A Film Review By Angela Weeks

Many people, young girls especially, wish that they could be in the position as Miley Stewart, who lives a dual life as pop star, Hannah Montana. But in Hannah Montana: The Movie, they finally realize that no one can have the best of both worlds if they are not being honest with themselves.

   In the movie, we are introduced to Miley's identity crisis: Should she continue playing the role of Hannah Montana, the sensational singing star who neglects the true aspects of Miley's life? Or should she give Hannah up to be the true Southern girl that she is?

   We learn that Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) created Hannah Montana so she could be famous yet still lead a normal teenage life as Miley, yet she has started to become more and more self-centered and obsessed with Hannah's fame that she is progressively leaving her old self in the shadows. Meanwhile, her father, (Billy Ray Cyrus) is concerned that his daughter is becoming too obsessed with Hannah Montana that she is forgetting who she is and where she came from, which we learn is Tennessee.

   So the movie takes us to Crowley Corner in Tennessee where Miley grew up. We watch her reunite with her family, fall in love with an old friend, Travis, (Lucas Till), and progressively become her true self again. When she agrees to perform as Hannah in a concert to raise money for the prevention of her home town being destructed, she enters a bit of a mess which we watch her unfold with tears and laughter.

   Anyone who is a true fan of Miley Cyrus or her television show, Hannah Montana will truly appreciate this movie because of the Hannah Montana song footage and music videos, the appearances of Taylor Swift and Tyra Banks, and the fortunate introduction of Lucas Till, a very good looking and talented actor.

   Some parts of the movie were quite corny and could have been done more professionally such as when Miley reunited with Travis for the first time; and obviously some things that happened would never have actually happened in real life, such as the ferret getting loose at a dinner party or an evil British journalist ironically changing his evil ways.

   Nonetheless, Miley Cyrus is a very sweet girl with a sweet image. She is fun without being irritating, and talented without being overbearing. Many girls look up to her which is why this movie mostly attracts young viewers. Cyrus proved herself to be very talented in singing and acting in this movie.

(c) 2008 Angela Weeks