High School Musical (DVD)

Schain, D. (Producer), Ortega, K. (Director), & Barsocchini, P. (Writer). (2006). High school musical [DVD]. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Interest Level: Ages 8 to 18
Rating: G
Running Time: 98 minutes
Subjects/Themes: High School, Friendship, Cliques, Athletes, Musical,

Plot: Troy, a high school basketball star, and Gabriella, an academic genius, meet on New Year's Eve and perform a karaoke duet.  A week later they meet again at school where Gabriella is new.  The friendship that they started on New Year's Eve continues and they end up auditioning for the school musical to the shock of all their friends.  Their friends want don't want either of them wasting their time on the musical and try and sabotage their relationship.  Meanwhile Sharpay and Ryan, the top drama students, are also out to stop them. 

Personal Thoughts: This is a corny but great movie.  The acting is way over the top.  The characters and cliques are exaggerated.  And yet it totally works.  Which is probably why there are two sequels.  The songs are cute and catchy.  There are also some good themes relating to friendship, expectations, and peer pressure.  I really liked the "status quo" song about not doing only what everyone expects of you.  Troy and Gabriella start a revolution in their school by being the first to do the unexpected and what they love to do.  A Must See Movie for tweens and teens of all ages.     

Sequel: High School Musical 2 (2007); and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008);