Film Reviews

Hannah Montana: The Movie

• Rating:
• Director: Peter Chelsom
• Starring: Billy Ray Cyrus
• Details: US/102mins (G)

One of the forerunners of the current tween craziness that has engulfed the consciousness of seemingly every adolescent girl on the planet, Miley Cyrus finally makes her feature film debut in this, a shamelessly wholesome and goofy film that is aimed squarely at the aforementioned tweens. Parents will be checking their watches throughout, but their offspring will undoubtedly want to go back for second and third helpings. Cyrus is a hugely energetic presence on screen, but she really has to be, given that she is in almost every frame, as either Hannah, or Miley Stewart - her strangely similar to reality, other on-screen persona.

Plot is as downright undemanding as you'd expect; Miley is all caught up in her life as Hannah, doesn't have time for her BFF, and is generally acting like a diva. Step in real life poppa Billy Ray Cyrus, to take her home to Tennessee to reconnect with her roots. Along the way she meets a dreamy boy, sorts out her home town's financial problems, and helps her father find a woman. And people say teenagers are incapable of multitasking. It's incredibly predictable of course, but does that even matter? This is a film where the importance of family values is thought of as more imperative than stupid little things like plot, three dimensional characters and genuine laughs. But it does have some charm, and that's what gets it by...

Quite frankly, it really doesn't matter what I or any other critic think of this film; your kids will want to go anyway. At just over an hour and a half, it still feels too long, but the musical numbers are actually extremely catchy, and Cyrus really comes into her own on stage. While you couldn't get me to sit through this again if you doused me with petrol fluid and held me close to an open flame, I'm not who its aimed at. Will distract, amuse, and entertain anyone under the age of 13 - everyone else will just get some momentary peace.

Review by Mike Sheridan