If you want a Cinderella story in the modern times then it’s going to have to be a step away, in some cases many steps away, from the classic story since the theme is something that can be applied to many, MANY stories in one way or another. Cinderella is one of those classic tales that has a variable theme that can be shifted and molded to just about any tale so that it becomes a hard luck to riches kind of story that shows how one person or many overcame the obstacles put in front of them, perhaps with a little help, and found out something about themselves that they never knew was possible.
The modern tale of Cinderella doesn’t belong to just one story after all, as the theme can be quite universal.
5. The King’s Speech
The king is not meant to be seen as a weak or uncertain man and yet for all that the king in this film is someone that is not confident, he is not self-assured, and he cannot speak in pubic. Thus he is seen as something of a lesser man since he has a severe speech impediment that keeps him from being the type of person he could be. Yet thanks to a speech therapist he becomes that man throughout the film, thereby finding something within himself that enables him to be strong for his country in a time when they need him most.
4. Pretty Woman
This is as close as the modern day gets sometimes without delving into the need for a princess in waiting or a young woman that’s gone from rags to being noticed by a handsome gentleman. This is close to that, but the damsel in distress is in fact the prostitute that knows her place in the world and is unnerved by the attention she receives at first. Though to be honest she does pine for the prince that will come and take her away from her current life.
3. The Breakfast Club
This might seem like it goes way off the rails but thankfully a safety line in the form of the assumptions that each of the students makes about each other and themselves keeps it on course. They’re miserable, they’re expected to act a certain way because of who they are, and yet by the end of the film they’ve helped one another to be better people and achieve something that high school is at times set against, realizing just who they are in the grand scheme of their lives.
2. I, Tonya
At one point she had very little if you go by the story that’s been told, but she overcame everything that was put in front of her and became one of the greatest skaters in the world. The problem with this being a Cinderella theme is that she reached the peak and then started back down the other side, finally reaching a plateau when the joke that had become her life had played out for long enough.
1. Cinderella Man
Jim Braddock started out on top but eventually hit rock bottom. The only way for him at that point was to go back up, which meant fighting his way to the top for every inch that he could. Out of all the inspiring stories in sports this has to be one of the greatest.
See? The modern world has more than its share of Cinderella-themed stories no matter how far you have to stretch it.
Follow Us
