A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story Blu-ray Movie Review

A retelling and a remake of a retelling.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 8, 2012

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

The classic fairy tale gets a twice-over makeover in A Cinderella Story and Another Cinderella Story, two modern takes on the classic tale of love found even under the thumb of an oppressive stepmother. Hillary Duff tackles the title role in the sweet and well-made first film that updates the story for modern audiences and modern times easily and honestly. It might not feature a glass slipper, but the themes are true, the story reflective of the original, and the characters very much likable. It's a great movie for audiences who don't like the stuffiness of period costumes or who wish to simply see a different take on a classic tale. The followup film, Another Cinderella Story starring Selena Gomez as the Cinderella character, doesn't just reshape the classic tale for modern times, it reshapes it by reshaping A Cinderella Story. Not only do the basics of the story remain largely the same -- understandably so -- but Director Damon Santostefano's 2008 picture simply rehashes the Duff film with new faces and only a few little things changed to differentiate itself from its predecessor. The result is a film that's vastly inferior -- not to mention far more concerned with dance choreography than story and heart -- to the Hillary Duff picture and that's at best a high-energy dance supplement to that film and the broader world of "Cinderella" in movies.

All dressed up with a stepmother telling her "no."

A Cinderella Story
Score: 4/5

High schooler Sam Montgomery (Hillary Duff) once enjoyed a quiet, loving relationship with her father. That all changed when he married Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge) and saddled Sam with a pair of obnoxious stepsisters, Brianna (Madeline Zima) and Gabriella (Andrea Avery). One day, Sam's father dies in an earthquake. He hasn't drawn up a will, which means everything -- his house, his diner, his dreams for his daughter, it would seem -- are left in Fiona's grubby, greedy, not-so-capable hands. Fiona and her biological children aren't too thrilled with the prospect of living with Sam. They treat her as a slave, forcing her to work at the diner and place her education second and her social life, well, she doesn't have a social life, at least beyond her friendship with fellow school outcast Carter (Dan Byrd). But Fiona dreams of something better, going off to Princeton and making something of her life, far away from her stepmother and stepsisters. She has another secret: she's begun a secret-identity text and e-mail relationship with a mystery man at her school, another boy with dreams of attending Princeton. Little does she know that her secret admirer is none other than Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray), the high school heartthrob, jock, and a boy forced to live out his father's, not his own, dreams. It's a match made in cyber Heaven, but it's also a secret high school romance between the jock and the punchline. What could possibly go wrong?

A Cinderella Story easily transitions to the modern word, replacing castles with drought-stricken California, royalty with high school popularity, and the glass slipper with a cell phone. The film makes the transition from olden days to modern times easily and naturally. It compares favorably as an updated version of Ever After, though this film is catchier, funnier, more charming, and just as entertaining and even endearing. It's a pleasant surprise, playing lightly and easily, shaping strong characters even within a fairly routine fairy tale plot. The picture easily paints its characters with broad strokes, but that doesn't make them any less likable or suitable for the story. Duff and her sidekick are both highlights, the two sharing good, honest chemistry to the point that audiences might hope it is they who fall in love at the end, not Cinderella and her prince. Chad Michael Murray gives shape and heart to what might have otherwise been a generic character, and Jennifer Coolidge is superb as the wicked stepmother, playing the part to the point that audiences truly hate the spiteful, self-centered, and rude character probably more than they should. If there's a fault, the movie suffers through some slow stretches and seems to take forever to get to where it's going, but the delightful characters and quality story allow A Cinderella Story to overcome its weaknesses and work as an enjoyable little slice of escapist entertainment that's funny, touching, and sincere all at once.

Another Cinderella Story
Score: 2/5

High schooler Mary Santiago (Selena Gomez) lives with her stepmother Dominique (Jane Lynch), a washed-up Pop singer-turned acne medication pitch person; and her two bratty stepsisters, Britt (Emily Perkins) and Bree (Katharine Isabelle). Mary has aspirations to dance and escape her stepmother's grip. But she's forced into a sort of servitude, tasked with keeping house and keeping the family happy, never mind her own wants and needs. She's had a longtime crush on Pop sensation Joey Parker (Drew Seeley), and as fate would have it Joey's back at Mary's high school with a mission of selecting one lucky girl to dance with him in his latest video. Joey rejects the advances of nearly every girl in school, including his old crush Natalia (Nicole LaPlaca) and the sisters Britt and Bree. At a dance, Joey pairs with a costumed Mary and falls in love with her, admiring her dance moves as much as her sweet personality. Mary drops her Zune MP3 player when she rushes home to stay out of trouble with her stepmother, and Joey sets out to find his mystery love, no matter what it takes.

