Tween a Rock and a Hard Place
By Nathan Cone

Dear Fellow Parents:

As the father of a child old enough to fall victim to the marketing of a media behemoth, but still far too young to care about cute movie star boys and girls, I approached a viewing of Disney's "High School Musical 2" (HSM2) with a combination of dread and curiosity.  "Just what do tweens see in this thing?" was my first question.  The second was "How bad is this going to be?"  The answer to the first question is easy.  The cast of HSM are all uniformly good looking.  As for the second, I was quite shocked to discover that not only does HSM2 not suck -- it's actually okay for adults to like, too.

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I went into this DVD cold, knowing nothing of the cast or the music.  As HSM2 opens, the East High Wildcats are dancing up a storm because SUMMER is here, and they're ready to have a blast with an exclamation point.  Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) and his sweetie Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) both wind up working at the fabulous Lava Springs Country Club, thanks to the scheming Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale), who wants Troy all to herself.  She plots to get him to sing with her in the annual talent show rather than Gabriella, but Sharpay's henchman brother Ryan (who seems curiously sister-whipped, if such a thing can exist?) turns on her and foils her plans.  Along with a happy ending for everyone, that's about it, in a nutshell.

The plot is, of course, a thin contrivance to hang song and dance numbers on, and HSM2 has plenty of 'em.  These kids have enough energy to power a small aircraft carrier.  They sing, they dance, they write songs, they play sports, often all at once.  For a modern musical, the choreography and camera shots refreshingly allow for a lot of full-body shots (unlike "Chicago," for example), but the editing is still fast-paced.  The music is appealing enough for a couple of songs to be annoyingly stuck in my head.

Because this is a Disney production, the teens in HSM2 are squeaky clean, just like those Mouseketeers of yesteryear.  The closest Troy and Gabriella get to a passionate moment on screen is when Troy gives her a necklace with his initials on it.  Awwww.

To capitalize on the impending release of HSM3 in theaters, this DVD includes a bevy of new bonus features, including deleted scenes, set tours, and a fly-on-the-wall look at the rehearsals for each dance number.  Watching that, I was reminded the old days of Hollywood when triple threats (singing, dancing, acting) were the gold standard.  Those days are long gone, but these kids have a lot of talent.

One more bonus feature worth noting could be beneficial to tube-addicted kids.  It's a special Dance-Along, where the cast teaches viewers how to do some of the moves from the film.  You can pick "walkthrough," "half speed," or "full speed" to facilitate the learning process and get kids moving.

HSM2 is suitable for all ages, and I mean that sincerely.  You'll enjoy watching this one with the kids (until they ask for it the 22nd time).