So how did Miley do?
Now that the pop princess is emerging from her Disney singing cocoon to tackle acting full-time -- or so she said last week -- the "Hannah Montana" star subjects herself to legitimate film criticism when her new movie, "The Last Song," hits theaters this weekend.
And it's ... not pretty. Mostly.
Directed by TV veteran Julie Anne Robinson and co-written by bestselling author Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook," "Dear John"), the melodramatic love story follows a rebellious 17 year-old pianist who falls for a wealthy young man (Liam Hemsworth, allegedly Cyrus' real-life boyfriend) while spending the summer bonding with her father (Greg Kinnear).
"The Last Song" currently has a 13 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 47 reviews, only 6 are deemed 'fresh'), and a score of 38 on the more discerning MetaCritic. TheWrap has rounded up what the critics are saying about Cyrus' performance -- and while Roger Ebert appears to be a fan, there are many others who aren't quite as positive.
THE GOOD (I'm being generous)
• "The fact is, she does a good job of making her character Ronnie engaging and lovable. That's despite her early Alienated Teen scenes ... Her acting is unaffected, she can play serious, and she works easily with a pro like Kinnear... She even seems sincere in the face of a plot so blatantly contrived it seems like an after-school special ... The movie is intended, of course, for Miley Cyrus admirers, and truth compels me to report that on that basis alone, it would get four stars." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
• "The trick for any starlet making the transition from teen queen to adult roles is finding just enough edge. Miley Cyrus does that with The Last Song ... There’s real chemistry between the young lovers and an old fashioned virtue to the father-daughter scenes ..." - Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
• "[Director Julie Anne Robinson] gives Cyrus room to display a winning personality and charm." - Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
• "Cyrus, alas, hasn't yet learned not to act with her eyebrows and overbite. But she does show off her considerable chops as a pianist and remains reasonably likable throughout." - Rob Nelson, Variety
• "Director Julie Anne Robinson does the best she can with what she has, coaxing competent performances from the two leads ... ." - Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York
• "Cyrus, though she seldom strays from her two primary modes, pouting rebel or toothy girlfriend, has a winning on-screen presence, if only for her enjoyably abrasive edge in this deep well of pathos. Ultimately though, the pop star's bottomless pool of spunkiness isn’t enough to buoy a script that sinks right past ordinary sentimentality to sadism." - Liam Lacey, Toronto's Globe and Mail
THE BAD
• "A hardened showbiz veteran at 17, Cyrus plays an angry, heartbroken girl in a way that, sad to say, shows off her "Hannah Montana"-drilled tricks and tics and air of entitlement more than her dramatic range."
