DVD Review: Hannah Montana - The Complete First Season

The first think that struck me is how young Miley Cyrus looked during Hannah Montana's inaugural season back in 2008. She looks nothing like the almost sixteen-year-old girl whose pictures in Vanity Fair a few months back, nearly caused an international incident. Beyond that, I was quickly struck by the fact that this young girl is clearly very talented, and possesses a surprising comedic talent.

There something rather sweet about the father/daughter combination of Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus. The show feels like a semi-reality experiment, with the real Miley Cyrus suddenly playing Hannah Montana concerts all over the country and reaching a level of fame that her father never enjoyed. The show's premise is simple. Miley lives with her musician father/manager and brother Jackson (Jason Earles), all of whom have just moved from Tennessee to Malibu. By day, Miley Stewart is a regular student by day, and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real identity from the public, other than her close friends and family.

Outside of her family, only Miley's friend Oscar (Mitchel Musso) and her her best friend, Lilly (Emily Osment), are aware of her secret life. It's the chemistry between Miley Cyrus and Emily Osment that truly makes Hannah Montana work. While I wouldn't go as far as to say these two are as good as Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz, the model here is clearly I Love Lucy, because Miley and Lilly could pass for a much younger version of the twosome. They get into the same situations based on Miley's jealousy or ridiculous schemes, and they are able to change expressions as quickly as Lucy went from wide-eyed dumbness to tears.

The other supporting cast is critical to the success of the comedy. Billy Ray Cyrus, may not be Laurence Olivier, but he's quite appealing, as he showed in his earlier cable series, Doc. His straight-forward, honest comedy style suits his character perfectly. Jason Earles, offers controlled physical slapstick; he seems to know far he can take a gag before it's way over the top. Mitchel Musso's Oliver gives Miley and Lilly a quixotic partner-in-crime.

Here's a rundown on the 26 episodes which are presented on four single-sided discs. All of the titles, you'll notice, are puns and twists on pop songs:

1) "Lilly, Do You Want to Know a Secret?" The opener has Miley reluctant to let best friend Lilly learn about her secret life, but the truth slipping out after a concert. Look for "HSM" star Corbin Bleu, too.

2) "Miley Get Your Gum." Miley's other best friend, Oliver (Mitchell Musso), has the hots for Hanna and does everything to try to win her over, almost as much as Miley (Hannah) tries to figure out ways to get him off her back. In the end, it's friend number two who learns Miley's secret.

3) "She's a Super Sneak." Miley and Jackson sneak out of the house to see a new movie, and discover that Robby is on a date with an unknown woman. An enraged Miley "gets" Hannah to take some action.

4) "I Can't Make You Love Hannah If You Don't." Miley's new boyfriend hates Hannah Montana, and that complicates her life. Jackson (Earles), meanwhile, is having his own weird triangle.

5) "It's My Party, and I'll Lie If I Want To." Hannah is having trouble with Lilly's "Lola" persona; .particularly when Lola acts like such an obnoxious dork at all her Hannah Montana functions.

6) "Grandmas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Play Favorites." Hannah is supposed to perform for the Queen of England, Jackson is in a volleyball tournament, and Grandma Stewart (Vicki Lawrence) pops into town for a surprise visit . . . and has a little to say about the family's priorities.

7) "It's a Mannequin's World." It's Miley's birthday! Robbie is trying to find something special for his little girl. Miley tells Lilly to steer Robbie to the right clothes, but it still doesn't work. Now Miley has to wear this tacky sweater to her birthday party. Meanwhile, Jackson is trying really hard to give Miley a birthday cake and not mess things up (again).

8) "Mascot Love." In order to spend more time together, Miley and Lilly try-out for the cheerleading squad, but only Lilly makes it and Miley becomes the mascot; out of desperation, Robby pays Jackson to fix the kitchen sink -- and he succeeds.

9) "Ooh, Ooh, Itchy Woman." Mean girls Amber (Shanica Knowles) and Ashley (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle) get under Miley, Lilly, and Oliver's skin again.

