Lizzie McGuire

Season 2 Episode 12

Best Dressed for Much Less (aka Kiss My Budget)

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Best Dressed for Much Less (aka <i>Kiss My Budget</i>)
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Voting will soon be held for Class Favorites at Hillridge. Lizzie hopes to win the award for "Best Dressed," Gordo schemes to get his picture in the yearbook more times than anyone else, and Miranda receives encouragement that she could be named "Most Poised." Lizzie asks her mom if she will buy her a $65 pair of pants to help her win the award. Jo McGuire doesn't go for that, but promises she'll help Lizzie go bargain shopping for clothes. Lizzie, however, pools her money with Gordo and Miranda, tells her mom the three need to study for a test, and goes and buys the pants herself, leaving Mom to go bargain hunting alone. When Jo returns, Lizzie is surprised to see what nice clothes her mother got for her. Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo all show up on the day of the voting ready to put their plan into action. But the three have a mishap: they trip over a janitor's broom and fall to the floor, where Lizzie gets a slushee-type drink spilled all over her new pants, ruining them. A photographer takes a picture of them, ending Lizzie and Miranda's dream of being "Best Dressed" and "Most Poised." (Gordo does add one more picture to his yearbook total, though.) Lizzie changes into the pants her mother bought her, and for the rest of the day she receives compliments on them. Lizzie realizes that not only did her mom find her some nice clothes at bargain prices, but that she missed out on spending a day with her. Meanwhile, Matt was out with his dad Sam when by luck they appeared on the "Uncle Wendell Show." Matt made a funny face for the camera and was asked back to the show. Immediately the kids at his school start recognizing him from the show--he even signs autographs! Matt likes the star treatment he get for a while, but on a trip to the mall with his parents he gets overwhelmed by all the attention he receives. But he soon finds out that fame is a fleeting thing: the "Uncle Wendell Show" gets cancelled!moreless

Fan Episode Reviews (2)

SUBMIT REVIEW

  • "Afternoon with mom: Priceless"

    10
    By Canogaparkcindy, Jan 08, 2010
    A great episode, with a lesson to be laerned at the end of the episode. Lizzie lies to her mom, to get out of bargain hunting with her to get a pair of pants she can't afford, and she has to return, to win best dressed. Miranda wants to be Most Poised, and Gordo wants to be Most Photographed. Everyone's dreams excepts Gordo's go down the toilet because of falling, and a slurpee that went on Lizzie's pants. I liked Lizzie's self realization after she didn't win, and everyone loved her bargain pants. Liked the "Priceless" gag at the end. Matt being famous 'cause of one episode, on a show. Unrealistic, but funny. I liked when they reminisced on the times Lizzie wasn't poised in the past. Awesome episode with a lesson to be learned.moreless

  • Fashion & Fame Are Fleeting.

    6.0
    By The_Match_Maker, Nov 28, 2005
    Lizzie is convinced to try and get the ‘Best Dressed’ award for the yearbook. Miranda attempts ‘Most Poised’ while Gordo goes for the unofficial ‘Most Photographed’ (the only one that really matters).



    Matt meanwhile flirts with fame as the ‘Funny Faced Kid’ from the “Uncle Wendell Show”.



    This episode is pure ‘filler’, and doesn’t pretend to be anything other than that.



    This episode revisits the common theme of Lizzie wanting to be noticed (though oddly enough in those instances where she *is* noticed she doesn’t like it. i.e. “Last Year’s Model”, “Lizzie in the Middle”). This episode also employs the old sit-com convention of the main character buying an expensive article of clothing with the intent of wearing it once and then returning it (undamaged). And in typical sit-com fashion said article of clothing is ruined, and thus is un-returnable. The classics never die. ;-)



    Also on display is Lizzie’s (slight) vanity streak. She is reluctant to go ‘bargain hunting’ with her mom due to feeling that she could never win ‘Best Dressed’ with the cast offs of previous years. Miranda reinforces this thinking.



    Speaking from personal experience, second hand clothing is nothing to turn one’s nose up at. There are times when the local Salvation Army can be just that: salvation (at least from a clothing standpoint). No shame in that.



