2004 brought one of our favorite teen Rom Com's to date: "A Cinderella Story." The story was predictable, but lovable nonetheless. Hilary Duff plays the beautiful girl who is forced to be a slave to her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. She dreams of going to Princeton, and meeting the man who she met in a Princeton chat room. Obstacles continue to plague poor Sam as she continues to push forward, but she finally finds the secret to happiness and following her dreams. Over ten years have passed since this movie first stole our hearts, but continues to remind us of the important lessons that have made this movie one of our favorites for many, many years.
1. Love Is Unpredictable.
We loved watching Sam and Austin fall in love with each other in the most unexpected way. "Diner girl" gets her chance at a real-life fairy tale with the man she dreams of. We all wanted to believe that we could find our knight in shining armor, especially in the places that we never dreamed existed. Love is going to show up where we least expected, a beautiful reality for those who are still waiting for the knock on the door.
2. Giving Up Isn't An Option.
Life is hard, there's no doubt about it. But, it we let every opportunity pass by, we will never be able to grow. Fear is normal part of the experience, but we can continue to move forward despite this obstacle.
3. We Can Do Anything With Faith In Ourselves.
Faith in ourselves trump any outside obstacles. If we believe, we can do anything that we set our minds to. Once we know what we are capable of, we can have full confidence that we can overcome anything that life throws our ways.
4. Carter.
Okay, so this one doesn't have a cheesy (but, equally valuable) lesson, but Carter is seriously the guy friend we always dreamed of. From his hilarious comments to always putting Sam first, we love Carter every minute of this movie. YOU go ahead, Carter, and just keep doing you.
5. Girl Power.
Seriously, every single person felt a great deal of pride when Sam finally found herself. Sam finally stood up for herself and found the inner confidence that she had been struggling to find for so long. It made us feel that we could overcome anything in our own lives because Sam was willing to fight for herself. Seriously, you go girl.
6. Bring On The Sass.
Rhonda was always there to protect Sam and remind us of how much we needed her sassy self in our life. Never underestimate the power of an overprotective work mama whose favorite girl is in danger.
