Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert

While $30-plus may seem steep for a Disney concert DVD, remember that tickets for Miley Cyrus' sold-out tour were being brokered for thousands of dollars. This slickly produced film takes viewers into the eye of the hurricane that is Cyrus' “girl's night out” stage show, in which she appears as her TV series character, Hannah Montana (a high school student who lives a secret double life as a rock star), and as herself. Cyrus now seems to be at that delicate—if I can borrow a Britney Spears song title—”I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” stage of her career, and thanks to stepped-up tabloid coverage of purloined provocative pictures, her innocent image is taking some hits. Best of Both Worlds harkens back to that charmed time in her phenomenal career (before the Vanity Fair cover) when the biggest controversy surrounding her was due to this film's fleeting scene in which Cyrus and her country singer father Billy Ray are glimpsed riding in a car without a seatbelt. Here, Cyrus energetically performs her best-known songs, including “Life is What You Make It,” “Rock Star,” “Nobody's Perfect,” and “Pumpin' Up the Party,” while rehearsal footage shows that Cyrus is something of the real deal (even writing some of her own material, including “I Miss You,” a ballad for her late grandfather), whose career may be built for the long haul (she does work hard for the money). An added attraction here is an appearance by the Jonas Brothers, whose career has really taken off since this film was released in early 2008. Featuring both the theatrical 3-D version of the film (four pairs of headache-inducing, color-bleaching 3-D glasses are included) and a 2-D version, DVD/Blu-ray extras include two bonus songs, as well as a backstage featurette. Sure to be popular, this is recommended. Aud: P. (D. Liebenson)