Sunday School Musical (2008)

When financial woes threaten their church's future, a group of teens, led by one talented performer, enters a song and dance competition in hopes of winning a heavenly cash prize.

Director:

Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Writers:

Rachel Lee Goldenberg (screenplay), Ashley Holloway (screenplay)

Stars:

Chris Chatman, Candise Lakota, Krystle Connor

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Chatman	...	Zachary
Candise Lakota	...	Savannah
Krystle Connor	...	Aundrea
Robert Acinapura	...	Miles
Amy Ganser	...	Margaret
Millena Gay	...	Anita
Dustin Fitzsimons	...	Charlie
Cliff Tan	...	Trevor (as Hitcliff Leigh Tan)
Mark Hengst	...	Pastor Joe
Rae Silva	...	Aunt Janet
Kesha Ealy	...	Mrs. Howell
Shane Carther Thomas	...	Jake
Debra Lynn Hull	...	Mrs. Stewart
Justin Spanko	...	Dad - Robert Ryan
Daniel J. Roberts	...	Mr. Crane

Storyline

When financial woes threaten their church's future, a group of teens, led by one talented performer, enters a song and dance competition in hopes of winning a heavenly cash prize.

---

Plot Keywords:

competition | church | pastor | new school | high school | 

---

Taglines:

Not Your Ordinary High School!

---

Genres:

Drama | Musical

---

Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was released on October 21st, 2008 to capitalize on High School Musical 3 (2008), which was released in the U.S. on October 24th, 2008.

---

Goofs

At the end of the movie during the singing competition when Zach sings the duet, they are supposed to be singing into wireless mics however you can clearly see the mics they are using are ones meant to be wired.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Shameless Movie Rip-Offs (2015)

---

Soundtracks

This Little Light of Mine
Written by Harry Dixon Loes, new words and arrangement by Don Raymond & Wayne Peet
Lead and choir vocals by Chris Chatman & Krystle Connor
Choir vocals by Don Raymond, Jo Anne Kurman, Rosanne Limeres, Eddie Cole

User Reviews

Low Budget failings while not necessarily failing? V1.00

The DVD cover said High School Musical inspired, blatantly so. I accept that HSM can be inspiration, for me anyhow.

The price was relatively low. Play the DVD, I found there to be highs and lows. Low budget films can be okay, but one often has to be able to shrug off flaws in order to experience them as okay. So, most big budget stuff has flaws, too, and these also need to be within limits that the individual can tolerate.

This is a musical and the soundtrack construction is where I most notice signs of lack of expertise. When the songs come along the record volume often seems to have been turned up. With my volume control set at a bit lower volume than usual then I can tolerate things.

The next flaw is the credibility of the storyline, this is nowhere near the only story that has difficulties with that so one does gradually pick up expertise in being able to get by. One has a limited choice if one hopes for a credible plot? The nice aspect of that, for me, is that it helps HSM to feel more believable. They really do after watching this.

So, a low cost DVD inspired in part by HSM and with care I can tolerate the main flaws.

Except that this is a Sunday school story. The plot centres around church activities. As an émigré from the churches I find this to be the difficult part. The best songs are very churchy. These days, for me that does get in the way.

*

Move away from religion, I found it way too easy to need to consider standard stories as text for a secular religion. There were maybe even beliefs in the sixties that centred on that. Paradox. I found that got in the way, how I approached things, but it also seemed like an essential idea.

Around 2009, when two missionaries from Utah called at my house I mentioned that I no longer looked to religion, but that I did consider the Salt Lake City manufactured HSM to be Utah religious texts that I could accept. I got the impression that the missionaries considered me to be misunderstanding secular religion.

Sunday School Musical (2008) does help me with this. It is clearly religious stuff and considers what used to be understood as basic religious topics. These also relate to the day to day world.

Watch HSM soon after and I can now accept them just as rather neat stories. I do not need them to be anything but sugar. The sugar of the frocks, the sugar of the best of Sharpay, whatever. HSM is inspirational if one can accept them as sugar? I should have told the missionaries that Utah professionals have made some very respectable sugar?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sunday School Musical

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Faith Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1