Hilary Duff needs to tread carefully - at the moment she's playing more or less the same character in every film she does.
Unfortunately, Raise Your Voice does little to shed that image, but on the other hand the role of Terri Fletcher has given Duff the opportunity to show off her dramatic skills as well as her "fluffy" skills, and also show the audiences that she's got quite a voice on her.
Terri Fletcher (Duff) has applied to a music college in LA, but her Dad doesn't want her to go. But when her supportive brother dies, Terri has to choose whether to obey her father or do what her brother would have wanted. Even though she blames herself for the accident, her mum and Aunt Nina (played well by Rebecca De Mornay) devise a plan to scoot her off without her Dad knowing where she's really gone. When she arrives at the college, Terri finds it hard to fit in, and memories of the car accident which left her brother dead and her wounded still come back to haunt her. But, miraculously enough, Terri manages to overcome what's holding her down, and tries to achieve the best she can.
The film has to be complemented on the fact that when they say "music college", they don't just mean lots of wannabe pop stars flocking to some high school searching for a record deal. This is actual music, with any imaginable instrument, different teachers, and a variety of people. Duff also pulls off one of her best performances to date, even though for the first bit the viewer would be forgiven for thinking they were watching the new Lizzie McGuire movie. The story itself is also enlightening, but the characters besides Terri don't develop as much as they probably should.
Still, although Raise Your Voice lacks the comedy of other teen movies such as American Pie, The Girl Next Door, and Mean Girls, it can't be faulted very much on sentiment and dramatic value, and could be Hilary Duff's best role yet.
Unfortunately, Raise Your Voice does little to shed that image, but on the other hand the role of Terri Fletcher has given Duff the opportunity to show off her dramatic skills as well as her "fluffy" skills, and also show the audiences that she's got quite a voice on her.
Terri Fletcher (Duff) has applied to a music college in LA, but her Dad doesn't want her to go. But when her supportive brother dies, Terri has to choose whether to obey her father or do what her brother would have wanted. Even though she blames herself for the accident, her mum and Aunt Nina (played well by Rebecca De Mornay) devise a plan to scoot her off without her Dad knowing where she's really gone. When she arrives at the college, Terri finds it hard to fit in, and memories of the car accident which left her brother dead and her wounded still come back to haunt her. But, miraculously enough, Terri manages to overcome what's holding her down, and tries to achieve the best she can.
The film has to be complemented on the fact that when they say "music college", they don't just mean lots of wannabe pop stars flocking to some high school searching for a record deal. This is actual music, with any imaginable instrument, different teachers, and a variety of people. Duff also pulls off one of her best performances to date, even though for the first bit the viewer would be forgiven for thinking they were watching the new Lizzie McGuire movie. The story itself is also enlightening, but the characters besides Terri don't develop as much as they probably should.
Still, although Raise Your Voice lacks the comedy of other teen movies such as American Pie, The Girl Next Door, and Mean Girls, it can't be faulted very much on sentiment and dramatic value, and could be Hilary Duff's best role yet.