I'd give this movie a 2/10, and I'm being extremely generous. This movie begins when Troy, and his father are playing some b-ball, shooting some hoops, practicing during Christmas break. (A little too dedicated, perhaps?) Troy's mother comes, to tell them that it's time for them to come to the New Year's Party, and strangely enough, Troy finds himself shoved on the karaoke stage with Gabriella, the lovely yet shy bookworm. Coincidentally enough, they begin to sing, and sound wonderful. (Very predictable) So, how Gabriella manages to not only be very pretty, but also intelligent, talented, and fashionable, not to mention how she gets the guy in the end, I can't even begin to fathom. No one has it that together, or at least in reality. Troy is the typical high-school athlete, only his father is the coach of the b-ball team. Typically enough, his father is pushing him to play basketball, but he loves to sing, doesn't this fairytale sound familiar? Didn't Chad Michael Murray's character in A Cinderella Story have a similar background? And what of Eddie in Eddie's Million Dollar Cookoff? (Another lame Disney Channel movie, but that's for another day) When they have finished their karaoke number, Troy and Gabbie watch the New Year come, and he takes a picture of her on his cell phone. (Am I hearing "CORNY"?? Oh yeah) Then we skip ahead in time, to when the new school semester begins. Ironically, (again, so predictable!) Gabriella is going to be a new student at Troy's school. The character of Sharpay is introduced, and of course, as they so typically are, she is the preppiest of the preppy, and as she strides confidently through the basketball players, shoving them aside to get through, one of the players, Chad says, "I guess the ice princess has come back from the North Pole. And back from where she always is during vacation." I hated the character of Sharpay, but why is the mean girl, once again, the stereotypical blonde bitch? I'm seeing Regina in Mean Girls, Shelby in A Cinderella Story, Kate in Lizzie McGuire, Lana in The Princess Diaries, I know this character all too well... why do they never change her? Tagging along behind Sharpay is her quiet, flashy-dressed, gaudy brother. Now seriously, are they insinuating throughout the movie, using subtle hint after subtle hint that Ryan is homosexual? There's no real closure at the end of the movie, as they never say whether he is or not, is the audience just supposed to sit and wonder? He wanted to meet Ashton Kutcher, he had rhinestones on his tee-shirt, he lets his obnoxious sister push him around... could it be any more obvious? So why no closure? Well, it IS a Disney Channel movie after all, so maybe that would explain it. I guess the teenyboppers don't care.
So, the auditions are being held for the high school musical, and of course, Ryan and Sharpay are the lead drama people, and "have been in every one of the school's productions." *rolls eyes* Gabriella and Troy arrive to the audition late, and Troy volunteers to be her partner. The story continues with Troy constantly sneaking off away from b-ball to practice with Gabriella, and after this, the movie just goes south. Gabriella's scholastic nerdy friends team up with Chad and the other basketball players to break Gabriella and Troy up. They succeed, and there is a time of corny sadness in the movie. Troy almost gives up, but then he and Gabby hook up again and prepare for the call backs. Meanwhile, the "ice princess" plots to destroy Gabriella and Troy's plans to come to the call back, because, oddly enough, the drama major is threatened by the nerd and the b-ball player. The movie ends typically, with Gabriella and Troy barely managing to come out on top, and a lame corny music number complete with lousy dance moves and goofy smiles. Sharpay just joins in the dancing, although she has never lost, so to some extent, they tweaked the mean girl persona, but in an irregular manner. The acting was very mediocre at best, the singing and lyrics lame and corny, and the plot was very predictable. Enless you are a teenybopper, I would not recommend this movie. The characters were all very unrealistic and exaggerated. This movie is extremely overrated and not worth the two hours.
So, the auditions are being held for the high school musical, and of course, Ryan and Sharpay are the lead drama people, and "have been in every one of the school's productions." *rolls eyes* Gabriella and Troy arrive to the audition late, and Troy volunteers to be her partner. The story continues with Troy constantly sneaking off away from b-ball to practice with Gabriella, and after this, the movie just goes south. Gabriella's scholastic nerdy friends team up with Chad and the other basketball players to break Gabriella and Troy up. They succeed, and there is a time of corny sadness in the movie. Troy almost gives up, but then he and Gabby hook up again and prepare for the call backs. Meanwhile, the "ice princess" plots to destroy Gabriella and Troy's plans to come to the call back, because, oddly enough, the drama major is threatened by the nerd and the b-ball player. The movie ends typically, with Gabriella and Troy barely managing to come out on top, and a lame corny music number complete with lousy dance moves and goofy smiles. Sharpay just joins in the dancing, although she has never lost, so to some extent, they tweaked the mean girl persona, but in an irregular manner. The acting was very mediocre at best, the singing and lyrics lame and corny, and the plot was very predictable. Enless you are a teenybopper, I would not recommend this movie. The characters were all very unrealistic and exaggerated. This movie is extremely overrated and not worth the two hours.