FIFTEEN dollars a pop – all times, all venues, even for children – might seem a little steep for a 74-minute (including end credits) concert film, even one in 3-D. But Disney’s awkwardly titled “Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” is a bargain compared to tickets for the sold-out national concert tour by the tween pop sensation. Those shows were fetching $2,000 or more apiece on eBay.
And the movie tickets are more readily available, at least at the Manhattan theaters we checked. At these prices, you really want to go to the Ziegfeld.
While 15-year-old singer Miley Cyrus (who also performs as her Disney Channel alter ego Hannah Montana, though I couldn’t have told the difference without the blond wig worn by the latter) is hip enough for her fan base – roughly 4- to 12-year-old girls – her persona isn’t threatening to their parents.
Or as one father puts it in the movie, “She’s a great role model for kids.” Meaning, I guess, that Miley, with her reputedly strict parents (dad is Billy Ray Cyrus of “Achy Breaky Heart” fame, who also plays her dad on TV), hasn’t followed in the tabloid-baiting footsteps of her Disney predecessors, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.
A cynic might say that’s her and Disney’s marketing hook. It’s good enough to sell not only tons of concert tickets, but DVDs and other merchandise, with a 140-product Hannah Montana line just announced at Wal-Mart.
Miley is a personable performer (if not much more than an adequate singer) who can hold thousands of screaming girls in thrall, even if her songs are instantly forgettable.
The film, directed by Bruce Hendricks (the IMAX “Ultimate X”) is a slick, personality-free affair that except for a couple of shots of drumsticks doesn’t flaunt its 3-D effects. Unlike last week’s 3-D concert film “U2 3D,” it doesn’t resort to eye-straining hyperactive cutting and superimposed images.
But then again, Miley Cyrus is not U2.
Middle-age parents will be especially grateful the not particularly revealing backstage segments are in good old 2-D, the better to give your eyes a rest.
Seamlessly edited, from performances of Cyrus’ two-hour show at arenas in Salt Lake City and Kansas City, the film also features a couple of duets: Miley and her father, and – for the climax – Miley singing with a video image of Hannah Montana.
There are also two numbers by special guests the Jonas Brothers. The brothers are also Disney Channel staples who are kicking off their own national tour.
There is one moment of mild drama, when Miley’s backup dancers toss her into the air and fail to catch her as she lands on the stage.
We see the show’s producer, Kenny Ortega, re-choreograph the number for the next show so that the dancers don’t let go of the nervous singer.
“Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” is playing for only one week. Parents of tweens, you’ve been warned.
HANNAH MONTANA AND MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT
A money machine.
Running time: 74 minutes. Rated G. At the Ziegfeld, the E- Walk, the Union Square, others.