Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Michelle Johnston, Netflix.
Cast: Laura Marano, Gregg Sulkin, Isabella Gomez, Johannah Newmarch.
We all love a fairytale – and festivities can be celebrated at any time – not just Christmas. This is the fifth installment of A Cinderella Story film series. Released on the 15th anniversary of the original release starring Hilary Duff, this is a fresh entry for the franchise.
Finding her own miracle during the holidays, Kat (Marano, Austin & Ally) is an aspiring singer who works as an elf. No way was she going to let her vain stepmother, Deirdre (Newmarch), and her mean stepsisters, Joy (Lillian Doucet-Roche) and Grace (Chanelle Peloso) stand in the way of realising her dream.
She is a struggling singer-songwriter and gets a chance to sing at the friendly neighborhood billionaire’s Santa Land. Kat’s best friend, Isla (Gomez) also joins her.
Kat’s first meeting with Dominic ‘Nick’ Wintergarden (Sulkin, Marvel’s Runaways) is uncomfortable, but the pair grow closer working together as a singing elf and Santa.
This budding romance happens without the pair recognising each other from their first meeting. Everything leads up to a Christmas Gala, thrown by Nick’s family.
As we all know, Cinderella’s wicked stepfamily is determined to foil her plans for future happiness. Kat’s father has died, of course, and she is unable to access her inheritance until she turns 18.
This warm-hearted teen rom-com has some original twists. Based on one of the most replicated plots in the world, Johnston makes her Cinderella a promising, singer-songwriter. The ‘prince’ is a billionaire’s son who doesn’t find a glass slipper, but recognises his princess because of a set of elf ears and a composition book!
