The Lizzie McGuire Movie (aka Ciao Lizzie)

CAPSULE: Junior-high grad Lizzie goes on a school trip to Rome with Gordo and her classmates. While there, she is spotted by an Italian pop singer named Paolo who tells her she's the spitting image of his brunette singing partner Isabella. Lizzie falls under Paolo's spell and he offers her a chance to become a secret replacement for Isabella and enjoy la dolce vita (the good life) of a superstar pop singer.

READER'S CAUTION!: You might want to read the "junior novelization" of The Lizzie McGuire Movie in paperback. It might be a little shorter than this synopsis!

The big day has arrived for Lizzie--she's graduating from junior high school! Her brother Matt just sees it as another opportunity to embarrass his somewhat klutzy sister. The ceremony turns out to be a disaster for Lizzie. First Kate Sanders humiliates her. Then she finds out at the last second that she will have to make a speech to the huge assembly. Unprepared, she fumbles along and ends by tripping and falling, managing to rip down the stage curtain in the process, which covers the entire graduating class!

After this debacle (which is seen on Good Morning America and CNN after Matt sends them a tape!) Lizzie is ready to leave the country. She's going on a class trip to Rome, Italy, and luckily her best friend Gordo will be with her. (Miranda's absence is once again explained by saying she's still in Mexico City.) At the airport, the students are gathered together by Miss Ungermeyer, a woman with the personality of a drill sergeant and the manners of a pit bull. She'll also be their high school principal next year! The group arrives in Rome where Lizzie is unhappy to find that Kate is her roommate, but she tries to make the best of things by making Gordo promise that while they're in Rome they will have "adventures," a promise Gordo gladly makes.

The class goes on their first outing to the Trevi Fountain. Lizzie throws a coin in and makes a wish. Immediately she sees an Italian guy a few years older than her staring at her like he can't believe what he sees. This is Paolo, a famous pop singer. He tells Lizzie that except for having blonde hair rather than brunette, she is an exact double of his singing partner, Isabella. Paolo wants to talk with her some more, but they are separated by a mob of fans and by Miss Ungermeyer. Paolo calls out to Lizzie to meet him tomorrow at the Fountain. Meanwhile back at home, Matt discovers Lizzie's picture on the internet. It seem some papparazzi have mistaken Lizzie for Isabella also. Matt looks at this as another chance to embarrass Lizzie, but his friend(?) Melina says he can use this as blackmail to get better things for himself.

Back at the hotel, Lizzie is not sure about seeing Paolo again, but Gordo tels her to go for it, even if this "adventure" doesn't involve himself. So the next morning Lizzie pretends to be sick. Thre ploy works, and Lizzie meets up with Paolo. They go on a glorious ride through Rome, taking in all the sights from his Vespa motor scooter, followed by his burly bodyguard Sergei. Disaster almost strikes when the school group's tour bus comes upon Lizzie and Paolo, but quick-thinking Gordo distracts Ungermeyer. Back in the US, Matt deviously puts his plan into action. He convinces his parents that he misses his sister so much that they think they made a mistake in letting Lizzie go to Europe alone. They make plans to leave for Italy immediately.

During their day together, Paolo tells Lizzie of some problems with his partner Isabella. It seems he's ready to break up their act and move on, but they have an obligation to make a presentation at the International Music Video Awards. Isabella has refused to do it, and Paolo has a crazy idea: he wants Lizzie to pretend to be her and go in her place! He then tells Lizzie a big secret: Isabella lip-synchs! Lizzie says she can't even think about appearing before a huge worldwide audience, and Paolo drops the idea--for now. Back at the hotel, though it seems Lizzie is falling for Paolo's charms. She tells Gordo the whole story and talks about actually impersonating Isabella at the award ceremony! Gordo tries to be supportive, but he's dubious about this Paolo character. After their conversation, Gordo's roomie Ethan Craft comes out and talks to him, telling him that he knows how he feels about Lizzie and that he also know he's jealous of Paolo. As usual, Gordo can hardly understand what Ethan is talking about.

The next morning Lizzie pulls her sick routine again, then she's off with Paolo once more, teling him she'll present the award with him. Paolo takes her to the Via Condotti, a super-chic, super-expensive shopping district in Rome. Lizzie spends the day being pampered, fawned over and made over by Isabella's entourage. Lizzie is in heaven! Afterward they go out among the public, who also believe Lizzie is Isabella, and she signs autographs for "her" fans! But in another part of Rome, Gordo gets a surprise. He finds out from an Italian magazine tha Paolo and Isabella are not just supposed to present an award at the IMVA, they're supposed to SING!

