By Jen Chaney
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Friday, August 22, 2008

Every day, it seems, there's news about Miley Cyrus. She posed in saucy photos for a Vanity Fair spread. She's feuding with fellow Disney Channel star Selena Gomez. She's dating actor Adam Sevani.

But here's the thing: The average 10-year-old fan of the show "Hannah Montana" and its gangly teen superstar doesn't care much about any of that. She just wants to see Miley, and perhaps the Jonas Brothers, onstage in three dimensions.

That's exactly what she'll get in "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie," a feature that highlights 16 songs by Cyrus and Montana (Miley's blond rock-star alter ego), as well as a couple by the aforementioned brothers Jonas, the same ebony-haired trio that might be directly responsible for every text message that exceeds your adolescent daughter's prepaid limit.

Suffice it to say that most viewers won't fire up this DVD and expect to see a documentary on the order of "The Last Waltz Starring Miley Cyrus." They'll just want to be entertained for 82 minutes by catchy, mindless pop songs and occasionally impressed by the 3-D effects that seemingly fling drumsticks, guitar necks and confetti into your living room. On those terms, the movie succeeds; most young Miley fans will consider it a masterpiece of its kind.

The special-edition DVD released this week ($34.99) comes with two discs and four pairs of 3-D glasses, making it possible for the whole family to gawk simultaneously at the (literally) outstanding images on screen. For the record, the plain vanilla two-dimensional version of the movie also comes in the package. But honestly, who would opt for two D's when they can easily experience three?

Indeed, that extra layer of depth perception -- which boasts a wow factor, even if it's not as impressive at home as it is in a theater -- stands as the DVD's primary selling point. The extras, meanwhile, can best be described as minimal. They include a couple of additional performances by Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers (not viewable in 3-D); a singalong option that pairs lyrics with the performances (also not in 3-D); and "The Ultimate Personal Tour," an 11-minute featurette that dishes out a teensy bit more backstage footage than appears in the movie.

Some parents might object to the Disney promotional glaze, as thick as the sugar on a fresh Krispy Kreme, that coats almost every aspect of this DVD. But when the 10-year-old daughter who has the words to "See You Again" memorized begs and pleads to buy it, denying her might be impossible. And really, "Best of Both Worlds," about as squeaky clean as the average episode of "Leave It to Beaver," is less objectionable than most products she might covet.

Make no mistake: This is a product. But it's one that shouldn't make moms and dads feel too guilty when, after an hour of saying no at Best Buy, they finally decide: "Forget it. I'm letting the kid eat the Disney doughnut."

Least Flattering Bonus Point: Cyrus comes across as an energetic and pretty well-adjusted teen during most of "Worlds" and its DVD features. She even proves to be a decent stage performer. But during the "Personal Tour" featurette, she makes a comment about her musicianship that could come back to haunt her if she ever decides to go indie rock: "I couldn't tell you what key most songs start out in. I couldn't tell you exactly how to play it. But I can tell you that I love it, and what the lyrics mean, and what they mean to me when I sing the song." For now at least, Bob Dylan's position as America's master songwriter is safe.