“Hannah Montana: The Movie” is predictable and Disney Channel-ish, but it will appeal to tween girls who like the Hannah Montana show and Miley Cyrus. It’s rated G, which is kind of refreshing in a sea of inappropriate PG and PG-13 rated movies aimed at that age group. There’s nothing to be worried about with this movie.

The plot follows the popular Disney Channel character Hannah Montana, and her dilemma of being torn between two worlds. There’s the world in California, where she’s revered and followed by hoards of tween girls wherever she goes, but her identity as Miley Stewart is kept under close wraps. That gets her in trouble with best pal Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment), because when “Hannah” is spotted headed towards Lilly’s sweet sixteen birthday party, she has to show up as the pop star, lest her true identity be revealed.

Meanwhile, Miley is being sucked into the world of make-believe and all things Hollywood, which worries her dad Robby Ray Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus) to no end. So he arranges to have her plane to New York land in Crowley Corners, Tennessee. The trip is engineered to show Miley the things that matter most in life – namely, friends and family and the simple things.

It’s a thin plot, and you can see where it’s headed right from the beginning. But no matter, that’s not really the point. The point is to showcase Miley Cyrus, get her headed beyond the TV show and into movies, and provide yet another way for her many fans to see her. It does all that admirably. 

It also offers several new songs from Miley, and creates a little launch-pad for whatever concert tour she’ll be on this year. Taylor Swift also makes an appearance and sings a song at a barn dance. She seems to be everywhere in the peripheral at the moment (she made an appearance in the recent Jonas Brothers movie, too).

If you have tween girls in the household, then this movie is a nice, innocent outing for them. It does feature an innocent romantic relationship for Miley (with Lucas Till), and plenty of wacky antics just like in the TV show.

My main beef with the movie is the horrible miscasting of Melora Hardin as a romantic interest for Miley’s dad. She plays Jan on “The Office,” and I kept waiting for Michael Scott to show up and make some stupid wise crack.

Photo Credit: Sam Emerson, Hannah Montana The Movie, © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Post from: Film Gecko