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

The trailer features music by James Newton Howard from the movie Dave (1993).

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Goofs

The Northridge Quake happened around 4:30 a.m. There is no way that Sam's father would have been reading her a bedtime story at that time.

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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

Version of Poor Cinderella (1934)

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Soundtracks

Straight Laid Out
Written by Aaron Carter and Stephen James Barry
Performed by Cirrus
Courtesy of Moonshine Music

User Reviews

Cracking, feel-good fabulousness!

A fantastic interpretation of an age old classic. This movie has it all, with a modern spark.

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.