As countless writers, directors, producers, and actors have discovered over the years, taking a beloved television series out of the living room and into the local cineplex is no easy task. In addition to the difficulties of adapting to the longer and more ambitious format of a feature film, there are the inevitable pitfalls of trying to appeal to a broader audience while still remaining faithful to the rabid fan base. In many cases (see "
X-Files: I Want to Believe") this results in a watered-down brand that both bores neophytes and disappoints acolytes. Planted firmly on the other end of the spectrum, "Hannah Montana: The Movie", makes no effort at all to stretch beyond its existing boundaries and suffers for it.
For those out there who don't have children, don't have friends who have children, don't own a television, and don't have a friend with a television, "Hannah Montana" centers around the trials and tribulations of a young teen, Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus) who lives a double life as an average girl by day and pop sensation Hannah Montana by night. The movie joins the story in medias res, as her manager and father, Robby Ray Stewart (played by real-life father Billy Ray Cyrus) - growing increasingly concerned that the glamour of the Hannah personality is detaching Miley from the real world - spirits her away from Los Angeles and back to the family farm in Crowley Corners, Tennessee, in an effort to get her back in touch with her roots. Miley is, to say the least, less than pleased.
Watching this film, it is easy to see the reasons that this series has succeeded so spectacularly. Drawing on time-honored themes in anything from "The Epic of Gilgamesh" to "The Dark Knight", the Miley / Hannah duality is a spin on desire the live out certain fantasies while still maintaining a sense of normality. As girls today are exposed to constant coverage of such on-going disasters as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, the perils of fame have become difficult to deny, further strengthening the desire for fame without the sacrifices. Add to that the fact that both Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus have an undeniable star quality about them, but manage to effectively temper this radiance with an unassuming accessibility that allows audience members to accept them as the quintessential average folks, and you have a winning recipe.
In his feature debut, screenwriter Daniel Berendsen does actually make an effort to explore the importance of finding the balance between fantasy and reality, which is commendable. The problem is that it is done in such a clumsy and haphazard way that it winds up delivering a very mixed message. The prerequisites of fame are touted so strongly at the beginning that the rest of the story's efforts to dispel them and reinforce the need to stay grounded ring a bit hollow.
The other major failure of the writing is that it makes no real effort to be clever. Understandably, this is a movie for a young audience, but as Pixar has shown time and time again, this does not preclude making the movie enjoyable for adults as well. Unlike those films, though, in "Hannah" the gags are boring, the dialogue flat, and the supporting characters barely exist. For example, for a show that bases itself on the constant problem of one person having to be in two places at once, they would have that bit down pat, but the many scenes that center around it lack both tension and the resulting comedy. Berendsen would have done well to consult with the writers from "Three's Company" for that part at least. That and a little back-story would have gone a long way.
In spite of all of this, "Hannah Montana: The Movie" is not terrible, just disappointing. There is enough that works – the actors are likable, the songs are catchy, and the story is decent – that you leave wishing that they had tried a little harder and offered a little more to the adults that Disney knows will be forced to see it. In fairness though, fans of the show will love it, and isn't that really the point of the thing?
