Dir. Michael Lembeck, 89 mins, USA, 2011
Cast. Ashley Tisdale, Austin Butler, Pat Mastroianni, Bradley Steven Perry, Cameron Goodman
Review by Michelle Moore
When the High School Musical franchise hit the world, young teen girls across the globe went ballistic not only for its lead male character Troy Bolton (played by Zac Efron), but for its domineering, melodramatic drama queen lead antagonist Sharpay Evans, played by Ashley Tisdale.
This new straight to DVD comedy follows on from graduation of High School Musical 3, examining Sharpay’s life as she heads for Broadway. However things do not goto plan, when it is her pet pooch, Boi, directors want to audition for a lead part and not her. When she is down in the dumps, she meets Peyton (Butler) who helps her out of her moment of darkness and persuades her to follow her initial instincts and dreams of acting on stage, which pays off…eventually.
Sharpay is the type of character that wants everything fabulous. She wears bright glittery clothes and never stops in the pursuit of following her dreams, which includes getting the lead role in a Broadway musical although the role has already been given to someone else. Sharpay can be unkind to those around her, however truly loves one thing in her life and that is her dog Boi.
This nastiness is born out of being spoilt and getting everything she had always wanted. Over the course of the film, she slowly goes through stages of changes in which she starts to become a better person. From fending for herself in her own apartment rather than a maid attended penthouse, living the life of an assistant to an actress, rather than being the centre of attention and putting the needs of her dog before her own.
Although this film is inevitably following one of the characters lives away from High School Musical, it would have been nice to see a few familiar faces in the crowd at the end of the film where Sharpay takes to the stage, just to show their appreciation, even if were just her brother.
The most disappointing feature of the film is the lack of actual singing from the lead character. Sharpay Evans is known for dramatic, fierce vocals and performance; however this is not shown to its best. There are less than a handful of performances by Sharpay, which considering this to be a spin of from High School Musical, lacks in the actual musical department. Where musical aspects of the film may flounder, the comedy is strong, from beds folding up while occupied to Sharpay cleaning bathrooms. The love aspect is also a bonus, and not just for Sharpay and Peyton, with the underpinning of pouch love being beautiful. At first Sharpay sees the other dog as a rival, but when she puts herself in the dogs position she realises his “puppy dog eyes” are filled with love for his rival.
This movie focuses on the Sharpay we all came to adore from High School Musical, just a little more in-depth as she is now the lead of the movie. Tisdale has been able to bring her into her own person and have her grow up throughout the movie, bringing to the surface the humanity within. This is the perfect next step from High School Musical, however, it does leave a viewer wondering what could be in store next…Troy and Gabriella’s adventures or maybe Zeke’s cooking guide?
Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure is released on DVD June 27th
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