Wildcats in the House!

 

Okay, so they're coming a little late to the party, but my kids have totally jumped on the High School Musical bandwagon! We don't have cable TV so the "craze that swept the nation" a year ago (?) pretty much escaped the Todd household, but what did NOT escape me, at least, was the seemingly endless coverage of the teen stars who became overnight sensations after HSM began its run on the Disney Channel.

As we don't live under a rock, I had naturally heard of the movie, but again, not having access to cable television, I put the mental information in "File 13." But a couple of weeks ago I started seeing entertainment stories on the internet regarding a little film called High School Musical 2 asking the question, "Can HSM do it again?" My prediction is, most likely.

We got the first DVD from the library and I watched it with the kids while Randy was out of town. Okay, I am going to be 40 years old in exactly 14 days so this movie wasn't exactly made with people like me in mind, but I've got to tell you, it has some ABSURDLY catchy tunes! Mostly I just took enjoyment from the kids' enjoyment. It's completely unrealistic, of course--high school is made out to look like a big love-fest at the end--but of course I sat there thinking, "If only it were that easy!"

The story is very familiar: Most popular guy in school/basketball hero stumbles into a karaoke experience with a "freaky genius girl" who stumbles into same experience on New Year's Eve, and then her mom just HAPPENS to be transferred to Albuquerque, New Mexico where said basketball boy lives. Okay, first question: Albuquerque? Why Albuquerque??? Anyway, the guy is afraid to admit to his popular friends that he actually enjoyed singing, and the girl is just trying to fit in. It all sounds a little reminiscent of Grease, doesn't it? I guess what I like about High School Musical is its distinctly unrealistic feel--it pushes messages about accepting kids who perhaps want to break out of the mold that society has put them in (in one of the kids' favorite songs a basketball jock admits he secretly loves to bake, a brainiac girl cops to loving all forms of dance, and a surfer dude comes clean about dressing up and playing the cello).

It also has the requisite side story about the dad/coach who puts WAY too much pressure on his son but who, in the end, sees the error of his ways and just wants his kid to be happy. And, of course, the basketball jocks only have to take one look at their "playmaker's" face to sense his unhappiness and they immediately and whole-heartedly embrace their pal's hobby that they had only a day before tried to convince him was completely "uncool." Oh, and Darcy noticed the all-too convenient ending where everybody paired off to become "boyfriend and girlfriend." Yeah, right.

Was it a little cheesy? Sure. But if this movie gets kids to think about the way they bully or manipulate their friends into doing things that are perceived as "cool" just for coolness' sake, rather than being true to themselves no matter what others think, then I'm all for it. Plus, that Zac Efron is one cute kid!