[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][You must be
registered and
logged in to see this link.] border="0" alt="" />
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Sam Montgomery (Hilary Duff) lives in the San Fernando Valley with her widowed father Hal (Whip Hubley), who runs a popular sports-themed diner. Hal meets and eventually marries a vain, self-absorbed woman named Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge). When the 1994 Northridge earthquake strikes, Hal is killed. As he supposedly left no will, Fiona receives all of his belongings, including the diner. She reveals her true hatred for Sam, and banishes her to the attic room, spoils her own daughters, and forces Sam into becoming little more than a servant. Eight years later, Sam is employed at the diner and tormented by Fiona and her two dim-witted daughters, Brianna and Gabriella who really aren't as popular as they think they are. Sam struggles to cope at North Valley High School, where queen bee cheerleader Shelby Cummings calls her names such as "Diner Girl." Sam confides in her online pen pal "Nomad," who shares her dream to attend Princeton University. Little does Sam know, "Nomad"'s true identity is Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray), the popular - yet unhappy - quarterback of the school's football team and Shelby's boyfriend (although he breaks up with her, she chooses to ignore that). "Nomad" proposes that they meet in person at the school's Halloween dance. Initially reluctant, Sam is convinced by her aspiring-actor friend Carter Farrell (Dan Byrd) to go to the dance and meet her mysterious online friend.
On the night of the dance, Fiona forces Sam to work the night shift at the diner, then leaves to drive Brianna and Gabriella to the dance. Carter and Rhonda (Regina King), Sam's amiable co-worker at the diner, take Sam to find a costume for the dance. Sam, wearing a mask and a beautiful white dress, meets "Nomad" at the dance, and is surprised and shocked to learn that he is Austin. After sharing a romantic dance together, Sam's cell phone alarm goes off, warning her to return to the diner before Fiona comes back at midnight. She leaves without revealing her identity to Austin, and drops her phone on her way out. Austin picks it up and begins a desperate search to figure out who his "Cinderella" really is, the result being that every girl in school claims to be the mysterious owner of the phone. Carter, dressed as Zorro, rescues Shelby from the unwanted amorous advances of Austin's friend, David (Brad Bufanda). Shelby falls for "Zorro" not knowing who he is and Carter resolves to tell her who he really is the next day.
Later, Brianna and Gabriella discover Sam's emails to Austin and realize that Sam is Cinderella. They later present them to Shelby and convince her that Sam persuaded him to leave Shelby to be with her. To retaliate, Shelby, Brianna and Gabriella perform a mean-spirited skit at a school pep rally where the emails are read aloud and Sam's identity is revealed to Austin. Carter even experiences some humiliation when he sees Shelby and her friends lounging by the pool. He reveals that it was he who was dressed as "Zorro" and Shelby, showing her true colors, denies that anything ever happened between them at the dance. Sam, who (like Austin) had been accepted to Princeton University, was then duped by Fiona into believing she was rejected. Shortly after, frustrated with Fiona's persistent emotional abuse and her schoolwide humiliation, Sam quits her job at the diner and moves out to live with Rhonda.
Before a school football game, Sam confronts Austin about his cowardice and lies. Before the final play of the game, he sees Sam making her way out of the stands, and finally faces up to his father that he wants to attend Princeton rather than simply play football all his life. He chases after Sam and apologizes. She accepts his apology and they share a kiss as rain falls over the drought-plagued valley. Soon after, Sam finds her father Hal's will hidden in her childhood fairytale book, which stated that all of his belongings would go to her. Sam sells her stepfamily's fancy cars so that she can pay for college, and Fiona, who signed the will as a witness, is taken in for questioning. Fiona and her daughters are made to work off the money they stole from Sam at the diner, which is restored to the way it was before Hal's death by its new owners, Sam and Rhonda. Things also work out in the end for Carter as he makes a commercial for acne medication. After being dumped by Austin, Shelby then makes a play for Carter only to be spurned in favor of Astrid the school DJ. Sam and Austin begin a relationship and attend Princeton together.
[edit] Cast
Additional Characters:
* Lin Shaye as Mrs. Wells
* Whip Hubley as Hal Montgomery
* Kevin Kilner as Andy Ames
* Brad Bufanda as David
* John Billingsley as Mr. Rothman
* Simon Helberg as Terry
* Mary Pat Gleason as Eleanor
* Hannah Robinson as Young Sam
* Rory Thost as Young Carter
* Carlie Westerman as Young Brianna
* Lilli Babb as Young Gabriella
* J.D. Pardo as Ryan Henson
* Aimee-Lynn Chadwick as DJ (Astrid)
* Brenda Song as Kelly Anderson
