The Phenomenon that is High School Musical

Let me preface this post by saying that everyone, EVERYONE, I know has made fun of me for loving High School Musical. Except, that is, my 8-year-old niece, my 4-year-old nephew, and before long, I'm sure, my 1.5 year old daughter. They are the only people I know of that appreciate the honest all-American pure old-fashioned goodness that is the teenage romance movie genre, enjoy getting pumped up by sometimes pop-infused ballads, are distracted from lack of talent with big smiles and sparkly outfits, and have a passion for big cheesy Broadway numbers. And I'm ok with that.

I'll admit there are a lot of shortcomings with this movie series. Namely the 2nd movie in the series. I HATE High School Musical 2. The whole soundtrack was a) to promote the stars' individual "music careers," b) horribly and obviously dubbed into the movie, and c) lacking of any sort of real and original script, lines, etc. It's terrible. I think that I feel about High School Musical 2 what everyone else feels at the mere mention of Zac Efron, Disney made-for-TV movies, or the words "High School Musical." Which is too bad.

When the first movie came out, I sneakily rented it off of Netflix. No one but my husband would know that I watched it. Ten times. In a row. Over one weekend. Until now, I guess.

It had been so long since a Disney TV movie had captured my attention--and for all the right reasons. There was a good variety of musical styles. There was really fun and creative choreography--come on, Kenny Ortega was the DIRECTOR. So he did all the choreography. I'm still reeling from the amazement I felt over seeing Newsies all those years ago. You just can't compare to Ortega. He's unbelievable. You can watch a movie, and go, hey, this is choreographed by Ortega. It just speaks his name. Amazing.

I won't say that the stars of High School Musical were on my top actor list. Nor will they probably ever be. Sorry, Heath Ledger tops that list, and very few people have made it on the list because of that. But one, admit it: anyone who will stick through 3 of these movies has got some guts, dedication, and to be signed by Disney, you have to be a triple threat. Period. So you have a full cast, and I mean full, including supporting actors, who must be able to act, sing, & dance, to some degree. And the fact that they found someone like Lucas Grabeel (who plays Ryan Evans, half of the Broadway-bound duo) is proof enough that they have some standards. I don't think it's by chance that this actor plays the part of one of the only real talents they have at the school. It's because he is.

So onto why I think 1 & 3 are awesome. First, let's consider that the first movie was released in some countries under the title "Grease 3." If you think about it, it's the bubble gum pop version of Grease 1 & 2. Minus painted on black pants, sexual innuendos, inappropriate language & conduct, and add in a lot more razzle-dazzle. In all honesty, I loved Grease. But when I watched it again as an adult, I was blown away by the amount of crude humor, etc., that I didn't pick up on as a kid. I'm afraid today's kids would be all too privy to some of those jokes. That's what you get for making a squeaky clean 50's movie in the sex-obsessed 70's. So it's like all the fun songs, choreography, and teenage romance storyline without all the sex jokes, adults-playing-teens awkwardness, and altogether lack of innocence.

Second, I'll be the first to admit, I was SO over Troy & Gabriella by halfway through the first movie. Ok, I'm so glad that these two perfect kids found each other and bring out the best in one another and are so in love. Let's be realistic. That just doesn't happen in high school. And they definitely don't continue stay together for 3 years of high school. But in watching HSM3, a lot of the first-time-love ooey gooey faded away, and that is when I remembered...I married my high school sweetheart! I found my true love at 17, and I never looked at anyone else or considered there were other alternatives. Because to me, there wasn't. And when my daughter grows up and goes to school and hangs out with her peers and watches "their" movies, I am all for anything that shows her that true love exists even at 16 or 17. I am all for anything that shows her that she doesn't have to fit a mold. I want her to know that she really and truly can be anything, and the only thing that can stand in her way is ridiculous expectations by peers & society. I don't want to be the person that is telling her she's not really in love, she can't be in the school play because her niche is science, she can't go out for the basketball team because she's so good in choir.

So it may be cheesy, but it will make you laugh. It may be silly, but it will get your kid dancing unself-consciously. It may be full of teenage romance which deserves an eye roll all by itself, but it may just challenge your kid to be the kid that changes the rules at school. I always set my own standard in school, but how do I know my kid will be comfortable doing the same? Well I, for one, plan to surround them with the idea that their life is shaped by nothing more than their own decisions. People's expectations, society rules, and "the norm" have nothing to do with it.