Country girl Finley Tremaine (Bailee Madison, Good Witch, The Fosters) has grown up in the small town of Deary, Idaho, on the farm that her now-deceased father built. While she loves her animals—particuarly her pet pig, Jon Ham— and living the farm life, she has always had aspirations of performing in front of a large audience and becoming a real Hollywood actress. Doing her dramatic performances of scenes from The Notebook for the animals just isn’t the same! However, becoming a big actress doesn’t seem to be in the cards for her, and instead, she spends her days at the beck-and-call of her ungrateful stepfamily. Stepmother Valerian (April Telek, Rogue, Hell on Wheels) is eager to sell the farm and get away from the country life; dimwitted stepsister Saffron (Lillian Doucet-Roche, A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish) is also eager to be a star, but has no real talent and hardly any followers on social media; and stepbrother Kale (Richard Harmon, The 100, Van Helsing, Continuum) is always looking for some new way to make a buck, though he has very little business savvy. Finley’s stepfamily treats her like their personal slave, having her do all the framework and chores around the house, and making all of their meals.

Though all that may be about to change as Finley gets the big break she has been hoping for. The Hollywood film Billy The Kid, The Musical has rolled into town and has announced a town-wide open audition. Finley is all set to show off her singing, dancing and roping skills at the audition, but a mishap with Jon Ham leads her to get the nickname “pig girl”, plus a muddy meet-cute with the film’s star Jackson Stone (Michael Evans Behling, All American), and her getting banned from the set by the film’s obnoxious and misogynistic director, Trevor (Matty Finochio, The Order, Date My Dad). So Finley decides to dress up as cowboy “Huck” and re-audition. She lands the role of her dreams, but now must try to maintain her ruse while balancing both her family’s excessive demands for Finley as well as the film’s demands for Huck. However, that may be easier said than done as Jackson strikes up a friendship with Huck, and is attracted to Finley. Meanwhile, Finley’s stepsister seems to have a crush on Huck, and her stepbrother is also starting to suspect something fishy is going on. How long can Finley keep up this double persona before the truth comes out?!.

A Cinderella Story: Starstruck is the sixth installment in the A Cinderella Story franchise, and keeps the same overall theme of a girl who is treated poorly by her wicked stepmother and stepsiblings, who use her more like their workhorse instead of letting her pursue her own dreams. While several of the other installments concentrated on the “Cinderella” character trying to find love and her prince, that is not really the focus here. Finley is first and foremost pursuing her love of acting and trying to prove to the director that she has what it takes. If there happens to be a bit of a romance along the way, it’s just icing on the cake. This sixth installment also has a bit of a Twelfth Night twist to it, as well as some great musical numbers.

This is a fun family-friendly romantic comedy with lots of laughs, and the first in the franchise to feature more of a down home country setting. Bailee Madison is charming, both when she’s playing country girl Finley, as well as when Finley tries to pass herself off as rugged cowboy Huck. Jackson is more of the straight character rather than the source of the humor, as the blossoming young actor who misses his own country boy past. However, Michael Evans Behling still manages to create some nice chemistry both with Huck and Finley. The four-legged cast, especially Jon Ham, also play a fun role in the story, and are joined by a hilarious supporting cast. Finley’s dim-witted stepsister and stepmother are always slow on the take. They have very little skill but that doesn’t stop them from putting themselves out there, and thinking of themselves as stars. There is this really funny ongoing storyline with Saffron crushing on Huck, not knowing that he’s really her stepsister. Finley’s ambitious, money-hungry stepbrother is always looking for some way to make money, and sets his sights on trying to become Jackson’s manager, but Jackson wants nothing to do with Kale. Richard Harmon brings the laughs every time he’s on screen. Kale is just as bad as his mother and sister, but even he can’t believe how stupid they can be. There’s also director Trevor who is constantly trying to avoid untalented actor/union stunt man Kenny (Ricky He, The Good Doctor, Trial & Error), and trying to find any excuse to replace him, but Kenny always seems unfazed and ready to try again.

The film also has some great musical/dance numbers, ranging in musical style, depending if they are being sung by country girl Finley, or part of the more glitzy Hollywood movie production. For example, as the film opens, Finley is dancing by herself (or with garden tools), singing her heart out while doing her farm chores, expressing about how she feels like she’s stuck in in a cage, and wants more than her country home. But later in the film there’s a fast-stepping number as the actors sing and dance in a saloon as part of the film within the film.

Warner Bros. has released the film on Digital and DVD, but no Blu-ray release, so those who wish to own the film in HD will have to go the Digital route. I was sent the DVD release for review, which sounds great, and features a pretty solid picture that looks very clean and clear. There were a few scenes where there were a lot of trees/leaves/grass, where the picture wasn’t as clearly defined and detailed as you would get in an HD release, but overall, the film looked quite good and satisfying for an SD presentation. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and also makes nice use of the stereo and surround channels to provide some of that farm ambiance and give a generally-immersive experience. The DVD is packed in an standard DVD keepcase along with a slipcover. The DVD disc includes 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:40:11)

DVD:
• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, French

Extras:

• Finley’s Best Friends: Meet the Farm Animals (3:01)
  The cast and crew discuss working with the farm animals. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with animal trainer Diana Eyben, production designer Victor Razi, animal wrangler Jamie Payton, and stars April Amber Telek (“Valerian”), Bailee Madison (“Finley”), Lillian Doucet-Roche (“Saffron”) & Michael Behling (“Jackson”).
• Dirt Under My Nails: The Making of A Cinderella Story: Starstruck (7:20)
  The cast and filmmakers give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this classic Cinderella tale with a modern twist. They discuss the story, finding the differences between Finley and Huck, the costumes, incorporating some iconic Cinderella moments, the music and choreography, the four big dance numbers, and more. Includes interviews with writer/director/producer Michelle Johnston, producer Dylan Sellers, costume designer Val Halverson, choreographer Scott Hislop, and stars Michael Behling, Bailee Madison, April Amber Telek & Lillian Doucet-Roche.
  
  

Final Thoughts:

A Cinderella Story: Starstruck is a fun family-friendly romantic comedy that had me laughing-out-loud quite a bit. It may be the sixth installment in the A Cinderella Story franchise, but there is no need to see the others first, and it still feels like a fresh take on the theme, featuring some great original music. Star Bailee Madison is delightful, and is joined by a hilarious supporting cast, especially the three actors playing her stepfamily. Warner Bros’ DVD looks and sounds great, and includes a short but entertaining 10 minutes of bonus material. This film comes recommended for any fan of the franchise or anyone looking for a fun new family-friendly comedy. Those wanting an HD version of the film will need to go with the Digital release instead of the DVD.