Hannah Montana: The Movie

Rating:

* * *

Verdict:

Hands down the most inoffensive, harmless and wholesome entertainment you'll find these holidays.

While I'm no longer the target audience this teen romance/comedy/musical appeals to, I can still recognise the fact that

Hannah Montana: The Movie

might just be this year's most anticipated film by 12-year-old girls everywhere.

Based on the hit Disney Channel show,

Hannah Montana

stars Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart, a goofy, normal Californian teenager that any young girl could relate to. Miley, however, isn't any ordinary girl next door. She has a secret life any girl would also die for, as a world famous pop star called Hannah Montana.

Art reflects life and vice versa when it comes to this movie storyline. As Hannah's fame grows it's becoming harder and harder for Miley to disguise her true identity. Her double life is threatening her friendships, and she's snapped having an all-out cat fight with Tyra Banks over a pair of shoes.

Disgusted by his daughter's prima donna behaviour, Miley's widowed father Robby Ray Stewart (played by Miley's real life dad Billy Ray Cyrus, of the giant mullet and

Achy Breaky Heart

fame) whisks her away to the family farm in Crowley Corners, Tennessee, to celebrate her Grandma Ruby's (Margo Martindale) birthday, sing a little country, and be reminded about what's important in life.

Hannah Montana: The Movie

is like an extended television episode (yes, I admit I've seen one), catering to fans of the show who just want more of the same but for longer. There's plenty of wholesome small town wisdom about keeping your feet on the ground, a polite, salt of the earth cowboy called Travis (Lucas Till) to romance, and an appearance by teenage country sensation Taylor Swift.

There's also plenty to be frustrated by if you've left the tween years behind; a simplistic fairytale-like story, the fact Hannah and Miley look exactly the same but no one twigs, and the 12 catchy and totally forgettable new songs that help fill out this lightweight feature.

But, you'd be being stingy if you didn't admit that there's something quite charming about Miley Cyrus and her ability to pull off cheesy moments without resorting to the sickly sweet tone that saturates Disney's High School Musical series. There might not be anything terribly sophisticated or clever about this coming-of-age story, but you can't deny it's a hoedown full of wholesome, slapstick silly fun.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast:

Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Vanessa Williams

Director:

Peter Chelsom

Running time:

102 mins

Rating:

G