Review of Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) by Goodwin L — 27 Jul 2014

With zero expectation to like the movie whatsoever, I went into Hannah Montana: The Movie to see precisely who Miley Cyrus was before she became the media-frenzied sex symbol she is today.

Hannah Montana: The Movie was essentially everything that I had expected, although admittedly it wasn't as bad as I could have predicted. There were a few moments that had some slight amount of meaning to it even if they were part of a cheesy identity crisis concept usually found in every Disney Channel original movie. The issue about Miley Cyrus being unable to choose between her fame and enjoying the solitary life of who she really is has a short but still present level of depth to it.

Some of the music in the film is also decent. Despite the presence of Taylor Swift and an awful scene depicting a poor blend of country music and hip hop taking their toll on the overall soundtrack, the film does manage to capitalise on Miley Cyrus' singing voice pretty well and even has some half decent tunes along the way, even if they are excessively generic. The one song that I found a little bit catchy in Hannah Montana: The Movie was the song "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" mainly because of its energy and catchy beat more so than the lyrics, as well as the fact that Miley Cyrus sung it out decently. I didn't expect much at all from the musical numbers in Hannah Montana: The Movie, but the music in the film was not as consistently bad as I had originally predicted. There was a certain level of spirit to it all, and so it is easy to see how fans of the character would get sucked into the film even though it is far from something I would enjoy.

But above that, Hannah Montana: The Movie is just as shallow as I could have expected. The central issue in Hannah Montana: The Movie is that it is not funny. Perhaps fans could laugh at a few jokes in the film, but the main problem is that it is an adaptation of a sitcom. Sitcoms are supposed to be consistently funny as a way of making sure the audience is constantly laughing, but Hannah Montana: The Movie does not achieve the same thing because it stretches out the thin gag of the story into 102 minute running time with very little humour and a story that just takes itself way too seriously. Hannah Montana: The Movie is bad because of the limited audience that it attempts to appeal to as well as the fact that it is genuinely not that funny, as I did not laugh once. Maybe the fans of Hannah Montana may think there is a certain level of success in the childish humour of the film, but anyone else is unlikely to find it compelling or funny whatsoever.

And the cast of the film really do little to add to the thin premise, lacklustre script and genuine absence of originality.

Miley Cyrus is one of the few musicians currently popular among mainstream audiences that I honestly have any respect for. Her performance in Hannah Montana: The Movie is not one of those reasons. You can just tell that she has more talent than the role demands of her because she really has to force herself through the role, the same way that someone who doesn't like the character has to force themselves through the film. That was the case with me, and so I really did not enjoy it. The entire thing feels so fake and you can tell that Miley Cyrus has just really sold out for the part because she has to forcefully put herself into a childish persona for the part while completely ignoring who she truly is. And when she plays herself she does the same. Miley Cyrus is just very artificial in Hannah Montana: The Movie, and since the sitcom format has evolved into a feature length comedy drama project, the lack of meaning in her performance is a lot more notable this time around. Miley Cyrus is not funny in Hannah Montana: The Movie, neither does she really act out the role with any sort of genuine realism in the part so it comes off as really artificial. But it was what I expected. Hannah Montana: The Movie is only good to look back on to see just how Miley Cyrus has changed herself since.

Lucas Hill is just terrible in Hannah Montana: The Movie. From the instant he comes on the screen you can see that he is nothing but a cheap country boy archetype and he acts as such. Stuck in the rudimentary script, Lucas Hill gets the worst character and is unable to break free from it with shallow line delivery which makes it hard for viewers to really sympathise for his character, as well as an inability to create any chemistry with Miley Cyrus. He is the one that deserved the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor, not Billy Ray Cyrus.

Why the Golden Raspberry award went to Billy Ray Cyrus is beyond me because even though his role is cheap and tacky, he is the one cast member in the film who comes off as being any form of half decent. He captures a likable persona in a performance which really is of no challenge to him, and although he isn't great or funny, he is the one character with any sense of good in him. Billy Ray Cyrus does not have to force anything in his performance because it all comes to him naturally. Billy Ray Cyrus is the one cast member who really has an easy effort in Hannah Montana: The Movie.

So despite having a few minor positive qualities, Hannah Montana: The Movie is a generic film with indifferent acting, a familiar plot and a distinct lack of humour which makes its transition from sitcom to cinema a poor decision.