The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie was a wonderful surprise, even for this loyal Hilary lover and long-time fan of the series. From the super cute and perfect opening scene, to the fan and crowd pleasing feel-good ending, this was a perfect movie for such a great hit TV show. I must admit, it WAS pretty weird to see all the Lizzie McGuire characters on the big screen, but it was very cool once I got used to it. The graduation scene bothered me a bit, because they felt they had to give an explanation for every major character, making statements the TV show fans already knew, like how Kate used to be Lizzie's best friend until she became popular, etc..., but that was the only thing in the whole movie that bugged me. It wouldn't even have been that bad, if not for the way they did it, rushing from one character to another like, "we need to get these character explanations out of the way," mentioning how Lizzie's other best friend, Miranda, was away in Mexico and things like that. But like I said, that was the only part that bugged me in an otherwise incredibly great movie! As a long-time fan of the show, a couple of parts nearly made me cry, though I'm sure sometimes it was just the result of seeing my dreamgirl, Hilary Duff, up there looking incredible and doing the best acting I've ever seen her do! The part where she gets on stage and does her thing, I was really getting choked up, because after coming to know the character the way we have from the TV series, it was amazing to see the things Lizzie was doing in this movie as she finally found her confidence! I should also say that Hilary has really improved as a singer, actress, and in everything else she does! She even did a great job as Isabella, the Italian pop-star! There were only a couple of times where she lost the accent a bit. But every girl should be able to look that good with both blonde AND brown hair! Ha. I wonder how Hilary would look as a redhead? I can't say enough good things about this movie! I just can't wait till it comes out on DVD. My eyes are even a little teary right now. Oh, what I would have given to have traded places with Gordo in that movie!

Her Disney Channel series "Lizzie McGuire" makes its way to the big-screen in a finale movie that will certainly sit well with young girls. It's just a 90-minute episode of the popular television show, with some extra money in the budget to shoot on location in Rome. But we can be grateful that it is a nice, wholeome story created for an age group usually neglected by Hollywood.

Duff has a warm, sweet presence and the use of a little animated Lizzie to comment on the action adds a liveliness to her adventures. She is a proficient comedic actress, and clearly doesn't find `Lizzie' much of a stretch. The film mainly serves as the aforementioned goodbye to the show, and another chance to plug Duff as a pop singer, which she is aggressively pursuing in real life. Now that her show is over, it will be interesting to see what Duff tackles next. Hopefully something more dramatic.

Jim Fall was an odd choice to direct. His only other film is the highly bawdy, R rated gay film "Trick," but he does a pretty decent job here, wonderfully capturing Duff's charming on-screen persona. Beautiful shots of Rome add to the atmosphere and the lively soundtrack adds to the fun.

The film is a delightful, sugary treat from start to finish. If it isn't exactly high art, but a fun teen-girl romp that traffics in cute boys, hip outfits, and loads of cheesy (but fun) pop music. Throw in some light morals about friendship, fame, and trust, along with adorable teen crushes, and there's something to recommend for fun family viewing.