A Cinderella Story (2004)

Routinely exploited by her wicked stepmother, the downtrodden Samantha 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 Montgomery (Hilary Duff) 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 (Dan Byrd) and an e-mail relationship with a guy named Nomad. One day, Sam gets an e-mail 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 e-mail friend is the most popular guy in school, Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray). 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hilary Duff was homeschooled from the third grade onwards (aged 8), in order to focus on her acting career, so did not have to worry about missing classes for the movie. So despite playing a bullied "nerdy" high schooler in this movie, Duff never went to high school herself.

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Goofs

'The district attorney asks Fiona about her signature being on the witness line of her late husband's will, but witnesses are never legally allowed to be beneficiaries.' Fiona was not a beneficiary. Sam said she got everything, so Fiona would be allowed to sign as a witness. She didn't reveal that she knew Hal had a will, because then she would get everything.

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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 Cinderella (1907)

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Soundtracks

Now You Know
Written by Kara DioGuardi, Michelle Lewis, and Charlton Pettus
Performed by Kara DioGuardi

User Reviews

Perfect romantic comedy

I thought this movie was a funny and a romantic chick flick. Hilary Duff is one of my favorite actresses and she plays a perfect Sam in this movie. This movie is pretty predictable but still fun to watch. If your bored one day go to the video store and check this movie out. It is very interesting to watch from beginning to end. Chad Micheal Murray is a great Austin for this movie and has what it takes.I never get sick of watching this movie.Every character in this movie was the right pick.I'm so glad Hilary played Sam instead of somebody else.If you are not interested in this movie, at least give it a chance! From a scale 1-10 i give this movie a 8. Two thumbs up!

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:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,623,350, 18 July 2004

Gross USA:

$51,438,175

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$70,067,909

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