Your Tween Girls Could Do Much Worse Than Hannah Montana!

Though I have taken very strong precautions to avoid my daughter idolizing teen pop stars, still she seems to have found one in Hannah Montana. When she received Hannah Montana: Pop Star Profile for her birthday last week, I figured it was time for me to watch the show with her to see what was so appealing.

Hannah Montana is a Disney Channel Original show starring Miley Cyrus, daughter to Mr. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus. In the show, Miley plays Miley Stewart, a normal fourteen (or so) year old girl. Known to her family and best friend Lilly, however, is that Miley is also pop star sensation, Hannah Montana. Her clever disguise is a long blonde wig. The four episodes included on this disc are those of a mini-arc revolving around teen celebrity Jake Ryan.

Included Episodes:

The New Kid in School

Teen star of a television series, Jake Ryan, enrolls in Miley’s school. Annoyed because he’s getting so much attention, Miley almost lets her secret identity out to a news reporter. (There’s a hilarious moment in this episode while the end credits are rolling where Miley’s father, played by her real father, dons a bad mullet wig and sarcastically says “Yeah, and I’m Billy Ray Cyrus.”)

More Than a Zombie to Me

Miley is starting to see a softer, less egotistical side to Jake, but is worried that she’ll appear to be just another fangirl if she changes her stance with him. Hannah Montana takes a guest spot on Jake’s television show (where he plays a Zombie slayer).

Good Golly, Miss Dolly

Miley’s godmother, the (sad to see) obviously post plastic surgery Dolly Parton guest stars in this episode. She cracks a lot of bad jokes, but sings a pretty song at the end. She catches Miley on video confessing her feelings for Jake, but the tape gets lost and Dolly, Miley and Lilly just have to retrieve it!

People Who Use People

Jake is seeing a lot of a beautiful actress, so Miley sets up a date with a guy she thinks is a senior to make Jake jealous. Of course, nothing is ever what it seems.

Bonus Features

Bonus Features include The Real Miley Cyrus: a behind the scenes featurette showing Miley Cyrus and her real-life family; and Nobody’s Perfect: a concert performance of a Hannah Montana song).


The Very Strong Recommendation of an Eight-Year-Old Girl:

My daughter loved this collection. Period. There was plenty of gasping and laughing going on during each episode (and, thankfully, a resounding “ewwwww” when Jake kissed Miley).

A Mother’s Tentative Stamp of Approval

Though I chuckled once or twice during the shows, I found very little entertainment value for myself in Hannah Montana. I can, however, admit that there are far, far worse pseudo role models out there that my daughter could have chosen. The show itself is a little over-the-top and corny with forced lines and situations, but it’s simple and decently wholesome, especially compared to so many of the other choices on television today.

The acting is also very over the top and though I wanted to roll my eyes, it is just about right for my daughter. Something to note: during one of the episodes (I think it was More Than a Zombie to Me) I almost put my foot through the television because it sounded like Miley was talking with a mouthful of cotton. My daughter’s friend told me she sounded like that because she has braces on the inside of her teeth. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I know that it was very hard to listen to. Like the show, the sets are simple. The Steward house is very nice, but very comfortable. There are a lot of scenes at a fake beach, and some at the Junior High School. I think the thing that first draws the kids in is the music. There are plenty of teeny bop songs performed on the show and my daughter seemed to know the words to every single one.

I do wish Disney would release this show in Season compilations, rather than picking a few episodes to bundle together, but even so, these four episodes weren’t too painful for me, and it’s quite obvious that my daughter loves them all.