Movie Review:

Raise Your Voice

by Lynn B.

Teen sensation Hilary Duff has it all covered, movies, music and merchandise. I just used her Rip Curl Rejuvenating Spray.. awesome.

In Duff’s new film Raise Your Voice, the actress/singer plays Terri Fletcher a 16-year-old who has pop princess goals but settles for singing in her Flagstaff, Arizona high school chorus. Her biggest fan is her cool older bro Paul (Jason Ritter). He secretly films/records Hilary singing because he believes in her singer/songwriter ability. He tells her about a great summer music program in L.A. and wants her to apply but her super protective dad (David Keith) thinks she shouldn’t be that far from home and won’t approve.

For a lark, Terri gets Paul to sneak out one night to go to see his fave band in concert (Three Day’s Grace play themselves). Coming home, the two are in a big car wreck and Paul is killed. Terri comes out okay but feeling guilty. Super depression results and Terri, at first, doesn’t care that Paul has applied to the summer program for her and she’s been accepted. When dad still says no, Terri’s mom (Rita Wilson) and hot and liberal aunt (Rebecca De Mornay) decide to tell dad that Terri is staying with auntie when she’s really at the program.

Terri arrives in L.A. and the building is locked but cute Brit student Jay (Oliver James) lets her in. Nobody likes her at first, especially romantic rival for Oliver, Robin (Lauren Mayhew) and her hip roomie Denise (Dana Davis). Will Terri win Jay’s heart? Will she and Jay win a performing contest? Will Terri’s dad kill her?

I’d call this one “Fame…Light”. You have the talented kids at the performing arts school but you never get the feeling that their personal struggles are earth-shaking but, hey, the tunes are fun. “Someone’s Watching Over Me” is a cool pop track and Hilary performs it just fine. Oliver and Hilary are cute together so there’s something to draw you into this one. The story has few surprises. You just know who is going to win the competition (I won’t tell here) and that everything will come out peachy keen so think Disney Channel movie with a bigger budget.

Hilary is surrounded by a great supporting cast of adults.. Mom “Rita’s” performance is spot on and Rebecca makes the ideal “cool” and hot auntie. John Corbett is the ultimate, if clichéd “with it” teacher. The film has some religious overtones (Terri goes to church and prays when she’s devastated or just confused) but you never get any one religion stuck in your face and Duff does get to get a little dramatically heavier when losing her brother and trying to overcome her guilt than she does in her other even lighter films. Especially if you are a Hilary fan, you might wanna check it out.

This movie is rated PG

Official Movie Web Site - http://www.raiseyourvoicemovie.com/

Pictures courtesy of and copyright New Line Cinema