A realistic Cinderella Story

I have seen many reenactments of Cinderella and it’s always the same. A foster child was taken in being physically and mentally abused while the family uses all the money left for the child. In this movie, it was no different. Her mother died in a horrible crash, her aunt and uncle take her in, put her in an attic instead of a room in their 8 bedroom house.

She walked to school, while their daughters had a car and absolutely everything they wanted. Here’s where things change. The super popular guy that the sisters were obsessed with was a son of a therapist. He accidentally ran over her cat but did everything to make it up to her.

That’s when he noticed the abuse. Her best friend, a guy, decided he didn’t like that someone else was trying to talk to her and claimed his undying love for her.

Bryant, the popular guy, didn’t give up. He encouraged her to check into feelings for her best friend. Told her to date him, even though he really liked her. He gave her a choice, never tricked her or played games. He always went with his gut about taking care of her.

One day, after Indy went to her best friend Max’s soccer game to support him, she got home and it was the worst it had ever been. She snapped and when sent to her room was scared of what was going to happen to her. She called Max, he said ‘Oh just let your Aunt calm down.’ She told him she was scared and he said he would talk to her tomorrow (Some best friend and way to show your emotions.)

Bryant, on the other hand, was scared for her. He pulled up and came in the house. He saw her bags packed and got her out of there. Her father was a mandated reporter. This is where I fell in love with Bryant’s character, he did what others around he should have done in the past. She was being abused. Locked in her closet and forced to do slave work,  and was never treated as an equal.

I love how this story was realistic. It didn’t make me cringe at the tv like so many Cinderella movies in the past, in the beginning perhaps, but it set the scene. Bryant was supportive, understanding and helped build her self-esteem. I have seen reviews saying it was lame, but those are the ones who like the original “I need a man to save me” “let the family abuse her until she’s 18” type Cinderella story, to me, this one is the best one for the message alone.

Can you guess who she decided to date? You should check it out, now I have to read the book written by Jenni James to see just how amazing this story really was. The cast was amazing. It’s definitely a realistic movie I watched with my daughters and loved how they reacted to it.

Here’s the trailer: