A Cinderella Story

By FRANCESCA RUDKIN

(Herald rating: * * )

No girl tires of the romantic Cinderella fairytale, but this modern interpretation set in Los Angeles is very much aimed at tweenage fans of Hilary Duff.

Duff has made a career out of acting cute and clumsy, no matter what the role, and the idea of having to sit and watch her same old routine is losing its appeal, especially with hot competition from fellow teen actors such as Lindsay Lohan.

Duff does herself a favour in A Cinderella Story, holds herself back on the clumsy, and manages to hold the film together.

She's a Cinderella named Sam, a goodie-two-shoes who scrubs floors at her Botox-obsessed stepmom's diner seven days a week, does her stepsisters' homework, lives in an attic, is an A-grade student and is hounded by the popular kids who call her "Diner Girl". It's a nasty life in sunny California.

Somehow, Sam also finds the time to have an internet relationship with a fellow student, who shares her desire to attend Princeton University.

Short but heartfelt texts also contribute to this budding love affair and the two decide to meet in person at the Halloween Homecoming Dance, under the disco ball at 11pm.

No matter how much you modernise a fairytale, there has to be a meringue princess dress in there somewhere, and although Sam recognises her prince as one of the cool guys, Austin Ames (Murray), he doesn't recognise his email pal in her princess outfit. Sam's inferiority complex kicks in as she contemplates whether to tell her prince who she really is.

The story tries to be about more than just finding your Prince Charming, and Duff remains quite the role model with her character accepting who she is, even in the face of peer pressure from the popular and perfect.

The one genius move the producers did make was casting the kooky Jennifer Coolidge - famous for her roles in Christopher Guest films - as Sam's stepmom Fiona.

But the main problem here is a lack of originality. Modernising fairytales has been done before, and this one's strict adherence to the original makes this interpretation blandly predictable, like most flicks aimed at tweenagers these days.

CAST: Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge

DIRECTOR: Mark Rosman

RUNNING TIME: 96 mins

RATING: PG (adult themes)

SCREENING: Village, Hoyts and Berkeley Cinemas