Lizzie's biggest, most unrealistic adventure yet- surprisingly entertaining

I have been a big fan of the Lizzie McGuire television show ever since it began. I do not watch the Disney Channel too often, but I try and catch Lizzie McGuire whenever it is on, and I have seen almost every episode. So when I heard that there was a movie, of course I wanted to see it. I ended up getting the DVD for $19.97, and it included a $3 coupon off the price of the movie soundtrack (which I didn't buy, I'm not really into the music on the show or in the movie).

The Lizzie McGuire movie was basically like a long episode of the show, except with better cinematography. It starts out with Lizzie (Hilary Duff) and her class graduating with eighth grade. When the class president and vice president are both sick that day, Lizzie had to make the class speech since she was secretary/treasurer. (How come that was never mentioned on the show?) But instead of making the speech, she got nervous and ended up knocking down all of the curtains on the stage. Her little brother, Matt (Jake Thomas), taped the whole thing, and sent it to CNN, which embarrassed Lizzie.

However, all was not lost for Lizzie. There were two class trips she could choose from- a trip to the local water park, or a two-week trip to see the historic sites of Rome, Italy. Little surprise that she chose Italy- I mean, if your eighth grade graduation had that choice, wouldn't you go to? And so she and her best friend Gordo (Adam Lamberg), along with a bunch of other classmates, went to Italy. From that point, I was wondering, "Where is Miranda (Lalaine)?" The movie gave the lame excuse that she was visiting relatives in Mexico City, but it's not convincing. I don't know why she wasn't in the movie or in several episodes of the show, but it whatever the reason, it was really disappointing to me. From the beginning of the series, Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda were always together, even calling themselves the "three amigos." So the absence of Miranda makes the whole movie a little flat to me.

Anyway, back to the movie. Lizzie is mistaken for Italian pop star Isabella, after Isabella's singing partner, Paolo, makes the discovery that Isabella and Lizzie have an uncanny resemblance. And wouldn't you know it, Paolo needs Lizzie to help him since Isabella isn't talking to him. According to Paolo, Isabella is a lip-syncher, so Paolo wanted a solo career. Isabella got upset by this and took a vacation. But Paolo and Isabella were supposed to make an appearance and sing a song on an awards show. But Isabella would get sued if she didn't make her appearance, and Paolo wanted to protect her, so he needed Lizzie to fill in for the evening.

In order to do this, Lizzie plays sick from her class group, and Gordo helped keep her cover. However, Matt saw Lizzie's picture (as Isabella) on the cover of an Italian tabloid online, and he alerted his parents and threatened to alert the American tabloids and news stations.

That is the plot for the movie. Will Lizzie and Gordo get busted? Will sparks fly between Lizzie and Paolo? Lizzie and Ethan Kraft? Lizzie and Gordo? What do Lizzie's parents do when they find out that she is imitating Isabella? And will Isabella find out about Lizzie taking her place for the awards show? All will be answered when you watch the movie.

I enjoyed the movie a lot. I thought it would be hokey, and it was a bit so, but it was better than I thought it would be. My husband even enjoyed watching it. There are some surprising twists near the end of the movie, but I didn't really like the ending all that much. There is an alternate ending on the DVD, which I liked a little better. The whole Italy trip and pop superstar thing was a bit of a stretch, but then again, it is geared towards young girls, which I am not. And even in the series, Lizzie has done everything from working as a busboy to being a model to meeting real pop star Aaron Carter, so I guess nothing can be too much of a stretch for a Lizzie adventure.

All in all, it seemed a bit of a disappointing end to the Lizzie McGuire series. The absence of two major characters- Miranda, as well as Matt's best friend Lanny, made the movie less interesting. It is silly that two characters so important to the series weren't in the movie, but then again, I don't know the circumstances behind the absences. However, I still enjoyed the movie. I appreciate that it is a family-friendly movie, something I would even show to my younger siblings, and perhaps even to my young niece. There was no swearing, no sex, no gross gags, no violence- but of course that is the way most Disney movies are, and thankfully so. I enjoy watching a tame movie once in a while, even if it is a little hokey. Also, the movie seems to be a shameless plug for Hilary Duff's "music career." I think her music is shallow and un-entertaining, but it did not detract from the movie too much.

There are some extras on the DVD, which I have not watched in entirety yet. There is an alternate ending, a music video, deleted scenes, and some behind the scenes stuff. These extras are a must for every Lizzie fan. I recommend this movie for Lizzie fans and for people looking for wholesome family entertainment- this movie won't disappoint.