In a modern retelling of the famous fairy tale, 2004's "A Cinderella Story" follows San Fernando Valley teenager Sam (Duff), who, after losing her father at a young age, becomes somewhat of a servant to her stepmother Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge), including working at Fiona's diner before and after school. Besides her time at home, Sam is fairly content with her life — she has a best friend, Carter, and a loving mother figure in the diner's manager, Rhonda (Regina King). Plus, she has a mysterious "pen pal," with whom she sends text messages back and forth — who turns out to be the most popular guy in school, Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray). After finding this out at a school dance, Sam panics and puts off telling Austin the truth, fearing that he'll recoil when he finds out her true identity.
"A Cinderella Story" is not the most highly regarded in terms of critical praise — it has just a 12% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 53% audience score. However, this doesn't mean that the film isn't filled with charm and sweetness — especially with a charismatic Duff at the forefront.
The film may be a bit silly and even include a pretty glaring plot hole — one that Duff herself has called "funny" — but it's undeniably the fun and lighthearted teen romantic comedy that it sets out to be. Plus, with a supporting cast that includes "The White Lotus" star Jennifer Coolidge and "Watchman" star Regina King, who wouldn't want to see what "A Cinderella Story" has to offer?
