Review: 'Hannah Montana' Big Tween Pleaser

'Hannah Montana: The Movie' (G)(out of four)

It's hard not to go into a film like "Hannah Montana: The Movie" without some sort of set of preconceived notions. After all, it's based on the Disney Channel show that launched the career of teenage singing sensation Miley Cyrus.

But with her fame came, of course, came some huge bumps in the road: a highly criticized magazine shoot, questionable motives by her show co-star and one-hit country star father, and lastly, a romantic relationship with a 20-year-old man that began just months shy of Cyrus' 16th birthday.

Amazingly enough, Cyrus' charm helps her rise above all the controversy with the big-screen version of "Hannah Montana," a sweet and clean movie that hits its tween target audience with a bull’s-eye. Sure it's predictable at every turn, but parents who are dragged to the film will also find it's surprisingly good. It has all the elements you'd expect: lots of music, goofy antics and star cameos. The unexpected twist is that wrapped around it all is a nice coming-of-age story about self-discovery.

For people new to "Hannah Montana," it's a show about teenager Miley Stewart (Cyrus), who wants to live "The Best of Both Worlds" (her theme song) as both pop star Hannah Montana and a normal person. Enter a blondwig, and makeu p and voila -- people develop Clark Kent/Superman-itis and are unable to make the correlation between the two.

But somebody is onto something in the movie version of "Hannah Montana," when British tabloid reporter Oswald Granger (Peter Gunn) tries to get the intimate details on the singer. With her career taking over her life and Granger on the cusp of finding out the big secret, Miley's dad, Robby Ray (Billy Ray Cyrus), jets his daughter home to Tennessee to celebrate her grandma Kate's (a lovable Margo Martindale) birthday.

Struggling to readapt to her roots, Miley's attitude begins to change when she meets her grandma's farmhand, Travis Brody (Lucas Till), and an attraction develops. The problem is, Miley can't reveal to anybody outside of her close circle of family and friends who she really is, including Travis, causing an identity crisis that jeopardizes her close relationships and career.

There are two identity themes at work in "Hannah Montana," the first, of course, being Miley's dual personality struggle, and the second, her hometown's resistance of a big-time developer who threatens the townsfolk's simple way of life. The developer subplot provides a nice, poignant touch to the film, which otherwise could have easily expanded from a stretched-out version of a television episode.

Instead, the show is taken out of its claustrophobic, sitcom setting and gets into wide-open spaces and fresh country air of Tennessee. With the change in climate and atmosphere comes a new Miley/Hannah who's quite affable. She comes off as an obnoxious kid on the television show, and perhaps the mature themes have forced Cyrus to grow up as a character and a performer.

The same could probably be said of dad, Billy Ray, since the show appeared to be a vehicle for him to jump-start a music career that stalled after his hit "Achy, Breaky Heart" in the early 1990s. But for what it's worth, he's pretty good in "Hannah Montana: The Movie," as not only a dad struggling connect with his daughter, but as a widower with a second chance at romance.

Not surprisingly, Billy Ray Cyrus struts his musical stuff, too, in the film, in a solo shot with his band (and by, the way, he jus released his new album, "Back to Tennessee"), and in a tender, acoustic duo with Miley that sings of their father-daughter relationship.

In the supporting roles are the gorgeous Vanessa Williams as Hannah's PR agent and the also gorgeous Melora Hardin (Jan from "The Office") as a potential love interest for Robby Ray. Till is also good as the huckleberry cowboy, Travis, who has a reserved demeanor reminiscent of Randy Travis. Plus, since Till is 18 in real life, the prospective romance with Miley in the movie doesn't seem so creepy.

As far as the music goes, "Hannah Montana: The Movie" takes mostly the country route, as Taylor Swift and the trio of guys from Rascal Flatts each show up to plug in a tune. Miley Cyrus' contributions are more of the pop flavor, although a country-rap combo, "Hoedown Throwdown" was conceived presumably to start a new dance craze, and not presumably, to annoy the heck out of anybody over 16.

But hey, who was "Hannah Montana" made for, anyway? Get ready, you tweens; with the movie, you're about to experience the best of both worlds.