A Cinderella Story

After so many movies (aimed at ‘tween girls) that don't admit to being variants of the Cinderella fable, it's rather refreshing to find one openly announcing its paternity. Unfortunately, that just about exhausts the virtues of A Cinderella Story, another lame attempt to update the fairytale as a contemporary high-school comedy. Hilary Duff stars as Sam Montgomery, a cherubic Californian whose widowed dad marries a shrew (Jennifer Coolidge) with two daughters before he promptly dies in an earthquake. Treated as a servant and forced to work long hours in the diner her stepmother inherited from her late husband, Sam's only solace, apart from an obligatory geeky pal, is an anonymous online chat room kindred spirit who--like her--has his sights set on attending Princeton. The two agree to meet at a masked (naturally) Halloween dance: he turns out to be the campus quarterback (Chad Michael Murray) but doesn't recognize her; she has to leave before midnight to get back to work, and drops her cell phone in the process (a clue to her identity). Does the wicked stepmother and her daughters get their comeuppance while Sam triumphs? Please. A Cinderella Story may be a hit at slumber parties, but it's more pumpkin than gilded coach, more smelly sneaker than glass slipper, lacking any magic either real or figurative. Not recommended. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras include a “Hanging Out with Hilary and Friends” commentary track (featuring costars Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, J.D. Pardo, Madeline Zima, Dan Byrd, and Andrea Avery), the eight-minute featurette “Cinderella Couture: The Making of a Fashionably Modern Fairytale,” nine minutes of screen tests, a “Find Your Prince/Princess Challenge” quiz, two minutes of additional scenes, the music video “Our Lips Are Sealed” by Duff and sister Haylie, a trailer, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a solid extras set for lackluster ‘tween fodder.] (F. Swietek)