neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Lizzie McGuire Movie
	Jim Fall Hilary Duff, Adam Lamberg, Robert Carradine, Hallie Todd, Jake Thomas, Yani Gellman 2003		Curse the studio executive who decided that "Lizzie McGuire," the puerile Disney Channel series for tweeners, was popular enough to merit a feature-film version. Like teen actress Amanda Bynes of Nickelodeon's "The Amanda Show" and the WB's "What I Like About You," "Lizzie McGuire" lead Hilary Duff is a shiny show-biz ingenue who has grown up on the small screen and is trying to transition to the big screen. In fact, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," as bland as lunch at the mall food-court, is eerily similar to Bynes' movie vehicle, the comparatively superior "What a Girl Wants." Both flicks are sit-commy efforts about headstrong, vivacious American girls who head to Europe while on the cusp of sexual blossoming. (Note: These movies are too kid-friendly to get graphic and randy.) But "What a Girl Wants" concerns its heroine's attempt to connect in London with the father she never met, even as she falls for a British rock singer. Lizzie has no broken-family drama in her film. She's on a class trip to Italy and falls for an Italian pop star after she's mistaken for his former singing partner. To put it kindly, this belongs on TV — and it ain't worth Tivo-ing.