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Lovestruck: Selena Gomez's Another Cinderella Story is a fun teen drama, mostly enjoyable for its dance performances

The film, directed by Damon Santostefano, also stars Jane Lynch, Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Marcus T. Paulk and Nicole LaPlaca.

Akhila Damodaran
Feb 21, 2022

Another Cinderella Story 

There are many retellings and recreations of the classic Disney story, Cinderella, by many modern filmmakers. The storytellers keep the core of the story intact and try and tell the tale with different approaches. One of the popular such stories is the film, Another Cinderella Story.The film stars Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley in lead roles, alongside Jane Lynch, Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Marcus T. Paulk and Nicole LaPlaca in pivotal roles. It is written by Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott.The film revolves around Mary Santiago, a high school student who aspires to become a dancer. Adopted by a washed-up pop star Dominique Blatt, she is harassed and bullied by her and her daughters. She falls in love with Joey Parker, a celebrity and pop star who returns to school for his senior year. The two manage to get her admitted into a renowned dance school and have their happily-ever-after.Unlike the original story, the film gives it a contemporary touch and shows the female lead, not as a damsel in distress but as an independent and strong-headed woman. She is just staying at Blatt's house even when she's being treated so bad, due to her necessity. She moves out of the house the moment she gets a full scholarship from the college and does not fall for all the pleads and begging by Blatt, telling her that she's all changed now. Neither does she stops dreaming or decides not to go due to her popular boyfriend. That's one of the main highlights of the film.But what I enjoy watching the most in the film is its dance and song sequences. The scene where Mary goes to a masquerade ball and dances with Parker on a beautiful music and the climax where the two are seen challenging each other in a dance-off are fun and cute. I often tend to rewind and revisit those scenes specifically in the movie. The film is definitely a teen watch and more of a guilty pleasure. The story and finding the Mr Right seem all dreamy and not realistic, yet it makes for a good watch on a lazy Sunday while you tuck yourself in your bed and do not feel like getting out of it.
The musical comedy is a sequel to the 2004 movie, A Cinderella Story and the second installment in the A Cinderella Story series, which is films created by Leigh Dunlap, based on the popular fairytale. Though the age difference between Gomez and Seeley is over a decade and critics called that an issue, I think their chemistry was brilliant. The film also has several suprising plot twists and a good dose of comedy, which gives you a good break.The series has another film A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song that released in 2011.Share
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