Hannah Montana: The Movie

The first moment of applause came early during a recent screening of "Hannah Montana The Movie." So early, in fact, the house lights had just begun to dim.

The source of the clapping was a pair of excitable girls who looked to be about 7 years old. Which is pretty much the target demographic of this innocuous feature-length adaptation of the popular Disney Channel series about Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), an ordinary teenage girl who secretly moonlights as Hannah Montana.

Who's Hannah Montana? For those living under a rock, she's only a world-famous stage persona of a singer known for her infectious bubble-gum-infused dance music favored (mostly) by female tweens and their little sisters.

If you're Cyrus's age (16), you're probably already too old for the TV show, and your musical tastes have likely evolved to embrace something a little more grown-up. Like, say, the Jonas Brothers.

When Miley/Hannah gets too caught up in the celebrity swirl of Los Angeles, she's relegated to her family's home in Tennessee by her widowed father (Billy Ray Cyrus, the star's real-life dad). While there, she must cope with country life; evade a tabloid reporter seeking to expose her double life; save the community from a developer; and meet hunky Travis.

"Hannah Montana The Movie" may be, at heart, every Disney princess movie you've ever seen -- only with a stretch limo instead of a pumpkin-turned-coach and a prince who wears a cowboy hat.

The movie looks and sounds like a real film, not an extended version of the TV show. The acting and the cinematography is bumped up a notch.

While I'm no great fan of Hannah Montana's sugary power pop, Miley Cyrus mixes it up here with something that sounds like real country.

The singer-actress has screen presence to spare and a nice, rich voice. By the time her young fans outgrow her -- or she them -- she should have an excellent chance at a second career. Making, you know, real movies and real music.

-- Michael O'Sullivan (April 10, 2009)

Contains nothing offensive whatsoever.