10) "O Say, Can You Remember the Words?" Miley gets partnered with Oliver for drama class, but Oliver's stage-fright causes Miley bail on him, prompting Hannah to forget the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" on live TV; Jackson gains a sugar addiction.

11) "Oops! I Meddled Again." A girl at school emails Hannah for love advice...about Oliver! But Miley butts in and almost ruins the whole teen affair.

12) "On the Road Again." Miley learns that her dad was once a pop star who fell off the face of the earth just about the time that fame came knocking.

13) "You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Zit Is About You." Miley tries, with difficulty, not to be bothered over an unflattering Hannah Montana billboard in hopes of making Lilly feel less self-conscious about having to wear eyeglasses; Jackson is tricked into becoming a Rico's magic assistant.

14) "New Kid in School." Fame comes to Seaview when TV star Jake Ryan (Cody Linley) gets the star treatment and can do no wrong, which makes Miley think it's time to tell the school about her own secret stardom. Meanwhile, Dad and Jackson get into a situation over borrowed cars.

15) "More Than a Zombie to Me." Robbie and Jackson increase their war of pranks on each other, while Miley discovers she really does like Jake. So why does she keep turning down his invitations to a school dance?

16) "Good Golly, Miss Dolly." Miley's godmother, Aunt Dolly (Dolly Parton) visits, and she tells her about the now crush she has on Jake. Check yes if you want to get out of town after that confession was videotaped and is now in Jake's hands.

17) "Torn between Too Hannahs." Miley's evil identical cousin, Luann (Miley Cyrus) from Tennessee arrives, and disguises herself as Hannah in order to reveal Miley's identity at Traci Van Horne's Halloween party. Meanwhile, Robby and Jackson decorate their house to make it look scary.

18) "People Who Use People." Miley gets jealous when she sees Jake with another girl, and she tries to make him jealous in return. Meanwhile, Jackson tries to help his grades by encouraging his dad to date his teacher.

19) "Money for Nothing, Guilt for Free." Miley wants to beat Amber and Ashley in a fund-raising contest, before she learns the real reason for the charity-sponsored event.

20) "Debt It Be." Miley goes nuts with her credit card and begs her brother to help her pay it off before her dad discovers what she's done.

21) "My Boyfriend's Jackson and There's Gonna Be Trouble." When a tabloid picture makes Hannah and Jackson look like a couple, Jackson takes advantage of being Hannah's "boyfriend" for the perks; Oliver works on a school project with Sarah, and ends up liking her.

22) "We Are Family: Now Get Me Some Water!" Jackson loses his job because of the rumors, and so Miley hires him as her assistant.

23) "School Bully." Roxy disguises herself as a new student at Miley's school in order to protect Miley from getting beaten up by a bully; Robby and Jackson get snowed in at a cabin with a creepy owner (Kenneth Mars) and his equally creepy ventriloquist dummy.

24) "The Idol Side of Me." Hannah participates in Singing with the Stars, a contest that consists of amateurs paired with celebrities, and gets Amber in the top three with the intention of humiliating her; Jackson and Robby are annoyed by Dontzig's dog.

25) "Smells Like Teen Sellout." Hannah has to endorse a perfume which Miley can't stand. Meanwhile, Jackson auditions for a TV survival show.

26) "Bad Moose Rising." Jackson arranges for Miley to learn what it's like to be the older sibling by having her babysit Dontzig's bratty niece; Robby gets over a cold with help from Roxy and her rather odd home remedies.

The episodes are presented in full screen (1.33:1). The video quality us also a bit grainer than current shows, though it's nothing so bad that it affects your viewing experience.

The audio mix is a pretty standard; Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, nothing special but totally functional. There's also a Spanish language track.

There are a few special features included. A "Backstage Disney" bonus feature on "Back Home Again with Miley" gives fans a chance to see the star away from the glare of bright lights. Also included is the kickoff episode of the "2008 Disney Channel Games" featuring a performance by Miley Cyrus," and a "Hannah's Highlights" reel.

Young fans might actually like an unadvertised bonus feature best: a sparkly iron-on appliqué of Hannah Montana's face with swirly stars around her.