A CINDERELLA STORY: STARSTRUCK – A DVD and Digital HD Review by John Strange
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.
There has been a myriad of tellings and re-imaginings of the Cinderella tale. A Cinderella Story: Starstruck is but the latest to be presented to us. Writer/Director Michelle Johnston has been associated with the film series since A Cinderella Story (2004) where she was a choreographer.
Since then, she has worked, in some capacity, on all six of the films in the series. She has been writer, director, producer, choreographer, executive producer, or co-producer in various combinations on the films (see the end of the review for specifics).
A Cinderella Story: Starstruck, the new film is told from a country point-of-view. Finley Tremaine (Bailee Madison) is a small-town girl who lives on a farm with her stepmother Valerian (April Telek), stepbrother Kale (Richard Harmon), and stepsister Saffron (Lillian Doucet-Roche). (Following the formula, these three are NOT decent human beings.)
A big Hollywood movie, starring Jackson Stone (Michael Evans Behling), comes to their town to film. There is an announcement that the company is allowing the locals the opportunity to audition to appear in the film. Of course, the “steps” have plans to be in the film!
But then again, so does Finley. The evil stepmother refuses to give her permission to go to the auditions because she has chores to finish. The dutiful Finley promises to get up early and finish those chores in time to audition. The next morning the list of chores is many pages long and includes taking her pet pig to the butcher shop!
Completing all of the chores, except the butchering of her beloved pig, Finley tries to audition. That pig is Finley’s downfall at the audition. This debacle sets up the rest of the story, which flows well and is filled with nice humor and situations.
The story is well-written and a perfect vehicle for Miss Madison. Bailee’s smile and charm highlight her wonderful acting talent. The excellent chemistry between Bailee and her co-star Michael Evans Behling (Jackson Stone) is the heart of this film.
As with all of the films in this series, A Cinderella Story: Starstruck gives us a nice musical with a story we can sit back and enjoy.
The extras, available on the DVD and the Digital HD offerings, while light on numbers are well made and quite enjoyable. My favorite was “Finley’s Best Friends: Meet the Farm Animals”. Bailee got to work with what equates to a nice petting zoo complete with some absolutely gorgeous horses. She has a great time telling us about them.
The second, “Dirt Under My Nails: The Making of A Cinderella Story: Starstruck”, is one of the better “Making of” featurette’s I have seen. It is light-hearted while giving us a nice look behind the scenes.
Michelle Johnston’s connections to the six films in the series:
A Cinderella Story (Choreographer) (2004);
Another Cinderella Story (Choreographer, Co-Producer) (2008);
A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (Executive Producer) (2011);
A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits (Video) (Director, Choreographer, Producer) (2016);
A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish (Writer, Director, Choreographer) (2019);
A Cinderella Story: Starstruck (Writer, Director, Producer) (2021)
Directed By:
- Michelle Johnston
Cast:
- Bailee Madison, Michael Evans Behling, April Telek, Lillian Doucet-Roche, Richard Harmon
Extras:
Digital:
- Finley’s Best Friends: Meet the Farm Animals
- Dirt Under My Nails: The Making of A Cinderella Story: Starstruck
DVD:
- Finley’s Best Friends: Meet the Farm Animals
- Dirt Under My Nails: The Making of A Cinderella Story: Starstruck
Specifications:
Runtime:
Feature:
- 100 Minutes
Enhanced Content:
- 11 Minutes
Studio:
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.
DVD Release Date:
- 07/13/2021
Region:
- A/1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Website:
Trailer:
MPAA Rating:
- PG (for some language and suggestive material)
Selig Rating:
Film Rating:
- 5 Stars
Bonus Features Rating:
- 5 Stars
Picture Quality Rating:
- 5 Stars
Audio Quality Rating:
- 5 Stars
Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars: Should add to your DVD collection at any cost
4 Stars: Worth owning, but try to catch it a sale
3 Stars: Plan to get it, but wait to buy it used
2 Stars: Worth taking a look at, but not owning
1 Star: Pick it up at a garage sale and use it for drinks
0 Stars: Makes a great Trap Shooting target
