July 12, 2009 -- This movie actually had above average reviews so I went to see it at a discount theater. Big mistake. It isn't even worth the price of a discount ticket. This movie is kind of a throwback to those old Disney surfer movies starring people like Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. In fact, one of the scenes in the movie suddenly morphs into a kind of homage to “Beach Blanket Bingo.” These kinds of films are not meant for adult consumption. They are designed to capitalize on a passing fad, in this case Miley Cyrus, AKA Hannah Montana, a huge star to the tween crowd. You would think after all these decades of making these kinds of movies Disney would do a better job with this, but it really is terrible. The story and most of the jokes (dumb pratfalls), the romance, the characterizations are all awful. The only thing halfway decent is the music. This is suitable only for true fans of Cyrus/Montana music. Don't expect anything else.

The story takes place in some alternate universe where the general public is unaware that Miley Cyrus (called Miley Stewart in the movie) and Hannah Montana are one and the same person. In the movie, this is a big secret, and keeping this secret causes complications which drive most of the plot developments. Miley's father, Billy Ray Cyrus (Robby Ray Stewart in the movie) decides that Miley's ego is getting too big after she has a fight over a pair of shoes with supermodel Tyra Banks, playing herself. Robby Ray hijacks her private jet and takes her back home to the country for a couple of weeks to see if he can get her back to normal. Of course she does get back to normal, but it takes a while. She also falls for a handsome young farmhand, and is pursued by an entertainment journalist who is trying to find out her big secret. Getting back to normal, she also does battle with an unscrupulous developer who wants to destroy the open space in a small town and replace it with a shopping mall. There are too many subplots and not enough meat in the story.

Miley's would-be romance with the farmhand is jeopardized by her secret identity, but of course the open space in the town could easily be saved by Miley's huge fortune, or even just a benefit concert, which is what happens in the film. In the end, Miley must reveal her secret identity and stop lying to people, or does she? The movie can't seem to decide what to do about this. In addition to a number of songs by Miley, there is also a piece of a song by the Country-Western group Rascal Flatts and a musical number by Billy Ray Cyrus. There are also some dance numbers to go along with the music. If you like that sort of music, this could be a tolerable movie. If not, it is a waste of time. This is not real country-western music and it isn't real rock and roll, either. It's all plastic pop. This film rates a D.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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