Raise Your Voice

Perky teen starlet Hilary Duff wholeheartedly embraces the kind of earnest innocence all parents wish their daughters had. In Raise Your Voice, Terri Fletcher (Duff, A Cinderella Story, The Lizzie McGuire Movie) yearns to go to a prestigious music conservatory in Los Angeles. Her father (David Keith, An Officer and a Gentleman) won't let her because L.A. is a bad place--but her loving mom (Rita Wilson) and kooky aunt (Rebecca DeMornay, Risky Business) sneak her away. Once there, she gets a sassy roommate-of-color, geeky cool friends, a snooty rival, and a sexy British boyfriend (Oliver James, What a Girl Wants). Of course, all conflicts with family and friends come to a head at a big competition at which Terri rediscovers herself. Formulaic? Yes (see also Fame, Dirty Dancing, and School of Rock). Bland? Yes. Will preteen girls enjoy it anyway? Maybe, because Duff plays it so sincere. --Bret Fetzer