Chad Michael Murray has spent his career cementing himself as a romantic leading man. In his breakout role as Lucas Scott in One Tree Hill, we saw him through many romantic plotlines. His second-ever movie role was as the dreamy Jake opposite Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday, a role he's returning to for the upcoming sequel. Currently, he's starring in Netflix’s recent festive rom-com, The Merry Gentlemen, playing a small-town carpenter who gets his Magic Mike on. While Murray brings charm and charisma to all these roles, one of his earliest movies is still his very best romantic turn.
2004's A Cinderella Story sees Murray play Austin Ames, a high school quarterback with a hidden passion for poetry, who is the secret internet pen pal of social outcast, Sam (Hilary Duff). The story is a modern Cinderella retelling, hitting all the necessary and expected beats of the classic fairytale and placing them in a 2000s high school setting. Like movies such as 10 Things I Hate About You and She's All That, A Cinderella Story combines modern and classic storytelling tropes to create a sweet romance. Murray designs a bashful and genuinely charming “prince” who has undeniable chemistry with Duff. It doesn’t do anything innovative with the rom-com genre, but it doesn’t need to, as it thrives on its feel-good nostalgia and showcases Chad Michael Murray’s romantic chops early on in his career.
‘A Cinderella Story’ Is a Modern Fairytale Teen Romance
Image via Warner Bros. A Cinderella Story is a modern fairytale retelling, featuring a masked ball, a fairy godmother in the form of Sam’s longtime manager Rhonda (Regina King), and a search for the glass slipper’s owner (only in this rendition it is a cell phone that was attached to Sam’s ankle). The movie opens with an earthquake that kills Sam’s dad (Whip Hubley), leaving her stepmother, Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge in one of her most hilarious performances), with sole custody over his diner and, much to her dismay, Sam. Fiona gives her little freedom, forcing her to work at the diner outside of school, earning the nickname “diner girl” from her classmates.
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Sam is isolated, and treated as a social pariah, particularly by the stereotypical mean girl Shelby (Julie Gonzalo) — who happens to be dating Austin at the beginning of the movie. For the film's first half, Sam and Austin communicate anonymously through text and email. Initially meeting in a chat room for aspiring Princeton University students, they bond over the desire to escape and go to college. The movie shows their chemistry through this dialogue, with Murray and Duff asked to connect through text alone. The movie immediately shows Austin’s online presence is vastly different from how his friends speak to Sam, his words and poetry laced with metaphors. Murray’s characterization is surprisingly modest and understated, which we don't often see for the handsome, popular jock.
Chad Michael Murray Is an Unassuming Prince Charming
Murray shows the contrast between when Austin talks to Sam online when he can be himself and when he's surrounded by his vapid friends. Even in the scenes when Austin doesn't know Sam's true identity, he and Duff have undeniable chemistry. His interpretation of Prince Charming is gentle, but not placid, even when his friends are tormenting fellow students, he shows remorse. In the scene where Sam is serving Austin and his friends at the diner when the rest of the group do all they can to embarrass Sam, he is humored by Sam's remarks back. It is this softness that makes this movie so feel-good.
When Sam attends the Halloween dance and learns Austin's true identity, she expresses that she knows exactly who he is, implicating that even she doesn’t believe he could possibly be the soft-spoken boy she spent so long talking to. This moment offers a shift within the movie, as now Sam knows Austin’s identity, but as she is wearing a mask, Austin doesn’t know Sam’s. The pair share a tender exchange in the diner, where Sam almost confesses that she is his online pen pal. In this exchange, Murray is candid and open, expressing his dissatisfaction with life due to external pressures. It makes Austin feel genuine and gives him layers that contextually his emotional bond with Sam.
We see Austin on a compelling character arc, as, by the end, he learns to be his authentic self. This is what makes their kiss in the final so special. After Sam confronts him in front of his teammates, he finally sees the damage his hiding who he is has done and stands up to those who pressure him. His public confession of his love for Sam isn't just romantic, it's a sign that he's done hiding who he really is. Kind, soulful, and charming; Chad Michael Murray gave us the perfect 2000s high school counterpart of a Disney prince.
A Cinderella Story is available to buy or rent on Amazon.
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A Cinderella Story
A Cinderella Story follows Samantha Montgomery, a teenager enduring mistreatment from her stepmother, as she finds solace in an anonymous online relationship. Anticipating a meeting with her mysterious internet admirer at a school dance, Samantha navigates the challenges of her everyday reality while hoping for a transformative encounter.
Release Date July 16, 2004
Director Mark Rosman
Runtime 96 minutes
Writers Leigh Dunlap
English (US) ·