Much like a short play by Samuel Beckett, Campus Cinderella spends all of its time setting up premises that have no payoff. Even the plot itself is more of a simple premise, which allows our two main leads to talk about problems that are all resolved off screen. Star basketball recruit doesn't have the grades to stay in schoolnor the money to pay the tuition? Though setting up the conflict takes several minutes of screen time, a single line of dialog tells us that he's worked and studied and now everything's all right. Rich daddy doesn't know his son has not enrolled in the school that was chosen for him, but instead is attending class at the rival college? That's okay, too. It takes about three seconds for him to change his mind and be an all out supporter of the school he's vociferously denounced for every minute of his screen time. In the final decision basketball game (with one minute left to play), the star goes down with a bad leg. Drama, you say? Will he play through the pain? Nope. He gets right up, not having been hurt at all. Of course, our team wins the game, with the final shot being made just as the buzzer goes off, in this case an actual gun that is fired. While there's plenty of celebrating, there's no "wrap-up" line that takes you out of the film. It just ends. Campus Cinderella is a fascinating little document from a simpler time. And what is the relationship between our two main leads? Initially, I thought that there'd be some sparks of jealousy once the basketball player is introduced, but once again, there's no payoff. Everything is just hunky-dory.
Review of Campus Cinderella
