Movie Review: "Raise Your Voice"

Synopsis: Teresa "Terri" Fletcher (Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuire) has a talent for singing.  Her brother knows it better than anyone else, and sends a DVD about her to a summer program at a prestigious music school...just before being killed in a drunk driving accident on the way back from a concert Terri invited him to.  Terri is devastated, and blames herself...but, soon gets an acceptance letter from the music school! While she would love to attend, her uptight father doesn't want her moving to L.A., so, her mother (Rita Wilson, Jingle All the Way) hatches a scheme for Terri to go to the school, while duping Daddy-O into thinking his daughter is staying with her aunt.  Terri has a blast at the school...but, the recent tragedy is still fresh on her mind.  Will she be able to overcome it, and win the much-sought-after scholarship prize?
From Brookwell McNamara Entertainment (That's So Raven, Soul Surfer).

The Good: First and foremost, I must say that the musical numbers were outstanding; these young stars have some amazing musical talent! Between the singing, the piano playing, and the drumming, this movie is a feast for the ears! Don't ever watch this on mute! It's also great to see a mainstream film--especially one featuring a then-"it" girl like Hilary Duff--showcase the Christian faith; Terri and her family are seen in church on multiple occasions, and, at the school, they do a choral performance of the "Hallelujah Chorus".  The whole cast does well in their roles, and the plot kept me involved.

The Bad: The profanity was a bit excessive; though I expected an expletive or two, there were too many d-words, misuses of God's name, and crude euphemisms like "screw," some of which came from Christian characters.  Some female characters' outfits, including Terri's, can be immodest, and one kid at the school gets drunk.  However, the biggest qualm comes from the situational ethics featured: Were Terri and her mother right in duping her father about the whole thing? Sure, he comes off as a jerk for most of the film...but, does that make the deceit okay? Some discerning viewers, especially parents of disobedient children, may take issue with that.

Conclusion: Despite being a huge Hilary Duff fanatic from 2002 to 2005, this is my first time seeing this film; I have no idea why I never got around to watching it back in the day.  Frankly, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it for the right reasons back then; when I watched it earlier this week, I mostly did...but, I can see why some people had qualms with it.  Sure, it wasn't a chore to watch like The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and didn't have the crudity of Agent Cody Banks, and gave Hilary more screen time than Cheaper By the Dozen...but, it still had its issues.  Still, I have to agree with the critic who said that this is Ms. Duff's best film...but, that's not saying much; nothing she could ever do will ever top Lizzie McGuire.

Score: 3.5/5