During a pep rally, they and the other cheerleaders humiliate Sam in front of the entire school and expose her identity as well as naming her an impostor. Austin, hurt by Sam's secrecy, does not step up to defend her, and Sam leaves the pep rally feeling devastated.
Like Austin, Sam had been accepted to Princeton, only to be duped by Fiona into believing she was rejected, by having a fake rejection letter made. Sam then decides to give up her dreams and resigns herself to working at the diner, but Rhonda gives Sam a pep talk not to lose hope. When her stepsisters come in, they slam the door, causing a guitar to fall off the wall, tearing the wallpaper down with it and blame it on Sam. Sam then sees her father's words, "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game," and regains her confidence (in real life this quote came from Babe Ruth). She stands up to Fiona, quits her job at the diner, and moves in with Rhonda, who also quits along with the entire diner staff, all of whom had only put up with so many years of Fiona's abuse after Hal's death for Sam's sake. The customers, who witness the entire scene, promptly leave in disgust as well.
Before the school's homecoming football game, Sam confronts Austin about his cowardice and not defending her at the pep rally. Before the final play of the game, he sees Sam making her way out of the stands, and finally stands up to his father, saying he wants to attend Princeton rather than simply play football all his life. He chases after Sam and apologizes. She accepts his apology and they share their first kiss as rain falls over the drought-plagued valley. Soon after, Sam finds Hal's will hidden in her childhood fairy-tale book, stating that all of his money & possessions actually belong to her. Since this leaves her as their rightful and legal owner, Sam sells her stepfamily's fancy cars so that she can pay for college, and Fiona, who signed the will as a witness but claims to have never seen it before, is arrested by the police.
Fiona, Brianna, and Gabriella are made by the District Attorney to work off the money they stole from Sam at the diner, which is restored to its former glory by its new owners, Sam and Rhonda. Sam finds that she was in fact accepted by Princeton; the acceptance letter is retrieved from the garbage by her stepsisters, who knew where Fiona hid it. Also, Austin's father comes to accept his son's desire to attend Princeton. Things even work out in the end for Carter as he makes a commercial for acne medication. Shelby, having previously turned Carter down after he defended her at the Halloween dance, aims to pursue him since he is now popular, but after finally seeing her true colors, he turns her down for Astrid, the high school's goth DJ and announcer. The film ends with Sam and Austin, now officially a couple, driving off to Princeton together.

Tags: dramatic, romantic, fantasy

Review:
Rhonda played by Regina King, who has been some great family movies ie: Mighty Joe Young, and Daddy Day Care is perfect as Sam's protector and Fairy Godmother you might say??
It's not done in such a way that you are blatantly watching another rehashing of an old fairy tale but rather handled delicately and done in such a modern way that you think to yourself "Hey that's almost like Cinderella." You actually feel for each character the way you are supposed to feel, and you want to see each and every one get what they deserve and incidentally they all do which leaves you satisfied and happy with the film.This movie won't rake in any critical acclaim but it's fun and you'll enjoy it if you like this style of movie.
Hilary Duff is one of my favorite actresses and she plays a perfect Sam in this movie.
Chad Micheal Murray is a great Austin for this movie and has what it takes.I never get sick of watching this movie.Every character in this movie was the right pick.I'm so glad Hilary played Sam instead of somebody else.If you are not interested in this movie, at least give it a chance!
Every aspect of the original story has been taken into account and even added to.But also, for the guys, hot chicks galore, and for the girls, fit AND soulful blokes.A rockin' soundtrack and slick feel to the whole film, with the obligatory heart-wrenching sorrow of our heroine's father's death and the hatred (oh, such hatred!) of the wicked step- mom, what more do you need for today's Cinderella lovin' breed.A great film to be enjoyed by the whole family.Massive thumbs up from OUR whole family..
The casts managed to express their character well and this is quite remarkable as most of them are young actors like Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray.
I haven't looked at other reviews of A Cinderella Story yet, but especially because it's a Hilary Duff film, I'd expect there to be a lot of scathing comments.
Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, and Chad Michael Murray lead a stellar cast in this outstanding update of the classic tale.
