High School Musical 3 (C or 2/4 stars)
Ah, yes. The thing I swore to myself I would not see. But alas, I have seen 'High School Musical 3', directed by Kenny Ortega (choreographer of Dirty Dancing). As seniors in high school, Troy & Gabriella (Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens) struggle with the idea of being separated from each other as college looms. Along with the rest of the Albuquerque Wildcats, they stage a musical to address their experiences, friendships, hopes, fears & possibilities about the future. The script is fairly atrocious. But you know what? The characters are humorously kitschy. And the music numbers pop with vibrancy, energy, great choreography & catchy tunes. I couldn't care less about these people. But I did not have a bad time watching this movie.
The film opens amidst a basketball championship. The Wildcat seniors win their last game, and everyone breaks out into song & dance ... get the pitcure, haha? Now that basketball season is over, the focus shifts towards prom & the senior musical. Chad (Corbin Bleu) doesn't want high school to end. Ryan (Lucas Grabeel, who looks creepily similar to me) wants a scholarship to Juilliard - for excellence in choreography. His conniving, fame-hungry twin sister Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale, meh) is desperate for Gabriella's part in the musical, desperate to be a celebrity, & wants that Juilliard spot, as well.
Troy has to decide if he's going to chase a basketball scholarship at his dad's alma mater, or follow his own submerged dream of singing, dancing, & acting onstage. Meanwhile, his sweetheart Gabriella has received the opportunity of a lifetime ... a spot in Stanford's honors program. Will she go; and miss both the prom & the musical? Can her romance with Troy survive? What will become of this group of eye-poppin', hip swingin', eye twinklin', milk drinkin' teens?
As mentioned, the script/narrative is beyond silly. I laughed out loud a few times at the absurdity of what was being said/done onscreen. But I am not 8, or 12, or 15, like most of the core audience. But I did enjoy 2 aspects of the film. 1) It made me recall my high school days (somewhat). I remember the pangs of anxiety when my last track meet was over, when college was not that far away, when the last musical was drawing near, etc. 2) The song-&-dance numbers are full of life (particularly one near the end when Efron is alone in the school at night). The lyrics come secondary to the dancing/energy on display. These are good looking people, dancing well, singing well (enough) & having a blast onscreen. A lot of it is infectious.
This is the 3rd HSM entry, but the 1st motion picture. I personally think this movie is a tad long for what it's all about. But that doesn't matter. The popularity of this franchise is evident, and another film is destined to be made. 'HSM 3' recalls the innocent, 1950's-esque teen romps like Beach Blanket Bingo, Grease & Footloose. And the recent Hairspray handled this genre exceedingly well. 'HSM 3' does well to integrate Caucasians, African-Americans, Latinos, geeks, & all other types of students; and rightly so. The film is innocent, well-intentioned, & positive for the kids, if not RIDICULOUSLY idealized. But tell that to the hordes of kids who can't resist the charms of the cast. The highest compliment I can give this movie is that it's easy to swallow.
The film opens amidst a basketball championship. The Wildcat seniors win their last game, and everyone breaks out into song & dance ... get the pitcure, haha? Now that basketball season is over, the focus shifts towards prom & the senior musical. Chad (Corbin Bleu) doesn't want high school to end. Ryan (Lucas Grabeel, who looks creepily similar to me) wants a scholarship to Juilliard - for excellence in choreography. His conniving, fame-hungry twin sister Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale, meh) is desperate for Gabriella's part in the musical, desperate to be a celebrity, & wants that Juilliard spot, as well.
Troy has to decide if he's going to chase a basketball scholarship at his dad's alma mater, or follow his own submerged dream of singing, dancing, & acting onstage. Meanwhile, his sweetheart Gabriella has received the opportunity of a lifetime ... a spot in Stanford's honors program. Will she go; and miss both the prom & the musical? Can her romance with Troy survive? What will become of this group of eye-poppin', hip swingin', eye twinklin', milk drinkin' teens?
As mentioned, the script/narrative is beyond silly. I laughed out loud a few times at the absurdity of what was being said/done onscreen. But I am not 8, or 12, or 15, like most of the core audience. But I did enjoy 2 aspects of the film. 1) It made me recall my high school days (somewhat). I remember the pangs of anxiety when my last track meet was over, when college was not that far away, when the last musical was drawing near, etc. 2) The song-&-dance numbers are full of life (particularly one near the end when Efron is alone in the school at night). The lyrics come secondary to the dancing/energy on display. These are good looking people, dancing well, singing well (enough) & having a blast onscreen. A lot of it is infectious.
This is the 3rd HSM entry, but the 1st motion picture. I personally think this movie is a tad long for what it's all about. But that doesn't matter. The popularity of this franchise is evident, and another film is destined to be made. 'HSM 3' recalls the innocent, 1950's-esque teen romps like Beach Blanket Bingo, Grease & Footloose. And the recent Hairspray handled this genre exceedingly well. 'HSM 3' does well to integrate Caucasians, African-Americans, Latinos, geeks, & all other types of students; and rightly so. The film is innocent, well-intentioned, & positive for the kids, if not RIDICULOUSLY idealized. But tell that to the hordes of kids who can't resist the charms of the cast. The highest compliment I can give this movie is that it's easy to swallow.