High School Musical **** 1/2 stars

James (age 6) ****1/2 Four-and-a-half stars. I don't know why, I just liked it. There was only one funny part. When he was like, "Oh, I baked some cookies," and she was like, "Ew!" She means here, Sharpay, and the guy who likes to cook--what's his name? Sharpey was my favorite character because she doesn't like the new girl. That's it.

Jupiter (age 4) ***** e stars. Google stars. I liked the pre-K parts. The pre-K parts are at the very beginning when they sing together. (Jupiter has a singing class as a part of her pre-school program.)

Justice (age 2): ***** Google. (Justice, though admittedly sick with a fever and flu, watched the entire movie.)


Popi:***** This mega-monolithic tweener cultural phenomenon was only vaguely on my radar. Fellow movie night fan, Andy recommended it. Had I seen this as a high school student. I would have called it "High School Snoozical," because all things that were supposedly made for me seemed to speak nothing of my experience. But as an adult, I loved it. I love its formula, its use of proven conventions, its crisp pacing, I loved how it was unafraid to make traditional story-telling moves, like coincidences, unlikely outcomes, and even flirt with stock characters and decide instead of exploiting them, to earn them. Which I think it did. But the characters who feel trapped by their circumstances, even if it's being a basketball star or a super scholar, are always compelling. There was destined love hidden in plain sight. The movie was fueled by naked enthusiasm and all the characters seemed truly normal. Normal in body type, normal in experience, and this isn't about the Juilliard bound super talent. These are normal kids finding something great within them. I like that story better.

Mama (age 40): ***** I love musicals. I have always loved them. When I was 17 and driving my Mom's Toyota Cressida to the beach, wearing my pink plastic sunglasses, and pink frosted lipstick, it was "Man of la Mancha" in the tape deck, or "Jesus Christ Superstar" or "Camelot." Even though I couldn't sing at all, when I was ten, I dreamed of being the lead in "Oliver," "Annie," and later "Grease." It never worked out for me, but I look forward to raising my daughters, and yes, son, on musicals.

While the songs in "High School Musical," were of the fluffiest variety--completely unmemorable yet managing to make you feel like you'd heard them all before, it didn't stop me from completely enjoying this movie. On the surface "High School Musical" is about a male athlete and female scholar finding each other through music, but it's really about being gay, a stadium pounding celebration of gayness. What's not to love about that? Adam and I laughed out loud, every time the brother/sister diva duo, Sharpay and Ryan, came into a scene, always looking looking peeved that there were others journeying toward the personal revelation of the power of musical theater. "High School Musical," with its wholesome brand of embracing yourself and those who are different from you might just help jump start my kids early on the way to that personal revelation.