I got this on DVD and I used to be obsessed with it as I watched it every day but my DVD of it broke so now I have it on VHS and I really liked it.Hilary Duff plays Sam Montgomery a girl who's dad died in the earthquake and she lives with her Barbie plastic stepmother from hell Fiona(Jennifer Coolidge) and her two bratty step sisters Brianna & Gabriella.She meets a guy online who she doesn't even know and they decide to meet at the Halloween dance.
The thing is that the secret admirer is no other than Austin Ames(Chad Micheal Murray) who is the school's quarter backer and he is dating Shelby Cummings who Sam's best friend Carter secretly fancies.Of course she goes as Cinderella and meets Austin Ames who she becomes smitten with.But will he love her if he finds out that she is the diner girl??.The cast was cute especially Chad Micheal Murray who was adorable and Hilary Duff who was a great actress.
Hilary Duff stars in a modern remake of the popular fairy tale, except her Cinderella is a high school senior dealing with a self-obsessed stepmother ( Jennifer Coolidge) and two wicked stepsisters.
Cool movie , i like it , i just watch it 2 days ,Sam is looking very great i also liked Julia Gonzalo it reminds me of my girlfriend , as i am telling u guys it's a perfect movie and my favorite , the hole story is great , all the actors in this movie are great , great acting ( please Hillary Duff make more movies with you , hope that you will get very far good luck )and i want to congratulate the producer for this movie , i don't know what to say more , now all i want is to see more movies of this genre, the soundtracks are really deep , i really need to find them , anybody now where can i get them for free ??
You do not have to like Hilary Duff to see this movie, but her amazing acting skills help.
This one is set in the "Valley Girl" world of snooty bitches and pimply-faced teens, where love blooms in internet chat rooms, and romantic encounters are reduced to an endless exchange of poorly spelled and ungrammatical text messages.The story begins in the 1994 San Fernando Valley when Sam's deliriously happy childhood is shattered by the sudden death of her father in the Northridge earthquake of all things (I wish I were kidding about this, but I'm not), leaving her to suffer under the iron fists of a wicked stepmother and two equally repulsive stepsisters.
The film quickly moves to the present day, where we encounter a teenaged Sam living a life of sheer, unadulterated drudgery, while still yearning for that fairy tale prince to ride into the scene and take her away from it all.To more comfortably accommodate the contemporary setting, all the magical elements of the story have been effectively eliminated and only the romantic clichés remain.
Thus, the fairy godmother has been converted into a sassy waitress who watches over Sam and provides her with the gown she needs at that crucial Cinderella moment; the ball has become a high school Halloween dance; the glass slipper has morphed into a left-behind cell phone (though little is actually ever done with that); and Prince Charming is no longer the heir to an entire kingdom but rather a hunky quarterback with dreams of going to Princeton (ha ha) against his father's expressed wishes.Hilary Duff doesn't exactly embarrass herself in the role of Cinderella, but she is forced to struggle with a screenplay overflowing with annoying, over-the-top stereotypes and teen romance banalities.
I think that this movie shows girl power to the fullest, and when Hilary's character 'Sam' stands up and tells off her step-mom, it really shows how far confidence can go.
My friend and i went to see this movie 3 times in the cinema, not just because Chad Michael Murray was in it, but because it was one of those feel-happy films.
About the only thought and imagination that went into the making of "A Cinderella Story" was the name of the main character, played by the ubiquitous Hilary Duff.
How very 21st century.Apart from that, "A Cinderella Story" is so faithful to the original fairy-tale plot -- even when it flies in the face of what we now accept as logical and psychological -- that the film becomes mind-numbingly boring and as bland as the diner Sam's father founded (the interior is as pink as Pepto Bismol).The main problem, I think, is that the wicked stepmother (Jennifer Coolidge) and her daughters are made out to be vile and mean and cruel and stupid, but are given no reason to be so -- no motivation, as they say in the acting biz.
'A Cinderella Story' brought that smile to my face, on the way it made me laugh a couple of times, but to be honest the film itself is not good.
