Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff) chronicles the life of a ‘typical’ Junior
High School student in the United States . Lizzie is not one of the cool
girls in her year, nor is she one of the geeks. Her group of friends,
consisting of Miranda (Lalaine) and Gordo (Adam Lamberg) fall somewhere
in between the social cliques of Junior High.
Although the show is set in the early years of what would be High
School in Australia, this show is aimed at the tween market. It seems
girls between 6 and 12 cannot get enough of Hilary Duff. My daughter is
one of them and she has assisted in this review to get the views of
someone in the demographic that the show is targeted at.
Lizzie McGuire ran between 2001-2004 in the US and is a regular fixture
on The Disney Channel here. This disc, Lizzie McGuire-When Mom Attacks,
includes the first six episodes of the Disney series that launched
Duff’s career.
Episodes:
Pool
Party: The episode that started it all. It briefly introduces the main
characters that appear regularly in the show; her above-mentioned
friends, her parents and my personal favourite, her brother Matt. Played
brilliantly by Jake Thomas, he steals almost every scene he is in. Good
episode, but not great. It introduces the 'every episode has a moral to
the story' theme well though.
Picture
Day: The day that most teenagers dread. Lizzie gets forced to wear the
jumper her Grandmother made. Has some good moments, especially the
moment Lizzie acts as Miranda’s bodyguard.
Rumours: Shows the consequences of gossip when Lizzie accidentally starts a rumour.
I’ve
Got Rythmic: Lizzie discovers a hidden talent, Rhythmic Gymnastics.
One of the funnier episodes. My daughter’s favourite on this disc.
When Mom Attacks: A school camping trip turns into a potential problem for Lizzie.
Jack of All Trades: The M-Dogg steals the show again here. Lizzie is concerned about the job aptitude test she took.
The acting performances are all solid, which considering the young age
of most of the cast members is a surprise. Being a parent, I often find
myself laughing at Lizzie’s ‘Mom’ and Dad (Hallie Todd and Robert
Carradine, brother of Keith and David), who often outshine their
on-screen daughter’s friends. I also like the bloopers that are shown at
the end of each episode.
Lizzie McGuire is one of those shows most people either love or hate.
Personally, I don’t love it, but my daughter does and as a parent it
definitely fits into the kind of show I would rather have her watch.
It’s a family friendly show with enough moments for parents to get a
laugh out of as well as being ‘must-see TV’ for a lot of kids.