Back to the Farm in Tennessee

Disney Studios presents Miley Cyrus as she stars alongside real-life dad Billy Ray Cyrus in this mostly ‘back home to Tennessee roots’ film. There’s not much on-screen time for the alter ego Hannah Montana (the super star rock singing icon), mostly Miley Stewart, the everyday teen.

The script is surprisingly dramatic with great ‘life lessons’ about friends and family. The beginning of the film shows Miley as she is living her life as the ‘dual star.’ She’s having trouble remembering her family values as she doesn’t have much time for family events.

We also view some fairly bad ‘Hollywood starlet’ behavior as Miley requires undo attention. Miley’s dad, Billy Ray is fed-up with his daughter and her behavior as all the stardom has clearly gone to her head. He decides to teach her some lessons that can only be learned from going back to her hometown in Tennessee and reconnecting with Grandma and the extended family.

Before she can say jackrabbit, Miley and her brother Jackson (Jason Earles) are back in Tennessee, where Miley will simply have to be Miley! No Fans. No publicists. No concerts. She’ll have to deal with people who don’t see her as a celebrity.  She does meet Travis (Lucas Till), who works for her grandmother and had a crush on her in the first grade. Miley begins to spend time with Travis and decides that she’s actually having a great time just being herself. Billy Ray is hoping that Miley will discover that hometown ways are what matters most in life and that people are more important than fame or super stardom.

What happens is that she actually finds ‘Miley’ again and that is the great part because she begins to discover who she really is and what matters most. Miley also gets involved in the town’s efforts to raise money to fight against a proposed land developers scheme to build a new shopping mall as Barry Bostwick plays the land developer.

The battle to stop him necessitates Hannah revealing herself in comical and even surprising ways as her persona is needed in a fund-raiser. We view Miley going back and forth as she attempts to be both girls in separate situations. Yes, it’s comical teen fun!

Two TV show cast members, Mitchell Musso and Moises Arias, appear only briefly, and so their fans will be disappointed. Of course, this is really Miley Cyrus’ film, so even her best friend disappears for much of the movie, before returning late in the story. The pre-teen set, which is “Hannah Montana’s” core audience, will be forced to focus on Miley, but that’s what they came for anyway.

Several pleasant musical songs do showcase Miley Cyrus’s talent as an artist. The toe-tapping, country line-dance hoedown provides viewers with an uplifting dance number.  Tender moments between Miley and her Dad are heartwarming as they sing a duet near the end of the film.  All and all it’s an enjoyable, wholesome family film which is entertainment for all, just don’t expect any major story-line here.

Sarah Adamson © 2009