"You didn't have to be in Rome for all this to happen." - Gordo (Adam Lamberg) CASS' CLIP (WARNING: **spoilers below**) Like most 15 year-old girls, Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) loves shopping for trendy clothes and hanging out with her friends at the mall. Despite Lizzie having supportive parents, Sam and Jo (Robert Carradine and Hallie Todd), and an annoying younger brother, Matt (Jake Thomas), her ultimate goal is to be popular. Instead of being popular, Lizzie's classmates rib her a lot because she's always tripping or falling down. [Lizzie's alter ego is an animated form of herself. The cartoon Lizzie expresses her inner most feelings]. Such is the case at Lizzie's junior high school graduation commencement ceremony. At the last minute, Lizzie is asked to give the graduation speech, and in true fashion, things don't go quite as planned. After the graduation incident, which airs the next morning on Good Morning America and CNN , Lizzie, her best friend Gordo (Adam Lamberg), Kate (Ashlie Brillault), and Ethan (Clayton Snyder), take a class trip to Italy. Chaperoning the students to Italy is the no-nonsense, in your face, Ms. Ungermeyer (Alex Borstein). Educating these students on the ruins of Rome is serious business for Ms. Ungermeyer. Of course, this will be no ordinary class trip. The adventure begins when Lizzie makes a wish while tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. As luck would it, Paolo (Yani Gellman), a cute 17 year-old Italian pop star, sees Lizzie and mistakes her for Isabella (also played by Duff), his ex-girlfriend and former singing partner. Paolo and Isabella are scheduled to perform at the International Music Video Award (IMVA), that is, until Isabella disappears. After Paolo spots Lizzie, he tries to convince her to pose as Isabella so the show can go on. Gordo, helps Lizzie slip away from her classmates and fool Ms. Ungermeyer. Paolo sweeps Lizzie off her feet with a whirlwind of exciting activities, taking her on a private tour around Rome on a scooter. But Paolo is not who he appears to be, and Gordo discovers what Paolo is really up to. What Lizzie will find in Rome is more than popularity, and her biggest lesson will put her true friendships to the ultimate test. DA 411 The success of Disney's Lizzie McGuire sitcom (which premiered in January 2001), and The Lizzie McGuire Movie is due to Hilary Duff's enormous popularity and her "tween" Queen status. The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a coming of age and light romantic comedy that young girls between the ages of 7 and 14 will TOTALLY LOVE. I asked one of the young moviegoers her thoughts about the movie, and 7 year-old Sydney Harris said, "It was really good and worth the wait. I liked seeing Lizzie on the big screen." I asked her if she thinks this movie will be a big box office hit with girls her age and she said, "Definitely, because I'm telling all my friends to go see it!" All the regular McGuire cast members play their usual roles, with an unexpected twist at that end. CASS' CONCLUSION What I liked most about The Lizzie McGuire Movie is that it is age-appropriate and that Ms. Duff is not transformed into an onscreen Britney-esque character. THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE: back to top Copyright Cassandra Henry, 2003 EMAIL: cass@3blackchicks.com