    We also get to see a bit more of Miranda’s ‘wild side’. She suggests to Lizzie that they lie to Jo and tell her they have a test to study for when they actually plan to go to the mall. Miranda’s baaaaaaad! ;-)



    And what’s in it for Gordo to try and be in more pictures than anyone else? As he says in “Lizzie’s Eleven”, just to see if he could do it. Why climb that mountain? Because it’s there. ;-)



    As for the subplot, Matt sure does get famous a lot. It must be something in those McGuire genes. ;-)



    At the end of the day Lizzie learns that spending time with her mom is better than finding the ‘right’ jeans and thus trying to impress people. Kind of light as far as morals go, but hey. ;-)



    As for Matt, he learns that fame is cheap, but custom printed shirts aren’t. ;-)



    There’s also a small oddity in this episode. Kate and Claire are mentioned plenty, but neither one appears. Weird.



    Anyway, overall, this is a solid enough of a little ditty. Fashion comes and goes. As does fame. But love is here to stay.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

Robert Carradine

Robert Carradine

Sam McGuire
Hallie Todd

Hallie Todd

Jo McGuire
Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff

Lizzie McGuire
Jake Thomas

Jake Thomas

Matt McGuire
Lalaine

Lalaine

Miranda Sanchez
Adam Lamberg

Adam Lamberg

David "Gordo" Gordon
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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

Timmy Fitzpatrick

Timmy Fitzpatrick

Kid at Mall

Guest Star

John Lowell

John Lowell

Rip Kid

Guest Star

Aimee Roldan

Aimee Roldan

First Grade Girl

Guest Star

Kyle J. Downes

Kyle J. Downes

Larry Tudgeman

Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (10)

    • A nice add-on to the budget conversation is Jo scooping mustard out of the bulk jar, presumably bought from wholesale or a discount retail store.

    • Nitpick: In the opening scene Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo enter the classroom, listen to the announcements and get up to leave the classroom, yet no teacher was present to call the roll.

    • When Lizzie has the slushee spilt on her some of it also gets on Gordo, but in the next shot when she exits the restroom there are no stains at all on Gordo's pants.

    • Lizzie says the pants she wants from the Style Shack are still on "the world's best-dressed mannequin." Actually, they weren't on a mannequin, but rather some sort of wire display rack.

    • Gordo gets his picture taken with the Wrestling Club. A wrestling CLUB? Most schools would have a wrestling TEAM, right?

    • During a montage of shots showing Lizzie to be clumsy, a brief clip is included from the episode "Just Like Lizzie," which didn't air until after this one.

    • In the beginning scene, one of the girls mentions that Gordo blew his brain project up "this year", although that happened during the last school year when they were in the 7th grade. (However, when this episode was first broadcast, it hadn't been made clear yet that they were now in the 8th grade.)

    • At the mall, Matt gets his right sleeve ripped off by a fan. Then after posing as a mannequin, both his sleeves are gone. When Matt and Sam meet up with Jo, it's Matt's left sleeve that is missing, and finally when they get back home, the right sleeve is missing once again.

    • When the slushee drink gets spilled on Lizzie, it's done rather poorly. It appears that someone standing just out of camera range merely pours the contents of the cup straight down on her, then drops the empty cup a second later.

    • Here's a big blooper: In this episode Matt is already "famous" after doing a rock climbing ad with an animated dragon for a product called Cardio Punch--but the episode in which he makes the ad, "Party Over Here," has not yet aired.

  • QUOTES (8)

    • Lizzie: My brother, the Uncle Wendell Dork.
      Jo: Lizzie--
      Lizzie: Mom, I mean "dork" in a very loving way.
      Jo: Listen, why don't you and I go through your closet and try to put together a few new outfits?
      Lizzie: Mom, everybody at school has already seen my clothes. You lost to Coco, and I'm gonna lose to Kate. (walks away)
      Sam: Coco. I remember Coco. She was hot.
      Jo: She was not hot. She was just well dressed.

    • Gordo: It's her way of maintaining the status quo.
      Lizzie: Status quo?
      Gordo: It means Kate wants to keep things the way they are.
      Miranda: Why didn't you just say that?

    • Jo McGuire (to Lizzie): Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the money tree in the back yard died.

    • Matt: They said I had...pizzazz!
      Lizzie: I'm sure they did, because I can smell it from here.

    • Lizzie: 'The Uncle Wendell Show?' I think I watched that when I was still in diapers.
      Matt: So, you're still watching it?

    • Jo McGuire: ...this house still runs on a budget, I mean, we just got new brake shoes for the car.
      Toon Lizzie: Great. The car gets new shoes before I do.

