The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a 2003 Walt Disney comedy film based on the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire which was released on May 2, 2003, by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Jim Fall with screenplay penned by Susan Estelle Jansen and Ed Decter. The film was produced by Stan Rogow. The film stars Hilary Duff, Adam Lamberg, and Yani Gellman. The movie follows main character Lizzie McGuire (played by Hilary Duff) as she is promoted from junior high school and goes on a class trip to Rome.
It was filmed in Rome, Lazio, Italy, and at the Trevi Fountain.[1] The film was released in early May 2003 and reached number two in the United States box office behind X2: X-Men United.[2] It was released August 12, 2003 on VHS and DVD.[3]
Plot
The movie opens to Lizzie getting ready for graduation while her younger brother, Matt annoyingly spies on her with a radio controlled toy truck fitted with a video camera. We are also introduced to Lizzie's pink-garbed animated alter ego who expresses everything Lizzie can't say aloud. This sets the tone for the embarrassments that are to follow.
Her former best friend, Kate Sanders (Ashlie Brillault), who has been an enemy of Lizzie's since she became a cheerleader, is infuriated with Lizzie for wearing the same dress she wore to the school dance (under her graduation gown). She is forced to make a speech in place of the class president, Margaret Chan, (even though she was treasurer and "only handled petty cash" in the Student Council) with no notice by a demeaning teacher (he frequently tells her "you're no Margaret Chan"). Also, it is in this scene that the audience finds out Miranda (Lalaine) is in Mexico City. Then Lizzie trips on the backdrop, which topples over everyone on stage. Subsequently, this footage was secretly sent in to "Good Morning America" by her younger brother, although it was made more popular internationally by CNN.
When Lizzie arrives at the airport with her family, her new high school principal, Miss Ungermeyer (played by Alex Borstein) appears driving in a cart, blowing a whistle. She insults parents and students alike using a communications headset connected to a portable P.A. system. She plainly listens to nobody and even calls Lizzie's best guy friend, Gordo (Adam Lamberg) "a sneaky brown-noser with a hidden agenda", and it goes downhill from there. In a reference to "The Lord of the Rings", the principal calls her students Halflings during the trip, emphasizing the power imbalance she's able to maintain. They depart from the US and travel all the way to Rome, aboard a Lufthansa Boeing 747.
In Hotel Cambini, in Rome after pasta for dinner, Kate is assigned as Lizzie's roommate. She then seems to offer to understand Lizzie's desire to avoid embarrassment and realize her dreams, only to irritate Lizzie the moment she lured her in by saying, "You can't do it alone. In fact, I don't think you can do it at all!"
After Miss Ungermeyer takes them to the famous Trevi Fountain, she calls anyone who makes a wish there a sucker. Lizzie throws a coin over her head into the fountain. Her wish is to sail smoothly through school (as revealed by her animated alter-ego), but is seemingly answered immediately with a handsome Italian media star 17-year-old, named Paolo, who greets her. He turns out to be a famous European pop star named Paolo (Yani Gellman), and Lizzie looks just like his also famous girlfriend, Isabella (Hilary Duff), except their hair is a different color (Lizzie is a blonde and Isabella is a brunette). They meet again while touring the city, and fans rush up, calling out "Isabella!" and posing for pictures. Paolo asks her to meet him again and then kisses her hand (the picture makes the front page of a tabloid later on). Lizzie sees a billboard showing Paolo embracing fellow singing sensation Isabella, but Paolo tells Lizzie that he and Isabella have broken up over money & Juventus.
Gordo suggests that they "seek an Italian adventure together" and that Lizzie goes first (as he had sacrificed wishing at the fountain). He suggests that she play sick the next day, to sneak away from the group. Lizzie gives Gordo a little kiss, after which Ethan Craft (Gordo's roommate) pops into the room and suggests Gordo likes Lizzie more than a friend and that he move the relationship along; Gordo demurs, saying he just likes Lizzie as a friend. The next day, Lizzie and Paolo dash off for a musical interlude on a motorbike, while Paolo's bodyguard follows in a Mercedes convertible. Paolo convinces Lizzie to pretend to be Isabella at "The International Music Video Awards" that will be televised worldwide.
