MOVIE REVIEW

Lizzie McGuire Movie, The  (2003)

Starring: Hilary Duff, Yani Gellman, Alex Borstein, et al.
Director: Jim Fall

Rating: PG

Studio: Walt Disney

Review Posted: 5.2.03

Spoilers: Minor

By Sara Michelle Fetters

"Rome If You Want To – Lizzie McGuire a Fun Big Screen Diversion"

One of the hottest shows on cable television, and broadcast every Saturday morning on ABC, Lizzie McGuire has become a full-out phenomenon for the 16-and-under set. It’s easy to see why. The show is breezily paced, has a surprisingly good supporting cast and has the winningly magnetic Hilary Duff in the title role. It’s not rocket science, but as morning kids entertainment goes it is unexpectedly addicting (not that I’d ever admit to watching it on a semi-regular basis almost every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. on Seattle’s channel four or anything).

So it was inevitable that Disney would spin-off their hit into a feature film. Cheap, easy to make and sure to make a profit, this is the type of movie that should send me into cringing fits of despair and ennui. Goodness knows seeing The Lizzie McGuire Movie wasn’t exactly high on my list of priorities, but when the announcement for a press screening arrives you’re not exactly left with a lot of choices when you’re a film critic.

Well poop on all the worrying for while this isn’t the greatest film in the world, The Lizzie McGuire Movie is awfully amusing. Granted, it’s not going to ever be confused with an actual "good" movie, but for young kids looking for a diversion and parents hoping like crazy to find them one, this more than fits the bill.

Upon graduating from middle school, 15-year old Lizzie McGuire (Duff) is off to Rome with her best friend Gordo (Adam Lamberg) and other members of her graduating class. Chaperoning them is her high school principal-to-be Miss Ungermeyer (Alex Borstein), a woman known for making or breaking the academic lives of her young charges. Also traveling with them is two of her least favorite classmates, her class nemesis Kate (Ashlie Brillault) and the dim-witted (if good-hearted) lunkhead Ethan (Clayton Snyder).

But Lizzie’s not going to let any of them get to her. Making a pact with Gordo to find adventure during their trip to Italy, imagine her surprise when it walks up and taps her on the shoulder in the form of super-hot pop star Paolo (Yani Gellman). Turns out, she’s the spitting image of his former singing partner Isabella, so to help save their career, and with Gordo’s help covering for her with Miss Ungermeyer, Lizzie agrees to impersonate the pop princess during a big European awards show.

Soon the precociously sweet teenager is being romanced by a real Italian Romeo and transformed into a Britney-ish bubblegum Diva. But when her tricky little brother Matt (Jake Thomas) finds his big sister’s photo in the tabloids, he quickly sells her out to their parents Sam (Robert Carradine) and Jo (Hallie Todd). Now the McGuire family is on their way to Rome to find out what’s going on with their daughter, all the while Lizzie’s falling more and more under the spell of the beguiling Paolo.

Yes, this is little girl sap, but not as extremely so as I was expecting. Sure, director Jim Fall’s (Trick) visual sense is more suited to the small screen and the script doesn’t rise much higher than an average episode of the series, but that’s perfectly all right. This is a movie that serves its target audience well, and even manages a moment or two (or five or six) that parents are sure to chuckle at as well.

Besides, Duff is completely beguiling. After being impressed with her charm in Agent Cody Banks, I was curious how she’d do in her own starring vehicle. While I’m not sure she’s got much of a range beyond spunky, cute and appealing, those very same attributes worked extremely well for Hayley Mills (Pollyanna, The Parent Trap) during her time at Disney. It’s hard to imagine Duff not working out at least half as well.

Throw in some relatively clever illusions to Roman Holiday, Dirty Dancing and The Prince and Pauper, a funny, taciturn performance from comedian Borstein, and the spirited work of the supporting cast and The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a guilty pleasure masquerading as a children’s movie. Granted, it could just be that I’m a girl, too, and watching someone so beguiling walk through the fantasies of my youth might be just a tad bit more endearing than I should admit. Too late now, for despite all its sitcom blandness and Saved By the Bell moralizing, Lizzie McGuire had me skipping all the way out to the car.

Rating: 2.5 out of 4

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