The Lizzie McGuire Movie

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about The Lizzie McGuire Movie 's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of The Lizzie McGuire Movie completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 10 July 2003.

Overall comments and recommendations

This movie doesn’t have much of a story line but would probably be mildly entertaining for children and adolescents. The tourist sights of Rome are the best part of this film. There is nothing scary or violent in this movie for parents to be concerned about; however, some parents may be concerned by the morality aspects of Lizzie deceiving her teacher and sneaking off with Paolo.

Suitable for all ages.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie The Lizzie McGuire Movie contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Lizzie McGuire is just graduating from junior high school and is called on to give the valedictory speech. She embarrasses herself and everyone else when she manages to pull the curtains down onto everyone. Dizzy Lizzie doesn’t have a lot of self confidence but aspires to be a pop singer much to the amusement of her brother. However her big chance comes when she leaves for Rome with her school mates on an excursion, under the tutelage of the stern Miss Ungermeyer. There she meets handsome Paolo who is half of a famous Italian pop duo. The other half is Isabella, who looks remarkably like Lizzie. Isabella has apparently walked out and left Paolo to perform at the music awards by himself. Paolo sees in Lizzie an opportunity to perform as the duo with Lizzie masquerading as Isabella.

Lizzie is of course thrilled and highly flattered although somewhat unsure of her abilities to sing and dance with Paolo. Lizzie has to sneak away from her group and deceives Miss Ungermeyer, in order to get away with Paolo. She has the holiday of a lifetime riding on the back of Paolo’s Vespa and seeing all the famous sights of Rome. However all is not what it seems with Paolo who has his own secret agenda.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is no violent material in this movie.

Material that may scare children

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters. Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened. Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

There is nothing scary in this movie.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in this movie.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no nudity or sexual activity in this movie.

Use of substances

There is some drinking of alcohol in the background.

Coarse language

There is no coarse language apart from the occasional ‘Oh my God’.

The movie's message

This is really a very light movie with no real take home message. However, children could get the message that deceiving their teacher by pretending to be ill pays off in the end because Lizzie gets to sing at the music awards.

Values parents may wish to encourage include loyalty. Lizzie’s friend Gordo is a very loyal friend and takes the blame for what Lizzie has done, knowing he would get sent home to America.

Values parents may wish to discourage include:

• deceit
• betrayal
• lying
• abuse of friendship
• cruelty. Lizzie’s ex-friend Kate is very nasty to her and constantly puts her down.