It has excellent casting such as Hilary Duff as Sam Montgomery, Chad Michael Murray as Austin Ames, and Jennifer Coolidge as Fiona Montgomery.
The way they tell the Cinderella story is very close to how modern age teenagers deal with things like love.
A Cinderella Story is a charming reiteration of the timeless animated Disney film, featuring a charming performance by Hillary Duff, who always looks charming with her smiley charisma and beautiful blonde hair, boasting a charming story about a charming girl who is cursed with hell and highwater between her not-so charming stepmother and stepdaughters, with her only vice being the charming boy she keeps texting and instant messaging in hopes to lead a life like the charming fantasies her charming father used to read her.
In short, the whole entire movie is pretty charming.Hillary Duff's character is Sam, who works at her father's diner, which is now owned by her stepmother from hell (Jennifer Coolidge).
Then there's Coolidge, who goes from playing the most desirable mom in America to the most loathsome in an unexpectedly devious and enjoyable performance as one of the most dastardly mothers in recent memory.A Cinderella Story won't break any particularly new ground, nor will it captivate those disillusioned by the lackluster market of teen films.
Unlike Duff's previous efforts, like Raise Your Voice, that were so, so close at developing a functional story about teenage life but falling short, A Cinderella Story rebounds with more under its sleeve than the average film of the genre, making for a warmhearted family affair.Starring: Hillary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge, and Regina King.
Hilary Duff does a good job in the lead as Sam, she is definitely not the best actress ever, far from it, but she is better than Miley Cyrus.
Chad Michael Murray was the perfect choice for Austin Aimes as he well fit and he looks like he has a sensitive side so this helped me to believe there was another side to him in the film...
I love this film sooo much and Sam(Hilary duff) and Austin(chad Michael Murray) made the perfect on screen couple as there was great chemistry..
i also like it because Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray also make a spectacular couple in it and i wouldn't have it any other way...
Hilary Duff and Chad Micheal Murray are good in this movie.
Jennifer Coolidge was a great choice for the evil stepmother; she played the part really well, making the plot of the movie somewhat believable..
Chad Michael Murray was the surprise of the movie, however, playing Prince Charming (aka Austin) with all the charm and charisma you'd expect from one.The music was an added touch to this cutesy film, every scene memorable in it's own way (particularily at the end during the football game).Jennifer Coolidge's character was the only disappointment in the movie.
Go watch "mean girls" instead, fantastic movie!!!Basically, this movie is nothing more than a typical cheesy teen movie (starring Hilary Duff, which makes it exponentially worse), stereotyping "popular" girls, jocks, dorks, dweebs, losers, wannabe's, and nerds, none of which would ever come close to how people would act in real life.
I wish and I know Hilary Duff still will do more beautiful movies, maybe more good of that.
Hilary Duff Is My Favourit Actress Of All Time so not only is she in it but Chad is in it so I knew that this had to be a good film.
And I bought the DVD of it.A Cinderella Storey is one of those movies that if your feeling down just watch it and you'll be day dreaming about Chad Michael Murray for the rest of the day!When I First saw this movie I didn't want it to end it gave me butterflies in my stomach I think Hilary and Chad make a perfect couple and Chad should marry Hilary not Sophie!
Sure, movie's like A Cinderella Story are not for everyone, but for those of you who haven't yet seen it don't listen to those people who are trying to tell you it sucks, go see it and make up your own mind.
Not only do you get to eat popcorn and get lost in the fairytale but you get to look at Chad Michael Murray for about 2 hours, and if you're not that way inclined there's always Hilary Duff.I've seen the movie three times now and can't wait for it to come out on DVD down here in Australia so although there are quite a few people who hate it, There are just as many of us who love it..
Hilary Duff is good in the lead role, and so is her love interest Chad Michael Murray.
Playing the "Cinderella" character (Sam Montgomery), who works constantly at her father's diner, is Hilary Duff.
every time i watch this film i love chad michael murray more, if that's possible.
Personally from my experience in watching the Cinderella Story, I have actually come to love this movie.
The Cinderella Story also shows that do not let one thing that goes bad in your life keep you from moving on an having a great time.
