Review: Hannah Montana: the Movie

As godmother to a very smart, tween girl I've always had a tenuous appreciation of the Hannah Montana franchise. It gives girls an outlet for their inevitable fame- and glamour-lust while emphasizing the value of having the kind of life where hanging out with friends, studying for math tests and annoying little brothers represent the greatest delights and grievances.

I've questioned some of the storyline's logic and motivations though. Such as why is Miley so physically awkward when Hannah has such a charismatic, graceful stage presence? Is there some kind of post-modern statement being made about the commercialization of identity that people who have known Miley for years don't recognize her as Hannah when all she does to physically change her appearance is don a wig? Alas, as I've been sternly informed by a 7 year old, it's just good fun.

The film gets off to a fast start, assuming the viewer is already familiar with the mechanics of Miley Stewart's (played by Miley Cyrus) situation. After Miley, a simple girl from Crowley Corners, Tennessee, loses her mother she channels her grief into singing. But her father (played by real life father Billy Ray Cyrus) wanted his daughter to retain some sense of normalcy. An elaborate plot was hatched to invent another persona for her, propped up by a team of press agents (who must rival the 2008 Obama presidential campaign for on-point message delivery and leak prevention), her family and a close circle of friends.

When the movie starts, the Miley/Hannah equilibrium is getting out of whack. After a particularly bad day that  involves ruining her best friend's Sweet Sixteen, getting into a very public shoe fight with Tyra Banks (which is infinitely more comedic than the dour version in last month's Confessions of a Shopaholic) and letting her gregarious press agent (played by Ugly Betty's Vanessa L. Williams) override her father's veto on blowing off her grandmother's birthday for a trip to New York City, Miley is shipped back to Crowley Corners. Almost immediately she settles back into her comfortable country roots, rekindles a (thoroughly chaste) grade school romance, rides horses and participates in clumsy farm hijinks. Then, lo and behold, the town becomes infested with greedy land developers who want to turn the rolling hills of bucolic countryside into shopping malls and condominiums. The day can only be saved by a special appearance of superstar Hannah Montana. Miscommunications are hashed out, hearts are broken and mended, a room of people spontaneously burst into synchronized dance and many people fall onto or into precarious structures.

It's difficult to say where the film suffers the most. Is it the fact that director Peter Chelsom (Shall We Dance?, Serendipity) clearly doesn't understand the inner lives of young girls? Or that Disney jammed it through the Hannah Montana franchise machine at such a breakneck rate that it prevented any kind of script development? In any case, the film isn't terrible. But kids deserve better, especially for an established character and story in which they are already feel so invested.

While my mind drifted off during the increasingly laborious five full-length songs performed, three montages and two animal reaction shots, I remembered how badly the film Satisfaction has aged since I first became enamored with it as a tween. If you'd told me at the time that "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was not written and solely performed by Justine Bateman and (a then unknown) Julia Roberts, I would've called you a damned liar. And really, my capacity for musical appreciation wasn't permanently warped.

Miley Cyrus is an extremely engaging presence on screen. Her songs are fun. The relationships (romantic, familial and friendship) all emphasize trust and respect. And other than the very bizarre choice to have the poor man's David Alan Grier playing the mayor of Crowley Corners (sorry, Tennessee, but in a post-Harold Ford, Jr. world you no longer get the benefit of the doubt) the film is not particularly stupid or hateful in the ways Disney has practically had a trademark on in the past. All told, why begrudge young girls the simple pleasure of good fun?

Comments

[william]

My daughter love Hannah Montana so much.

[Belidelu]

Nice one- I watched the movie but was wondering about some of the exact same questions. Regarding the famous Hannah and Miley - I think that no one got to see Hanna that up close to recognize her as Miley - plus make up dose make a big change :)but I don't know- I am not a 7 year old so I can't judge )

[celebrity oops]

Nice try. Maybe someday Hannah create quality tv product.

[mikikond]

Hey Erin. really like the post. i also have two amazing girls.the movie is good. test,parties,little brothers are a part of all this great fiasco.

[Cathy]

Awesome review, Erin.

Any review that ends with: "All told, why begrudge young girls the simple pleasure of good fun?" is alright with me. :)

xoxoxo