Jake Thomas

In Disney Channel's big-screen spin-off "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," 'tweenybopper star Hilary Duff does little more than giggle (at cute boys) and gasp (at Roman tourist attractions) her way through a wholly contrived trip to Italy, where she just happens to meet a harmlessly sexy bubble-gum pop star, who just happens to have had a falling out with his singing partner/girlfriend, who just happens to look exactly like Lizzie.

Persuaded by Paulo (Yani Gellman) to pose as Isabella (also played by Duff in a black wig and an embarrassingly phony accent) during an upcoming awards show, Lizzie spends her whole class trip to Rome feigning illness (to fool the chaperone), sneaking off to rehearse with Paulo and clinging to him adorably as he shows her the picturesque sights from the back of a Vespa.

Populated by stock characters from the TV show (clueless parents, bratty little brother, catty in-crowd nemesis, sexless best guy-friend who secretly pines for Lizzie) and driven largely by invented circumstance (the film opens with Lizzie's junior high school "graduation"), there's precious little creative effort made here, save a few animated asides from Lizzie's cartoon-character conscience and the enjoyably acidic performance of stocky, plucky Alex Borstein ("Mad TV") as Miss Ungermeyer, the class chaperone and tour guide.

Continue reading: The Lizzie McGuire Movie Review