The film was indeed a pleasant threat to anyone, Hilary Duff do match the individuality of becoming a contemporary resemblance of Cinderella, like what mentioned the story is about a girl who lost his father and her life was taken over by her gradually vindictive stepmother (played by Jennifer Coolidge) and worsen by the presence of her stepsisters.
I don't like Hilary Duff very much either, because she only acts in romantic comedies (sorry if I'm wrong), so I can't see if she is a good actress or not.
I think that's because every girl wants to be Cinderella (or, in this case, Sam), and have an happy ending like that.
The way the romance develops is very fun - Hilary Duff acts like herself - no different from the other movies she did; Chad Michael Murray is a good Austin, very sexy and sweet.
A Cinderella Story is a fun movie and a great version of the classic film Cinderella.
It's my favorite movie of all times, and I know that once you watch it A Cinderella Story will be one of yours too..
i love Cinderella story Hilary duff was perfect for the role as same Montgomery and chad Michael Murray perfect as popular Austin Ames he is so hot.
this has been the best movie i have ever seen to begin with the characters were all suitable for their roles the step mother acted perfectly just like her physical appearance potraid her it was just perfect Hillary duff and chad Michael Murray were meant for each other no question about that another thing i loved again was the movie was just right kay maybe the topic is about Cinderella a very old fashioned story but it really enfacised on the new generation most of all prince charming is the most handsome guy in the whole of that cast even Hillary duff is so beautiful more than any of the other characters she so cute that whenever she is sad i feel her sadness with her and when she was with chad i was in her shoes imagine i wish it was me.
this movie is a really fairytale story my daughter is 11 years old and her and her friends absolutely love this movie,My daughter and her friends told me that they want there love life exactly like Hilary duff and chad Michael Murray.This is one movie which you would really enjoy no matter what your age is.it is not only a romantic movie its also funny.Sam and Austin chat with each other online not know that they actually know each other.Sam doesn't like Austin that is not until they meet at the halloween dance.in this movie and like anyother Cinderella story there is 2 ugly step sisters who are jealous of Cinderella and there is a step mom..
Perhaps if another actress, besides Hilary Duff portrayed Sam(Cinderella) then the movie would be more enjoyable.
The beautiful Hilary Duff does a great job as Sam Montgomery, or Cinderella in this movie..
The lead part of Sam actually suits Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray ain't half bad himself.The only downer about this movie is its a bit too obvious what's gonna happen.
The Evil stepmother is played by Jennifer Coolidge who's obsessed with being just like star socialists and the airhead step sisters who want to be associated with the popular kids at school.But because it IS a Cinderella story it ends the way Cinderella does.
A really good movie she really lived the story of Cinderella.
I really like the way Hilary acts, she plays in movies that defines her.
Many teen rom-coms are like this, but I love Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray.
The movie, may be flawed but it teaches a good lesson such as: If you believe in yourself, you will achieve what you want in this world.Chad Michael Murray plays as the popular Austin Ames a varsity quarterback of high school, while Hilary Duff plays as the loser but sweet Sam Montgomery.
Apart from that, i think that A Cinderella Story is a movie that you could fall asleep through and wake up at the end and still know what's going on.
A Cinderella story is not one of the best movies but it's easy to watch and good entertainment.It is after all just a romantic comedy and works great for me.
What more can you ask for?The movie is about Sam. She isn't one of the "cool kids" in school and at her spare time she works at a diner for her evil stepmother and dreams about going to Princeton.
i cant help but write that hilary duff and chad michael murray do an excellent job in the making of this film.
A Cinderella Story is about a young, spunky girl named Sam (Hilary Duff) who dreams of going to Princton Collage.
She has a secret email buddy, and when she finds out that he's the most popular guy in school, she flees the school dance, leaving her cell phone behind.A Cinderella Story is a great modern turn off of the classic tale for teens.Hilary Duff does a great job in her role as Sam. Chad Michael Murry also did a great job playing the most popular role.
Chad Michael Murray as "Austin Ames" was wonderful and I especially liked Rhonda as the "fairy godmother!!!!Although I know that some people think this is a movie not worth seeing I think otherwise.