E-MAIL PRINT MOST E-MAILED Share
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
The Lizzie McGuire Movie Hilary Duff stars in Disney's big screen Lizzie venture.

  FILM FACTS
Starring: Hilary Duff, Yani Gellman, Adam Lamberg, Ashlie Brillaut, Robert Carradine, Hallie Todd, Jake Thomas
Director: Jim Fall
Rating: PG for mild thematic elements
Genre: Teen, Romance, Comedy

Rate "The Lizzie McGuire Movie":
 Good 56% 7241
 Bad 42% 5476
 Wait to rent 2% 250
Total Votes   12967

Discuss this film | Official movie site

See showtimes   (PG) 90 minutes

Grade: B

Verdict: Adolescent girls will love watching Hilary do her thing.

By ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE
Cox News Service

"The Lizzie McGuire Movie" is a cute teen movie, starring a cute teen idol, who stars in her own cute teen TV series, which provides the basis for this cute teen movie.

If you've got a daughter or a granddaughter under 16, I can guarantee she already knows all about it. If you happen to be that mother or grandmother, remember that '60 series "Gidget," starring Sally Field? This is pretty much the same sort of thing.

In the picture, Lizzie (Hilary Duff) and some of her TV-series classmates -- Gordo (Adam Lamberg), snooty Kate (Ashlie Brillault), clueless Ethan (Clayton Snyder) -- graduate from junior high and go on a class trip to Rome. They're supervised by chunky, wisecracking Miss Ungermeyer (Alex Borstein), a kind of Rosie O'Donnell knockoff.

Once there, Lizzie is mistaken for a sultry dark-haired Italian pop star named Isabella, whose former partner and ex-boyfriend, Paolo (Yani Gellman), takes a shine to her (i.e., he takes her on a Vespa ride through the streets of the Eternal City, like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in "Roman Holiday"). He also induces her to substitute for Isabella on a big TV special. When Kate (slightly nicer than on TV) finds out, she pouts to Lizzie, "How did you get my trip?"

The move is colorful, harmless and eager to please. And did I mention, cute? Duff is very appealing, even if it is in that slightly TV-homogenized way. The shelf life of teen idols can be distressingly fleeting, but perhaps she can take heart from Field, who managed to parlay her adorableness into a serious movie career and two Oscars.

"The Lizzie McGuire Movie" doesn't have much style; Jim Fall's directorial approach is to load the film with as many close-ups of Duff giggling as he can. Still, it has an upbeat attitude and a good message about how to judge people. And look at it this way: It's a whole lot better than going to Rome with the Olsen twins.

Your Comments

Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our visitor's agreement

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login | Register
Advertisement

Events this Week


Events Search