Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) is a down-to-earth country girl with a big secret... her "other side" is the pop-star Hannah Montana. Trying to attend school, carry on normal relationships and deal with everyday life while keeping her secret identity hidden causes no end of problems for Miley. Now that she is well into her teens, Miley finds that she is subjected to new temptations and challenges. Dealing with paparazzi and obsessed fans as Hannah while courting boys and trying to get her driver's license as Miley are just a few of the situations that are a part of her everyday life.
The series co-stars Miley's real-life father and country superstar, Billy Ray Cyrus as her father/manager, Robbie Stewart. Robbie, along with her brother Jackson (Jason Earles) and Miley's best friend Lilly (Emily Osment) are the only ones that share Miley's secret. The episodes featured in Hannah Montana: Keeping It Real revolve mostly around Miley's temptation to use her alter-ego's fame to bolster her popularity, gain access to fancy items and even dupe the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In the first episode, entitled "The Test Of My Love" (Season 2, Episode 27), Miley falls for Trey, whose parents are unbelievably snobbish. Wanting badly to impress them, she almost gives away her secret. The second episode, "Don't Stop Til You Get The Phone" (Season 2, Episode 17) depicts just how far Miley is willing to go to get the newest cell phone. After a brazen photographer captures a less-than-flattering image of Hannah, Miley realizes that she can capitalize on her own fame. She, with the help of Lilly, takes another photo of Hannah to sell to the tabloids, noticing just a bit too late that Hannah is still wearing her "Miley" necklace. When the publisher will not give her the photo back, she schemes to get an even more embarrassing photo of another star as trade. The episode guest stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. "Yet Another Side Of Me" (Season 2, Episode 26) has Hannah trying to reinvent herself. After a chance meeting with superstar Isis (Rachel York), a not-so-hidden referral to real-life sensation Madonna, Miley is convinced that to stay current, she needs to constantly reinvent her look and sound. Finally, in "We're All On This Date Together," High School Musical's Corbin Bleu guest stars as heart-throb Johnny Collins. After both Johnny and Rico (Moises Arias) compete at a charity auction for the right to go on a date with Hannah, they eventually agree to all go together. Trying to get rid of Rico, Hannah succeeds in driving Johnny away with her crass behavior.
The DVD includes two bonus features. One is a fifth episode, "Ready, Set, Don't Drive" (Season 3, Episode 1). In this episode, Miley attempts to get her driver's license, but initially fails. Not wanting to admit defeat, she uses Hannah's fame to get another shot at the test, eventually landing Miley on the wrong side of the law. The other bonus feature is a short behind the scenes look at Hannah Montana's new look. Miley Cyrus is growing up before our eyes, just recently turning sixteen, and this short feature shows how wardrobe and make-up are trying to keep Miley current and fresh without changing her image too drastically.
Overall, the episodes were enjoyable, if a little disjointed. The bonus feature, aside from the fifth episode, was a little underwhelming, but fans of Hannah Montana will likely enjoy the short glimpse into the starlet's life. Disney's marketing team has discovered a gold mine in releasing these types of DVDs and I'm sure that the libraries of many Disney fans will continue to grow as more follow. Personally, I'm a fan of waiting for an entire season release, but for those "must-have-it" fans, this DVD will make a great gift.
