A Cinderella Story (2004)

Routinely exploited by her wicked stepmother, the downtrodden Sam Montgomery is excited about the prospect of meeting her Internet beau at the school's Halloween dance.

Director:

Mark Rosman

Writer:

Leigh Dunlap

Stars:

Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hilary Duff	...	Sam
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Fiona
Chad Michael Murray	...	Austin
Dan Byrd	...	Carter
Regina King	...	Rhonda
Julie Gonzalo	...	Shelby
Lin Shaye	...	Mrs. Wells
Madeline Zima	...	Brianna
Andrea Avery Ray	...	Gabriella (as Andrea Avery)
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Eleanor
Paul Rodriguez	...	Bobby
Whip Hubley	...	Sam's Dad
Kevin Kilner	...	Austin's Dad
Erica Hubbard	...	Madison
Simon Helberg	...	Terry

Storyline

Samantha or "Sam", has a rough childhood with her father dying in an earthquake and a new stepmother with two awful daughters. But on the bright side, Sam has an awesome best friend named Carter and an email relationship with a guy named Nomad. One day, Sam gets an email from her Nomad saying that he wants to meet her in the middle of the dance floor at their high school Halloween dance. She accepts the invitation and glides into the room wearing the best outfit ever. Her Nomad takes her outside where they share a romantic dance together and Sam realizes that her email friend is the most popular guy in school, Austin Ames. She runs back to her stepmother's diner before she knows she went to the dance and drops her phone on the way. Austin finds it and starts a search for his Cinderella.

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Plot Keywords:

cinderella story | female protagonist | teenage girl | correspondence | evil step mother | 

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Taglines:

Once upon a time... can happen any time.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and innuendo

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English German Czech

Release Date:

16 July 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled 'Cinderella' Project

Filming Locations:

Monrovia, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,623,350, 18 July 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$51,438,175

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$70,164,105

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Gaylord Films, Clifford Werber Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (DTS HD Master Audio 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) Dolby Digital (Dolby Digital 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) SDDS (8 channels) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 (D-Cinema prints) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Sam's bedroom by her bed are Harry Potter books. Harry Potter lived in a closet under the stairs, similar to Sam living in the attic, and both characters lost their parents.

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Goofs

When Brianna and Gabriella fall off the diving board, Carter gets splashed only on his right side. When he walks back to Sam, his whole body is wet.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sam: Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, lived a beautiful little girl and her widowed father.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Greatest Cinderella Movies (2019)

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Soundtracks

One In This World
Written by Diane Warren
Performed by Haylie Duff
Courtesy of Hollywood Records

User Reviews

A cute teenage romantic comedy based on the Cinderella 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. The music is grand and the whole plot is a teenage version of Cinderella.

A great film to watch on a lazy afternoon with your mates or if you want something to watch by yourself.

I'll give it an 8/10