Cadet Kelly

Kelly Collins (Hilary Duff) is a free spirit who loves fashion and dance. She approves her mother getting remarried to Joe "Sir" Maxwell (Gary Cole) at first. He's a military man. When he becomes the Commandant of a military school, she is forced to attend. She struggles under Cadet Captain Jennifer Stone (Christy Carlson Romano) who has a crush on Cadet Major Brad Rigby (Shawn Ashmore). Jealousy ensues.

Hilary Duff is a Disney TV star by the time of this movie. She tries to cute her way out of this. It's better than most of the channel's offerings but that's not saying much especially during that time. They obviously rented out a military academy somewhere which allows them to write around. I would like Kelly to be less talky which sometimes come off as whiney at times. Her cuteness is able to keep it endearing. At the end of the day, this movie does what it sets out to do. It is a vehicle for its Disney starlets. It's functional and Duff is well within her comfort zone.

I still really like this film. I bought it on DVD after watching it on the Disney channel. I like to watch it now and then... but with like a gap of 6 months in between. Hillary Duff is a great actor, she is beautiful and fits in with every character she has played. I recommend this film to young girls. But only rent it so you don't waste money on a film you will probably never watch again. I enjoyed this film. I think it has great actors. Not much of a love story... unfortunately... but has a bit of one. I admit i really love romantic films. But this one hasn't got much to it. Great to see what happens in the end, and a great moral to the story. They all live happily ever after... of course!

Ha! I bet my one line summary above sounds a bit odd, right? Well, it's true. I know it's a family comedy and that they are supposed to be sappy and controlling, but that's not an excuse for making a dull movie like this.

Up-and-coming star Hilary Duff plays a young teenager named Kelly who is recruited to the military (guffaw) and is constantly yelled at by cadet Christy-Carlson Romano, of Disney's hit TV show "Even Stevens."

The one thing I have always hated about "Even Stevens" is Romano. She is very, very annoying. As an actress she amounts to the standards of...well...what she is: A Disney-employed actress with no talent.

Hilary Duff is a decent actress, and has gotten her big break from Disney; though I must say I'm NOT looking forward to "Agent Cody Banks."

All in all, this film is just boring, and (whaddaya know) emotionally controlling and manipulative. A must-miss.

2/5 stars -

John Ulmer

In Cadet Kelly, Hillary Duff takes her Lizzie McGuire character and does a Private Benjamin by going to military school. Instead of the cartoon Lizzie revealing her inner most thoughts for the audience, Duff does a narration over the action of the film.

To bond with her new stepfather, Gary Cole, who is a retired career army man, Duff is put in military school where Cole came from and where he's now the commandant.

A lot of the same situations that happen in comedies like Private Benjamin and even further back with Rosalind Russell's Never Wave at a WAC occur here. Nothing new added and Hillary Duff is certainly no Rosalind Russell, but she's an appealing young lady, if she wasn't that Lizzie McGuire series would not have run for any length of time.

Another Disney regular Christy Carlson Romano from Even Stevens is also along as Duff's military school tormentor, her Eileen Brennan.

It's not Citizen Kane or The Godfather, but there are worst ways to kill two hours than watching Cadet Kelly.

And it wasn't. Apparently a movie doesn't have to be the least bit of good to appeal to 13 year old girls. All it needs is Hillary Duff prancing about and wearing 'cool' outfits. You may as well just rent 'Private Benjamin' instead.