Take out all the fun of A Cinderella Story and say hello to Another Cinderella Story. It's bad enough that this film is sometimes a word-for-word and idea-for-idea remake of the Hillary Duff film; even worse is that it has no swag or heart or smarts. It's completely centered on entertaining its audience with dance, not with story or through building up endearing characters. Viewers will be disheartened to find that this movie simply repurposes the first, replacing the dropped cell phone with a dropped MP3 player and the jock with the pop star. There's the stepmother who wants to quash her stepdaughter's dreams, the penning of phony rejection letters, sisters crushing on the boy to the point of embarrassment, and so on and so forth. It's a retelling of "Cinderella," so of course the basic structure and ideas are going to carry over, but there's nary an original bone in Another Cinderella Story's celluloid body, the picture merely a cash-in meant to prey on fans of the vastly superior Hillary Duff picture. In this film's defense, the dance routines look good and the lead characters are somewhat likable and share decent chemistry together, but Another Cinderella Story pales in comparison to pretty much any other halfway decent telling of the "Cinderella" story, whether A Cinderella Story, the aforementioned Ever After, and of course the classic Disney picture.

A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Cinderella Story
Score: 4/5

A Cinderella Story's 1080p Blu-ray transfer is surprisingly good. Warner's transfer appears naturally filmic, delivering crisp details and strong colors under a light layer of film grain. Detailing is consistently even and handsome. Close-ups of faces reveal intricate details, from small scars to tiny freckles. Clothing textures are natural, and the image captures all of the little fine details around the diner, in Sam's bedroom, and throughout the high school. Colors are bold but even and natural; the transfer delivers the many shades of pink inside the diner with ease, while delivering clothes, green grasses, and the green and yellow football uniforms with consistency and accuracy. Faces can look a touch pasty in places, and shadowy faces struggle with color transitions. A hint of aliasing and banding are visible, but otherwise, this is a rock-solid, nice-looking transfer that serves the movie wonderfully.

Another Cinderella Story
Score: 3/5

Unfortunately, Warner Brothers' Blu-ray transfer for Another Cinderella Story doesn't fare quite as well as that accompanying A Cinderella Story. This image looks always flat and uninspiring. Grain often appears frozen in place. Details are never pasty or absolutely unimpressive, but general object definition is wanting and the image never quite captures that sought-after film-like texturing. Colors, likewise, fall flat and stale. There's a decided lack of vibrancy to the image with even the brightest shades merely appearing, not popping. On the plus side, black levels are fairly good, but flesh tones gravitate towards a slightly warm push. Banding, blocking, and such are largely absent. This isn't an awful image by any means, but fans of higher quality Blu-ray transfers will enjoy the first film more than this one.

A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Cinderella Story
Score: 3.5/5

A Cinderella Story debuts on Blu-ray with a quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Warner's audio presentation is largely defined by its musical delivery. Score is light and airy, generally, enjoying adequate spacing but not an excess of volume or energy. On the other hand, popular music plays with vigor and strength. A potent low end, surround activity, and fine clarity support the more energetic beats. Bass is at its tightest and most pronounced during a "chase"/"fight" scene at a carwash and during an outdoor pep rally in preparation for the big game at the end of the movie. Light ambience is handled effectively and naturally, whether chirping birds or the din of a busy diner or high school hallway. Dialogue is steady and natural, remaining focused up the center channel. Though the track is hardly memorable or special, its general quality won't be lost on listeners.

Another Cinderella Story
Score: 4/5

Another Cinderella Story's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack fares somewhat better than its video counterpart. Every dance routine sequence enjoys potent energy and excellent clarity. The music permeates every inch of the listening area, delivering great space and a noticeable surround support element. The very bottom end can fall apart, sounding rattly rather than tight and focused -- particularly in the Black and White Dance sequence -- but there's no denying that it's aggressive and strong. The track enjoys a good sense of natural space as it delivers various effects, such as the vocal spacing and crowd noise as heard near the end of the film. Dialogue is generally clear and precise, but there are a few scenes where it struggles with balance, for instance an early scene featuring two characters speaking in a van where the vehicle's loud rattle tends to mask the spoken word. Altogether, however, this is a pretty solid soundtrack that will leave listeners tapping toes and satisfied with the experience.

A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This double feature Blu-ray of A Cinderella Story and Another Cinderella Story contains no bonus features. Note that Warner's standalone Blu-ray release of Another Cinderella Story does contain ample bonus features.

A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Long story short: A Cinderella Story good, Another Cinderella Story not so good. Both retell the classic "Cinderella" fairy tale, and only the first film does so with any originality. The second picture merely copies the first -- sometimes word for word and action for action -- and cares more for the dance than the heart and soul of the story and its characters. At time of publication, the only way to own A Cinderella Story on Blu-ray is to buy both films in this featureless double-pack; Another Cinderella Story is available separately and with some bonus content. A Cinderella Story looks and sounds great, but Another Cinderella Story offers but mediocre video. Recommended only for the quality of the first film and its Blu-ray presentation.