Movie Review – High School Musical (2006)

Overall 3.75 / 5.0
Gay Content 1.0 / 5.0 (gay content alluded to, but nothing explicit)
Gay Positivity 2.0 / 5.0 (mixed … hard to judge given only indirect gay content)

“High School Musical” recalls previous musical adventures, most notably “Romeo and Juliet” and its close cousin “West Side Story.” Basketball star Troy (Zac Efron) and brainiac whiz kid Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) bond while singing together at a karaoke party, and afterwards contemplate trying out together for the school musical.

But they come from different worlds, er, high school cliques, and their respective cohorts conspire to keep them apart. Meanwhile, twins Sharpay and Ryan Evans (Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel) are used to being the center of their school’s drama universe, and they do not take kindly to the would-be interlopers.

The story is highly Disneyfied, of course: cute, sweet, and fluffy rather than edgy or thoughtful. It does manage to avoid saccharine, though. It has a fantasy wholesomeness wherein even the viciousness is diluted with one part incompetence and two parts good-naturedness. Still, even though the villains have no teeth, the viewer still feels the tension because the drama doesn’t revolve around specific antagonists so much as watching our heroes Troy and Gabriella overcome the circumstances set against them.

The story is nicely thematic, with both story and songs emphasizing the importance of appreciating differences and working together. I imagine most adults will appreciate the themes but inappropriately dismiss them as being the province of high schoolers. The older teenagers, meanwhile, may also appreciate the message, which will then wither before the power of Popularity. Younger teenagers and children form the ideal demographic for this feel good musical.

The movie hints at, but otherwise bypasses, one of the major themes of adolescence: the internal conflict between striving for individuality versus fitting in and belonging to the group. I also find it ironic that the movie clearly expresses that differences should be appreciated, and yet it overdoes the group distinctions in order to heighten the drama. In other words, the film suggests that the different cliques are all mutually exclusive, and that everyone must belong to one and only one such group.

Musically, the show is much better than I expected. Full confession: I’ve actually downloaded about half the album. My favorite songs are: “Get’cha Head in the Game” (note: the first 30 seconds of this song contains the shrill squeaks of sneaker on a gym floor integrated into the rhythm; the sound makes me wince every time I hear it), “Stick to the Status Quo,” and “We’re All in This Together.”

In the film, obvious lip-synching distracted in some scenes, and I’m by no means convinced all these kids were doing their own singing. A couple of them have released solo albums, but who knows?

The dance numbers are also fun, in a silly kind of way. Director Kenny Ortega also served as choreographer, and frankly he did a great job on both counts.

Possibly a first for Disney, the film also contains a gay character. Maybe. We’re never told or shown that he’s gay, so he actually falls into the “gay vague” category, but we assume it based on his manner and dress. Usually that bothers me, because for a viewer to identify a character as gay without it being spelled out in dialogue or action, usually the character has been given stereotypical gay attributes, like effeminate mannerisms. In this case, Ryan is not exactly effeminate but rather theatrical in manner. In fact, after watching a few behind-the-scenes bits on the DVD, I wonder if Grabeel based his performance on director Ortega, who himself also has a very theatrical manner; or if Ortega directed Grabeel as though the character were a younger version of himself.

Unfortunately, Ryan actually conveys at least a couple of negative stereotypes, most notably that he, along with his twin sister Sharpay, is essentially a villain. Then again, this is a Disney movie, so the villainy is watered down in two respects: first, it’s Disneyfied, so he’s actually fairly good-natured, he’s just scripted into a mildly antagonistic role; and second, he’s really just following his sister’s lead, and he himself is presented as something of a easy-going dim-bulb follower (which doesn’t exactly help, in my book). Also, I’m not thrilled that the character is like a genital-less Ken doll. It’s not like I expect steamy man-on-man action from a Disney movie. But every other character with a speaking role paired off by the end of the movie. EVERY other character. All except him.

I like the casual approach, wish he had been a good guy, wish his orientation had been spelled out a little more clearly, and appreciate the fact that he’s been included in a Disney film (despite its largely deserved gay-friendly reputation, in its productions I find Disney white-washes areas of potential controversy, with portrayals of gay people near the top of the list).

As a side-note, cutie pie Lucas Grabeel offers up an engaging performance, and his character is very stylish, easily the best dressed character in the film. He’s also a good singer and a fantastic dancer.

Overall, a fun little musical with a nicely thematic story and surprisingly catchy songs and dance numbers. Recommended – just don’t expect a masterpiece.