It's really rare that a formulaic bubblegum sequel makes me laugh out loud, and not from being so awkward and painful to watch. A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song had such genuinely funny supporting characters (among them the severely underappreciated Missi Pyle) that I was shocked by the teacup-full of fun I had watching.

Katie (Lucy Hale) lives with her stepmother (Missi Pyle) and stepsister (Megan Park), both of whom are cruel to her. Katie is made to be the vocal Cyrano de Bergerac for her pipeless stepsister to get the attention of a well-known talent scout's son, Luke (Freddie Stroma), lest her awful stepmother make what little inheritance Katie's late father left for her disappear. Katie's willingness to jump through hoops, plus the entire school's desperation to get heard by Luke, are the hijinks that drive the action, not to mention Katie's little stepbrother who does things like steal her clothes and lock her out, leaving her naked out on the front porch with only a welcome mat to cover herself as Luke conveniently walks up. It's moments like that that had me surprised at how tickled I was. This is a well-written script with actors that can execute comedy that appeals to a range of ages; for being a fluff film, that says a lot. Between the welcome mat scene and a particularly enthusiastic (I say that as kindly as I can) jazz singer at the school who wrestles Luke to the ground and holds his shirt collar to make him listen to her, I had a hearty belly laugh or two. The kids who watch this will definitely have fun, but the parents coerced into watching this will also have fun.

Yes, it is Lucy Hale herself singing, which I always like to see. Voice doubles really kill it for me, because it seems to be the job of the casting director to cast, for movies like this, an actress who has a legit singing voice. If Hale ever finds herself out of acting work, she could certainly take up singing. Stroma also sings, but his voice and musical talent aren't as strong. Do yourself a favor and skip out on the special features unless you're this film's target audience, because grown adults talking about a straight-to-DVD Cinderella movie like it's going to win an Oscar is just disheartening on many, many levels.

Missi Pyle is one of those actors whose face you recognize as Oh-She-Was-In-That-Other-Movie, but her name never gets memorized like more well-known actors. This is a real tragedy, because Pyle has some serious comedic chops. Even when she's ruling with her stepmotherly-like fist of fury and unfairness, she still does it in a way that is very funny -- exaggerated words coming out of a very serious face.

Definitely not the worst straight-to-DVD movie I've seen, it's a worthwhile pick if you find it for cheap somewhere and you need something to placate the kiddies.