“The Lizzie McGuire Movie” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Hilary Duff is well known to millions of young people as the heroine of the Disney Channel Series “Lizzie McGuire.” Now Disney and Duff have taken their show to the big screen and the result is a pleasingly pleasant look at teen life today. Hilary Duff lights up the screen and makes her mark as a comic actress and romantic lead. Plus she sings and dances. The girl can do it all.
The film opens with Lizzie (Duff) graduating from Junior High School. To celebrate, some of the members of the class are taking a trip to Rome. Lizzie and her best friend Gordo (Adam Lamberg) are among the ones who are going. The chaperone for the trip is Miss Ungermeyer (Alex Borstein).
Once the group arrives in Rome, Lizzie by chance meets Paolo (Yani Gellman). He is a popular rock star in Rome and tells Lizzie that she looks exactly like his ex-partner Isabella (also played by Duff). Over the course of her stay in Rome he convinces her to make an appearance as Isabella at an Awards show.
This basic little plot gives Duff a chance to be sweetly cute, and sophisticatedly beautiful. She also gets to sing and dance, as she just happens to know each and every song Isabella would sing and the dance moves that go with it.
The only negative aspect of the film is that Lizzie sneaks away from her “group” in Rome – constantly. Kids who are watching this movie might think if Lizzie does it, well then it is okay. I wouldn’t want my junior high school student thinking it was okay to sneak away and run around Rome by his/her self. But since the movie is obviously a fantasy, maybe no one will consider this part to be valid.
The film is rated PG, but for no good reason. Other than the above-mentioned “sneaking out” everything in the film is “G” rated clean. There is no profanity, no violence, and certainly no sex.
Parents can rest at ease that “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” is a fun filled movie that is suitable for all members of the family. Hilary Duff is one talented teenager and she has a solid hit movie on her hands. With this film, plus “What A Girl Wants,” “Agent Cody Banks” and “Holes,” there should be enough parent approved movies to keep the kids happy.
I scored “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” a teen dream 7 out of 10.
