Hannah Montana: The Movie has arrived on Blu-ray with all the bells and whistles you would expect, including a standard DVD of the movie and a third disc containing a digital copy for use on computers or MP3 players. Whether it deserves such lavish treatment depends largely on one's perspective. This isn't a particularly well made film, but young fans who obsess over the character will be thrilled. An inoffensive time waster with an uninspired plot, the movie ultimately could have been a lot more fun.
Miley Cyrus stars as Miley Stewart, a young singer who wants to live in the "best of both worlds." In other words, she wants a normal teenage life with her family, but she also wants to live the life of a teen sensation. The solution is to perform under the stage name Hannah Montana. That way she isn't bothered day and night by paparazzi. Perhaps inspired by Clark Kent's glasses (which prevent anyone from identifying him as Superman), Ms. Stewart wears a blonde wig when appearing as Hannah. No one can tell who she really is, even when speaking to her from a few feet away. It would be more fun if it was played as a joke, but the audience is expected to take the whole ruse at face value.
The massively popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana is a traditional sitcom, complete with laugh track. Hannah Montana: The Movie switches things up, taking Miley out of her superstar lifestyle and plopping her right back where she started. Her father Robby Ray (played by Miley Cyrus' real-life dad Billy Ray) feels that she is losing touch with her roots. Early in the movie, Miley gets into a fight with Tyra Banks over a pair of shoes and it seems the youngster is getting too big for her britches. So it's off to the family farm, where father reminds daughter about traditional family values.
A very chaste romance soon blooms between Miley and a farmhand named Travis (Lucas Till). Travis overhears her singing an original song, and chastises her for not having the courage to write more personal lyrics. This inspires Miley to dig deeper artistically, plumbing the depths of her soul to craft something introspective. Things get sticky between the youngsters, however, when Miley lets slip that she "knows" Hannah Montana. Crowley Corners, the small Tennessee town that the Stewart family hails from, is in danger of being paved over to build a new shopping center. A concert by Hannah would undoubtedly raise enough money to save the town. When Miley agrees to ask her "friend" Hannah to help, she has no choice but to play a dual role to keep the townspeople from discovering the truth about her double life.
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