After living in California for several years, the popstar lifestyle has begun to seep into Miley, causing a blur between who Miley was and who Hannah is. This culminates in Miley showing up as Hannah at her best friend's birthday party, inadvertently stealing the spotlight from Lilly (Emily Osment). Her father (played by her real-life father Billy Ray Cyrus), notices the shift in his daughter's demeanor and takes Miley back to her hometown of Crowley, Tennessee, for her grandmother's birthday, hoping she will remember who she is and where she came from. Initially infuriated, Miley plots a way to get back to the superstar life as quickly as possible, but as the story progresses, she does begin to remember why she became Hannah Montana in the first place. An interesting subplot of the movie is the persistent tabloid reporter who is digging into Hannah's life, trying to uncover her secret.
While Hannah Montana The Movie definitely includes the funny moments that have made the show such a success, there is a much more substantial meaning evident in the movie. It clearly focuses on the choices that Miley is having to make, and while obviously not all teen girls will face such decisions, the lessons are still viable. There are some very poignant moments shared by Miley and Billy Ray, their familial chemistry used to full effect. Part of the entertainment of the television series is spotting the guest appearances. With a company like Disney behind the production and the popularity of Hannah Montana globally, one can imagine that pulling in big-name guest stars would be quite easy, and in this regard, Hannah Montana The Movie does not disappoint. Vanessa Williams plays a small role as Hannah's agent, while Tyra Banks puts in a cameo that is fairly amusing. On the musical side, performances by Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift are included, as is a song by Billy Ray Cyrus. Now I will be the first to admit that as far as the television show is concerned, there are many things I would rather do than sit through an episode, as it is clearly targeted towards a different demographic. Yet, as Disney has shown with so many movies in the past, the big screen edition of Hannah Montana is far broader in scope, entertaining and appealing to a much wider audience. As low as my expectations going into the viewing were, I quickly found myself quite enthralled and must admit that I did enjoy the movie quite a bit. Almost every plot-line was easily predictable and transparent, yet the parts were well-played, the directing was not nearly as over-the-top as the television show and the cinematography was excellent.
Hannah Montana The Movie on Blu-ray includes a fair number of bonus features. There is the standard director commentary track, four deleted scenes, seven music videos and four featurettes. The videos include not only Hannah Montana songs, but also songs from Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Billy Ray Cyrus. The featurettes include a blooper reel, as well as a visit to the hometowns of Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus and Emily Osment. There is a behind-the-scenes segment featuring Jason Earles, who plays Miley's big brother Jackson in the movie and television show. The featurette that will likely see the most playtime is the Hoedown Throwdown. This featurette features the story behind the line dance that Hannah performs during the movie and also instructions on how to actually do the dance. I'm sure my girls will be replaying this over and over again. Also included in the package are a standard DVD copy and a digital copy of the movie. All in all, I found the movie far more enjoyable than I anticipated and the entire package well worth it for any household that includes a fan of Hannah Montana. A note to the parents: Don't be afraid to sit and watch this movie with your children, as you may just be surprised.
