Movie Review: "A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits"

Synopsis: Tessa (Disney Channel star Sofia Carson) is a young woman with big dreams; she wants to be the star of her own musical.  However, after the death of her father, she is stuck being a slave to her wicked stepmother (Jennifer Tilly) and annoying stepsisters.  When Tessa's unfortunate family members get a VIP stay at a hotel, and a chance to star in a production of Cinderella with British singing sensation Reed West (Thomas Law), she knows this is her chance...but, her stepmother would never allow her to audition! With the help of a makeup artist, Tessa disguises herself as Bella, auditions for the play, and becomes Reed's leading lady! However, with her stepmother and stepsisters watching her every move, the facade is going to be hard to keep up.  Will she win Reed's heart and make it to stardom?

The Good: Despite this being the fourth installment in a largely direct-to-video series, I found it to be rather enjoyable.  Tessa is a likable heroine, and her stepmother and stepsisters are appropriately despicable.  The musical numbers were great, and the performances were outstanding, especially from leading lady Sofia Carson.  Sure, the wicked stepmother and stepsisters were a bit over-the-top at times, but, that lends to the humor of the film.

The Bad: Like many live-action "PG" films intended for the Disney Channel audience, this movie suffers from a bit of a wardrobe problem.  Tessa's clothes stay pretty modest, but, other women, especially the rather buxom wicked stepmother, show more skin than some discerning viewers would like, and could serve as inappropriate eye candy for males that happen to be watching.  Adding to that aspect is the fact that the aforementioned stepparent wears gaudy jewelry that says "SEXY" on it.  Also--and this is a spoiler, so, be warned!--the ending just shows Tessa and Reed jetting off into the sunset; him saying, "Where do you want to go?", and her replying with "Everywhere!" Though intended to be a happy ending, that smacks too much of an illicit relationship; couldn't they have at least gotten engaged by the time the credits rolled?

Conclusion: Until they make another one--and, knowing Tinseltown, they probably will--I can now say that I have seen all of the Cinderella Story movies.  It started as a theatrically released film starring Hilary Duff; later Cinderellas have been Selena Gomez, Lucy Hale, and, now, Sofia Carson.  I was interested to see this film because of Ms. Carson's performance in the Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs for short) Adventures in Babysitting and Descendants, in both of which she was excellent.  This is a much different role, but, she does it very well.  However, unless you're fanatical about this film's star, I don't think this is worth watching again and again.  It was fun for what it was, but, it's not likely to be remembered in the years to come, and the trouble spots muddled things for me a bit.  If you love Disney-Channel-esque productions, give this a rental; everyone else should probably find something else to watch.

Score: 3.5/5