Ages 3 - 7: Red
Ages 8 - 12: Green
Ages 13 - 17: Green
Violence Amount: Green
Violence Portrayal: Green
Fear: Green
Illegal / Harmful: Green
Language: Green
Nudity: Green
Sex: Green
Review:
This movie is a modern version of the fairy tale of Cinderella.
Hilary Duff is not a great actress but young girls adore
her. She plays the role of Sam Montgomery. Sam’s mother
is dead and she has a very close relationship with her father.
Her father eventually marries Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge),
who has 2 daughters of her own. Everything is ok until Sam’s
father is suddenly taken from her also. Fiona, an evil stepmother,
makes Sam do all the work around the house and at her father’s
diner. Sam’s one dream is to go to Princeton, so she
must obey Fiona who has promised to pay for college. Sam
meets a boy from her school in a Princeton chat room but
they do not tell their true identities. They finally agree
to meet at the Halloween dance. All goes well until Sam
must rush off to get back to the diner. Fiona has forced
her to work the night of the dance and she was only able
to go with the help of her co-workers. As Sam runs off,
she drops her cell phone. Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray)
is the Prince Charming in this story. He picks up the phone
and tries desperately to find his Cinderella. Austin is
the most popular boy in school and Sam is a nobody, an invisible
person teased by the popular kids because she works in the
diner. Of course, as in any fairy tale, there is a happy
ending. Jennifer Coolidge is the standout actress in the
movie. She is hysterical as the evil stepmother. She is
also emotionally abusive to Cinderella, favors her daughters,
and thinks first of herself. There is the death of not one
but both parents which may frighten young children. There
is also some comic fighting and a very tender kiss. There
are sad and tense moments along with the comedy. Girls will
definitely enjoy the movie, especially if they like Hilary
Duff. The danger of online relationships with strangers
should be discussed. How did Cinderella overcome all the
things that were against her to follow her dreams? Do we
need to look closer at some of the people we meet and really
see them? Do you know people who always act like they are
better than others?
Linda
Thomas is a native Minnesotan. She graduated from
the University of Minnesota with a double major
in sociology and psychology. Married with a family,
she has remained in the Minneapolis area.
Linda has been a lover of movies since she
was a small child. This love of film eventually
brought her to the point in life where she is
now, a film critic. She was featured on WCCO
radio for three years on the “Dark in the
Morning” show with Dark Star.
In December of 2001, Linda became the film
critic for the syndicated “Ruth Koscielak
Show”.
Linda sees over 150 movies a year and has
had the opportunity to interview a number of
directors and actors when they are in town.
She has also appeared on a public access show
called the "Cinema Judge" and has
ventured into writing for "Cinestar"
magazine in September 2002. The Twin Cities
movie magazine is available, for free, at most
local Blockbuster's and local movie cheaters.
As one of the few female reviewers in the Twin
Cities area, she brings a unique point of view
to her reviews. Linda has raised two children,
a boy and a girl, and knows what they like in
movies and what is appropriate. Hopefully, her
reviews will help your family in choosing where
to next spend your movie-going dollar.
Linda
Thomas is a native Minnesotan. She graduated from
the University of Minnesota with a double major
in sociology and psychology. Married with a family,
she has remained in the Minneapolis area.
