The direct-to-DVD Sunday School Musical is a bald-faced attempt to latch onto the High School Musical phenom and water it down even more for those who might fret that the Mousketeerish, white-bread mildness of the Disney franchise is somehow a bit too racy or morally-challenged. Hard to decide which is the most outrageously offensive aspect of this cheap knockoff: the insipid and obvious songs, the almost conflict-free plot (involving rival “gangs” of religious choirs who team up for mutual betterment and cookies), the depiction of Christian education as consisting almost entirely of home economics and Bible studies, or the endless deployment of self-help clichés that undercut what teeny bit of real drama is found here. “Family entertainment” need not be synonymous with “entirely toothless,” nor “wholesome” with “bland”—witness the real deal: the genuinely entertaining and wholesome High School Musical. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Rachel Lee Goldenberg, co-writer Ashley Holloway, and choreographer Cheryl Baxter, a 13-minute “making-of” featurette, three sing-along song selections (8 min. total), five minutes of bloopers, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a patent rip-off flick.] (M. Johanson)
Sunday School Musical
Arts Alliance, 90 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95 Volume 24, Issue 1
Sunday School Musical
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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