Unbiased remarks on why some people dislike Hillary Duff and this movie

I am one of those rare individuals who has a rather unaffected response to Hillary Duff and others like her. I am neither positively or negatively impressed with her, though I do admire her wholesomeness, use of her talent, and engagement with/knowledge of her audience.

Its not that there is anything 'wrong' with her (although I'm sure some will say or imagine there is), it's just that the "All American Supergirl" arctype seems phony, canned, cliche, etc.

The image has been around since the Brady Bunch, Barbie dolls, Saturday Morning 'live action' cartoons, etc. and persists through more interesting 'characters' as Hannah Montana, the Olson Twins, and yes, Hillary Duff. Flawless, glitzy, talented, squeaky-clean and fashionable, these girls are 'too' beautiful, too glittery, too super. They appeal mostly to preteen girls who idolize them and want to be like them. Try as they may be cast, they do not really fit in a gritty, bohemian, artsy setting (as this movie tried to place her, even though most of the other characters and the conservatory did), nor do Hillary Duff types fit in realistic settings. They are best suited, in my opinion, for roles such as in Cinderella Story, or the many Mary Kate and Ashley Olson movies of the '90s and early 2000's. (These movies have much merit in their own right, are fairy-talish and present good role models and show decisions being made, though sometimes with brady-bunch results).

I am not denying that these girls are beautiful and have lots of talent and stage presence. They even play their roles well in movies. But they are not realistic enough to be believable and not quirky enough to be interesting.

Vada, on My Girl and My Girl 2, is a refreshing exception and compromise. She, too, was talented, clean, wholesome -- but she was also quirky (almost tormented), artistic, destiny-seeking. More like someone who'd find the end of the rainbow though maybe not the ever-after we'd hope for or expect.

In this movie (Raise Your Voice), I'd've liked it more if Hillary Duff was more like Vada in My Girl 2 (grief-haunted, struggling with guilt, finding herself), in keeping with the gritty urban music conservatory -- rather than the Barbie doll with clean bleached hair singing flawlessly the canned stuff of her preteen-oriented concerts.

Again, this is NOT a lack of talent on Hillary's part -- her singing and performances are over-the-top-notch and took a lot of work and creativity. I admit that. But it was just not very gritty or quirky or interesting -- attributes which taint all true artistic talent like a patina
































And 'cause' never was the reason for the evening,
--Or the Tropic of Sir Galahad.