    • Toon Lizzie: A budget? I couldn't possibly be on a budget! I'd run out of money!

    • Gordo: All you have to do is be better dressed than Kate or Claire for this one day.
      Miranda: And win Best Dressed! You can break the status cow!!
      Gordo: Quo.
      Miranda: Whatever!

  • NOTES (11)

    • This episode can be found in the paperback novelization book Best Dressed and the Lizzie McGuire Cine-Manga Volume 10. It is also on Vol. 1 of the Lizzie McGuire DVD Collection entitled "Fashionably Lizzie" released on Dec. 9, 2003.

    • Filming dates: Monday, January 28th-Friday, February 1st, 2002. Clapboards seen on the blooper reel at the end of the show are dated January 28, 30 & 31, 2002.

    • When a montage of the yearbook photos that Gordo sneaked into is shown, the music playing is the percussion intro to Aaron Carter's version of "I Want Candy." That's the same song feature in the episode "Aaron Carter Is Coming to Town."

    • Larry identifies himself as Lawrence Tudgeman III over the school's P.A.

    • This episode contains brief clips from "Working Girl" and "Just Like Lizzie," and still photos from "Jack of All Trades."

    • Several viewers have identified the mall where scenes were filmed for this episode as the Howard Hughes Promenade in Culver City, California.

    • Unseen characters: Kate Sanders and Claire Miller are prominently mentioned in the dialog, but neither makes an appearance in this episode. Claire wins the Best Dressed award. Joey is the guy who Tudgeman talks about in the announcements. All we see of him is his shadow looming over Tudge.
      Characters with no lines: Coco Newbury, shown in a still photo, the girl who won Best Dressed at Jo's school in 1978. Also, a still photo of Dot-Marie Jones (Coach Kelly) is shown, but she isn't listed in the credits.

    • This episode was the fourth weekly winner in the viewer's choice voting during the "Summer of Lizzie McGuire" promotion. It beat out "Magic Train."

    • Music includes the song "Fame," by singer David Bowie, heard when Matt is being pursued around the mall. This song, co-written with John Lennon (1940-1980) and Carlos Alomar, was one of Bowie's biggest hits, reaching number 1 for two weeks in September 1975. Also heard: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Flatt & Scruggs, played when Jo McGuire is out bargain-shopping. Originally recorded in the late 1940's, this instrumental is one of the best-known bluegrass tunes of all time. It gained new popularity when it was featured in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde. You might also see the duo performing it on the old sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.

    • Bob Thomas, who wrote this episode, is the father of Jake Thomas (Matt).

    • Miranda wears the same "Fish & Chips" shirt that she wore in "Over the Hill."

  • ALLUSIONS (2)

    • Toon Lizzie: A new pair of hip-huggers from the Style Shack: $65. A more popular pair of hip-huggers from Nell's Clothes Closet: $12.95. An afternoon hiding toilet paper and laughing with my Mom: Priceless.
      This little monologue by Toon Lizzie is done in the same style and format of the current campaign for the credit card Master Card.

    • Matt: 'The Uncle Wendell Show' went on hiatus, but everyone knows that means it's cancelled.
      Matt's got it right. By definition, a show on hiatus should be off the air for a time, then make a return. But when TV executives use the word, it almost always means that the show is dead and they just haven't announced what its permanent replacement is.

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Season 2 Episodes

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Ep 34
Magic Train (aka Lizzie...
Ep 33
One of the Guys
Ep 32
My Dinner with Dig
Ep 31
The Gordo Shuffle
Ep 30
My Fair Larry
Ep 29
Grand Ole Grandma
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The Greatest Crush of A...
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A Gordo Story (aka Inne...
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Bye, Bye Hillridge Juni...
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Clue-Less
Ep 22
Dear Lizzie
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Lizzie's Eleven
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Xtreme Xmas
Ep 19
She Said, He Said, She ...
Ep 18
Party Over Here
Ep 17
Movin' On Up
Ep 16
Inner Beauty
Ep 15
Lizzie in the Middle
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Just Like Lizzie
Ep 13
You're a Good Man, Lizz...
Ep 12
Best Dressed for Much L...
Ep 11
Over the Hill
Ep 10
In Miranda Lizzie Does ...
Ep 9
Those Freaky McGuires
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