On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 83/92 |
David Mumpower |
As bad an idea as Hilary Duff's singing career. |
| 115/126 |
Kim Hollis |
It's a bad year for chick flicks, isn't it? |
"This crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere. Former greenskeeper and now about to become the masters champion…"
Sadly, this upcoming teen flick has nothing to do with Caddyshack's infamous Carl Spackler, nor does it relate a rousing tale of a Gonzaga or Loyola Marymount rising to the Elite Eight during basketball's March Madness.
No, instead this movie is exactly what its title says it is -- a modern update on the classic Cinderella tale. Never mind that Miramax is going to easily beat Warner Bros. to the punch with this one by releasing Ella Enchanted, which is simply "A Cinderella Story from a Different Point of View." As proven over and over again by the success of such films as Ever After, The Princess Diaries, and even Maid in Manhattan, young ladies eat this sort of thing up.
For this version of the tale, Really Big Teenage Star Hilary Duff shakes it in Disney's face, as this is her first feature film with another studio since she parted ways with the Mouse House in rather ugly fashion.
The story is updated for today by placing our heroine at a high school in the San Fernando Valley. Duff portrays "dorky" girl Sam Martin, who is living with her stepmother (Stifler's Mom Jennifer Coolidge) and unpleasant stepsisters. Since Sam's father's death, they're trying to keep his restaurant running, which naturally means that Sam has to do all of the difficult and dirtiest work.
Making things even worse, Sam has practically no friends at her high school, where a rich, shallow girl named Shelby (Julie Gonzalo) perches high atop the food chain. When Sam loses her cell phone, it is of course picked up by the requisite mysterious hunk, played here by Chad Michael Murray, current star of WB's desperate O.C. knockoff One Tree Hill (he was also the teen love interest in Freaky Friday). Sam transforms into a blossoming flower as she starts corresponding with him through e-mail and notes, telling him that she will reveal herself to him at the big Halloween dance. Misunderstandings and romance almost certainly ensue.
Despite the fact that Duff has severed ties with Disney, her popular show -- Lizzie McGuire -- still appears on the Disney Channel with constant promotion. Since her movie adaptation of the character appeared on screens in 2003, Duff's status has only risen, which would seem to indicate that A Cinderella Story has all the earmarks of a teen hit. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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