Hannah's fluff; fans will love it anyway

I admit, as an aging baby boomer, I'm hardly the "target demo" for this film. However, my belief is that any movie can entertain and engage a viewer of any age, if the folks who made it make the effort.

The good news: the people who made "Hannah Montana: The Movie" seem to have tried to do just that.

The bad news: To paraphrase an old saying, "trying doesn't make it so."

For those of you unaware of the "Hannah" phenomenon, this is a feature based on the Disney Channel's wildly popular series about a teenage pop star (played by actress/singer Miley Cyrus) who leads a double life. In order to remain a "normal" kid, Miley Stewart and her father created the stage identity of "Hannah Montana." While Hannah is the darling of the music world, Miley deals with the typical ups and downs of the teen years: boys, school, housework, etc, while keeping each identity secret.

Last year, a Hannah Montana concert film was a huge hit in theaters. Meanwhile, in real life actress Miley Cyrus has been spending more time away from Hannah, including releasing music under her own name and seeming to lay the foundation for a post-Montana career.

As "The Movie" begins, it seems the dual life has started to affect both Miley and Hannah's priorities. Time conflicts cause Miley to miss important events, such as her best friend Lilly's birthday party and her brother Jackson's departure for college. Meanwhile, Hannah's ever growing career is being shepherded by Vita (Vanessa Williams) who's deeply preoccupied with keeping the gravy train rolling and the Miley/Hannah connection secret.

Deciding his daughter has gone a bit too Hollywood, Robby Ray Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley's real life dad) "hijacks his daughter for a vacation back in their Tennessee home town. He hopes the time visiting grandmother Ruby and dealing with "real people" will give her some perspective.

But things get complicated, as both Miley and Robby Ray discover romance and a charity drive to save a local woodland from developers requires a boost from Hannah. If all that weren't enough, there's a reporter from a British tabloid hot on the family's trail and out to expose Hannah's secret.

There's no doubt this is intended to be lightweight entertainment. But lightweight doesn't have to mean predictable and mindless. Screenwriter Daniel Berendsen has written a script that barely rises above the quality of the worst situation comedy you've ever seen. Just because the largest part of the movie's anticipated audience are young doesn't mean they don't want a well-told story. Miley Cyrus has a pleasant on-screen presence in both roles, though it's clear she, and her audience, will soon outgrow Hannah.

If this movie represents her first step out of that character's shadow, it's a wobbly one at best. Another shadow she may have to step out from is that of father Billy Ray, who seems to be hogging an awful lot of screen time for himself here. I doubt Hannah's fans will be all that interested in Robby Ray's love life.

As for the music, there are some winning tunes here, including a country/hip-hop dance tune that's likely to find a place at the top of the charts. Miley's up tempo ballad "The Climb" is also likely to do well. As for "Hannah Montana: The Movie," it is an inoffensive piece of fluff. My wish for Miley Cyrus: more music, better scripts and a hobby for dear old Dad. Rated G for general audiences. Joe's rating: Two stars out of four.

Joe Barber's entertainment reviews and reports can be heard Fridays through Sundays on WTOP-FM (103.5, 103.9, 107.7 and wtop.com.) He can be seen regularly on WETA-TV's Around Town.