Back at the hotel, Lizzie may be fooling Miss Ungermeyer, but she's not fooling Kate, who knows something is up. She makes Lizzie spill her story about what's really happening. Surprisingly, though, Kate doesn't turn Lizzie in to Ungermeyer. Gordo then arrives and shows Lizzie the magazine. Lizzie refuses to believe that Paolo's deceiving her, to Gordo's disgust. Later she sneaks out to meet Paolo again. She gently confronts him, asking if they are really supposed to sing at the awards. Paolo says yes, the papparazzi heard her (as Isabella) talking, they know her voice, which she was supposedly having trouble with, is fine now, and that the record company will sue if they don't sing. But the real Isabella is away on an island vacation. Paolo swears he can make it work without embarrassing Lizzie. He's rented an auditorium rehearsal hall for them to practice the dance steps in, and of course she will just have to lip-synch, not actually sing. They conclude their day together by watching a fireworks display at night.

The next morning Miss Ungermeyer is going to check on Lizzie before the group leaves the hotel. Gordo knows she's not in bed, so he tries to stop the principal. Ungermeyer begins to suspect that Lizzie has been faking all along. But before she gets a chance to go upstairs and bust Lizzie, Gordo makes a desperation move--he tell her that he is the one who's been sneaking out, not Lizzie. Grodo has saved Lizzie, but in the process he's wound up getting himself sent back home. Meanwhile on the flight over to Italy, Mat "accidentally" lets it slip about Lizzie's adventure with the Italian pop star. His parents force the story out of him, which in reality he's only too glad to tell.

Lizzie and Paolo arrive at their giant rehearsal space to rehearse for the awards show to be held at the Colosseum. He encourage her to sing out loud to make her lip-synching more convincing while he says he must "save" his own voice by not singing. After rehearsals, Lizzie return to the hotel and finds out from Kate that Gordo has taken the rap for her and is being sent home. Lizzie gets the bumbling hotel clerk Giorgio to call the airport but it's too late, Gordo's plane has left. But is it too late? At the airport, who should Gordo see but Isabella! He fight his way through the reporters and photographers and manages to tell her that he knows who this blonde girl is who has been impersonating her. Isabella, anxious to find out what's happening, listens to him.

Lizzie is miserable, she blames herself for Gordo being sent home. She wants to turn herself in to Ungermeyer but Kate stops her, saying if she does that then everything Gordo did will have been for nothing. This time Lizzie doesn't have to fake feeling sick. That evening the rest of the McGuires show up at the hotel looking for Lizzie. Ungermeyer takes then to her room only to find she's gone. In an instant she gets the story of where Lizzie is out of Ethan.

Lizzie arrives at the International Music Video Awards with Paolo and her spirits are picked up by the cheers of the fans as she walks down (and trips over) the red carpet. Still, she's getting last-minute cold feet. But Paolo assures her that she shines "with the light of the sun." Just before Lizzie goes to her dressing room to get ready, she's surprised to see Gordo arrive! He has news for her--Paolo is setting her up. "Actually, he's setting me up," says a voice--it's Isabella! After getting over the shock of seeing each other, Isabella along with Gordo tell Lizzie the real story: he's the one who can't sing, he's the one who's trying to discredit her, she's the one ready to break up the act. In a daze, Lizzie says she can't believe it's true. Isabella asks her, "Lizzie, who are you going to believe--this boy you are knowing all your life or a boy you are just meeting who tells to you, 'You shine with the light of the sun?'" That clinches it for Lizzie. She knows Paolo has been lying to her.

As Lizzie is dragged away by a stage manager, Isabella assures her it will be alright, she should just go out and lip-synch. But she then finds out Paolo told the stage manager that Isabella would be singing live--there's no vocal track for her! All of a sudden Paolo and Lizzie are onstage. Lizzie sees her family in the front row. (Miss Ungermeyer bulled their way in!) The music starts and Lizzie begins to lip-synch. Isabella's voice come flooding through the speakers. Paolo is dumbfounded, and then is shocked to see Isabella backstage, singing through a headset. Then it's Paolo's turn to sing, but his vocal track has been turned off. His real voice croaks out the lyrics--he sounds simply awful! Then Isabella hits the stage herself as the crowd gasps. "Sing to me, Paolo," she says. Once again Paolo's terrible off-key voice is heard. Voices in the crowd cry out "Impostore!" Humiliated, Paolo beats a retreat from the stage. He's through, even his bodyguard Sergei is finished with him.

The performance isn't over for Lizzie, though. "Say buona sera to my new American friend, Lizzie McGuire!" says Isabella. "Would you like to hear her sing?" Summoning up all her courage, and sneaking a peek at a smiling Gordo just offstage, Lizzie begins to really sing. She carries on the duet with Isabella, who then lets her finish the song by herself. The audience loves it, and both girls bow triumphantly to wild cheering.

In the hotel courtyard, a big after-show party is held. Ethan and Kate, who turned out to be a good, supportive friend to Lizzie, seem to be getting closer. Miss Ungermeyer has given Gordo a reprieve. Giorgio the hotel clerk destroys Matt's "blackmail" evidence against Lizzie. And Lizzie and Gordo sneak away to the hotel rooftop, where they had previously vowed to have adventures together. Lizzie, realizing how much Gordo has done for her, puts a hand on his cheek, leans over and kisses him. On the mouth. Not a long or hard one, but a real kiss nonetheless. A surprised Gordo manages to sputter out, "Uh...thanks!"