Lizzie continues to pretend to be sick the next day, and drives off with Paolo (this time not tracked by his bodyguard) to an expensive dress shop. Gordo, meanwhile, sees Lizzie's picture on an Italian magazine and trades an introduction to his roommate ,Ethan Craft to two Italian girls for it (and a promised translation). Lizzie then gets a makeover, orchestrated by the owner of the dress shop with a scary little dog. Kate finds out the truth but helps Lizzie instead of betraying her.
Just when her scheme is about to be discovered, Gordo sacrifices himself, telling Miss Ungermeyer that Lizzie has been covering for him. Gordo is kicked off the trip. But, just as he's about to board the plane home, he sees the real Isabella at the airport and discovers the truth about Paolo. Gordo and Isabella race to the music event to stop Paolo from making a fool of Lizzie on stage. Paolo's plan was to show the world that Isabella couldn't sing, when it turns out that Paolo was the bad singer and lip-synched while performing. Isabella and Gordo pull the plug on Paolo's mic, exposing him, and Lizzie ends up singing "What Dreams are Made of" (the "theme song" of the film, also called Hey Now) in front of the huge audience inside the Colosseum with her parents (who arrive because Matt found out the truth about Lizzie and tricked his parents into taking him to Rome, they found out where Lizzie was from Ethan who was apparently informed of the truth by Gordo) and classmates cheering her on in the crowd (Ms. Ungermyer, the chaperone, knocked the guards out when she got tired of arguing with them, letting the group in) while Gordo stands backstage and watches Lizzie perform. Initially she starts singing with Isabella but after a minute Isabella leaves her to sing by herself. She does a good job and earns a standing ovation.
Later at the hotel, the characters celebrate. Lizzie's parents tell her she's grounded for the rest of the summer but "we're really proud of you." Matt tries to sell his video footage to Giorgio, a former commander in the Italian navy and Hotel Cambini's manager, but Giorgio replies "When in Rome...we do not blackmail our sisters," and he throws the video into a small fountain, much to Matt's upset. Meanwhile, Paolo's now ex-bodyguard Sergei has formed a new relationship with the high school principal. The Principal, Ms. Ungermyer, forgives Gordo and he earns her respect as he's a loyal friend to Lizzie and she respects that. She tells him she's looking forward to high school with him while his expression shows the feeling is not mutual. Lizzie and Gordo sneak away from the after party and go up to the roof to talk. Gordo reassures Lizzie that things will be just as good when they go back home and that he always believed in her. The two teenagers then share a sweet kiss. The film ends with the both of them returning to the after party because they can't afford getting into more trouble as we see fireworks spell out the words "The End".
Reception
Reviews
Based on 96 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an average 40% overall approval rating.[4] Ultimate Disney reviewed the DVD saying "I didn't expect much from this movie and would have never paid to see it, but maybe I should have because it's a great movie for what it is. I can forgive and forget the corny scene when she's singing at the end, since the rest of the movie makes up for it. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who watches and enjoys the TV series; it's like a feature-length show. If you're not familiar with the show, it's a nice feel-good movie you should check out. Gus' Movie Score (1 to 10): 8 1/2 (Italian cinema reference intended? You be the judge.)"[5] Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly magazine gave the film a B+ and commented in his review saying "Let's face it: Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) is just too darn polished to be a junior-high underdog, even by the standards of her 'luxe suburban environs'. But that hasn't tarnished her comeback-kid cred among the six-and-ups who faithfully follow her Disney Channel show -- and it doesn't make The Lizzie McGuire Movie, a clever, agreeably weightless theatrical outing, any less enjoyable."[6]
Box office
Opening weekend, The Lizzie McGuire Movie raked in $17.3 million opening weekend and peaked at number 2 on the US Box Office. The film played in 2,825 theaters and it ended up raking a US$ 42.7 million.[7] As the show was less known outside of the U.S., the international box office was a success and the film ended up with $55,534,455 worldwide.[8]
Cast
Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Award: "Choice Movie — Comedy"
- Teen Choice Award: "Choice Movie Actress — Comedy" (Hilary Duff)
- Teen Choice Award: "Choice Movie Breakout Star — Female" (Hilary Duff)
- Leo: "Feature Length Drama: Best Visual Effects" (Gary Gutierrez,Jayne Craig,Bruce Woloshyn,Simon Ager,Wes Sargent)
References
External links
