boring movie. nothing new.
Spectacular!
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Musical mixes positive messages and tween appeal.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Spectacular! was written by Emily Ashby
Parents need to know that this tween-targeted musical offers positive messages about self confidence, self expression, and finding friendship and inspiration in unlikely places. The main character evolves from self-absorbed rebel to a (mostly) reliable team player who's not afraid to stand up to peer pressure. Sure, the whole thing is a sanitized view of teen life (everyone's friends in the end, and, despite his missteps, Nikko gets to realize his rocker dream after all), but on the whole, it's a tween-pleasing tale with hardly any iffy content -- unless you count a teen couple's first kiss.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about peer pressure. What kinds of ways do teens put peer pressure on each other? Is it always obvious, or can subtle comments or gestures have just as much impact? Have you ever experienced peer pressure? How did you handle it? Has fear over your friends' reaction ever kept you from doing something you wanted to do?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Spectacular!
What’s the Story?
Rock star-wannabe Nikko (Nolan Gerard Funk) is a fish out of water after he's dumped by both his band and his girlfriend on the same night. When he's approached by bubbly classmate Courtney (Tammin Sursok) -- who hopes to recruit him for her show choir, Spectacular! -- he scathingly declines. But he changes his tune when Courtney promises him half the prize money if he helps her group win an upcoming competition against rival squad Ta-Da. Nikko grudgingly joins the troupe with dollar signs in his eyes -- but he quickly discovers that his talented new comrades are a surprisingly fun group. What's more, his fresh outlook on the competitive world of show choir energizes them ... but not Courtney. An ensuing power struggle threatens both the success of Spectacular! and the possibility of Nikko's own stardom.
Is It Any Good?
With SPECTACULAR!, Nickelodeon attempts to loosen the iron grip Disney established on tween-targeted modern-day musicals with High School Musical and its sequels. Spectacular! definitely has some similarities to HSM -- including a talented cast, upbeat song-and-dance numbers, and age-appropriate content for tweens -- but there are also some marked differences. Nikko is a bit of a bad boy, mouthing off to his older brother (who acts as his guardian) and flaunting a major superiority complex with the choir members. Courtney's also guilty of some errors in judgment, including allowing her passion for upstaging Ta-Da -- and lead singer Royce (Simon Curtis), who defected from Spectacular! -- to lead to promising Nikko money that belonged to the group.
But rather than weighing the story down, these character flaws actually benefit the overall package. They allow the characters to evolve -- and, in the end, that's what tweens will take away from this story. Spectacular! can't boast the same pure star power of its popular Disney rival, but it does offer equally kid-friendly entertainment with strong positive overtones. Though parents will find the story predictable and more than a little cheesy, tweens are sure to embrace it and the messages it sends.
Movie Details
Studio: Sony Pictures, Director: Robert Iscove
Run time: 93 minutes
Theatrical release: 2/16/2009, DVD release: 3/31/2009
MPAA Rating: NR
Run time: 93 minutes
Theatrical release: 2/16/2009, DVD release: 3/31/2009
MPAA Rating: NR
Our Members Say
See all 17 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
boring
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
This was a great movie you haters!
This was a great movie. My daughters really enjoyed it and they totally loved the singing and dancing. I think that this is a great movie for all ages and it is also great for boys and girls. it gives the message that you should be yourself and be your own person.it kind of shows that you should go with the flow but also kind of go your own way. This makes a great family movie and i really liked it. i think that all you spectacular haters need to lay off!!! Spectacular is truly Spectacular!
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
It's really great shows a lot of good messages. teaches you to be your own person and be yourself no matter what. i think that this is a great family movie especially if your kids like to sing or are really independant. In all this is a great movie and i think that all you haters need to get a life and re-learn what a great movie is. Spectacular was truly Spectacular.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
boring
boring do not watch
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I rate this title off for age 9 and give it
I saw half of this movie and it is really boring! I recommend you watch High School Musical instead.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
Really good
Really good movie.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
More better than the entire HSM series!!!
i love it!!!!! my favorite charactors are courtney, janet, and nikko. its awesome! u should see it!!!
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
blah
it ok...NOT the best film in history. high school musical did 10x better. thats all im saying! but it does have good messages to stay true your heart( same theme as every other musical movies). i give it 2 stars...for trying.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
Spectacular! is really spectacular
This movie is amazing. They have great music in this. All of the characters are played well and they stay well in character. Anyone can watch it. It also has a great message in it. I recommend this movie to all ages.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
Nothing works
I'm sorry, but I think CSM is wrong. None of the characters are good role s. It's all on and off; one moment Nikko's right and the is wrong, then vise versa, then they're right at the same time, then also wrong, etc. There's nothing to take away here. Nobody is really that good of a character. It's kind of hard to explain, but the best way to is to say that the "good guys" aren't really that good.
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
HSM Wannabe that fails.
My title pretty much sums up my thoughts. It is clean, but it is just no good.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Movie helps you
This movie helps you realize that you can go for what you want and suceed
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Spectacular vs. High School Musical. And the winner is....
I am just going to write my review for this movie by comparing it to High School Musical, the movie it is meant to rival. I happen to think Spectacular did better than HSM (though no one agrees) because the plot is more mature. in HSM, everyone randomly bursts into song, making up most of the movie.In spectacular, whenever there is a song, there is a reason for the singer to be singing. (i.e. contest, kareoke, etc.) Also, the plot twists seem more serious and likely to happen, and the mean people don't turn NICE all of a sudden. The singing is also way better, and some of the jokes actually managed to make me laugh. Example: Nikko is wearing his required Spectacular! attire, which is full of lame (with an accent over the e) odd patterns, and all-around dorkiness. Humiliated to be even wearing it, Nikko says, "This is soo lame" Then one of the other members of Spectacular comes up to him and says "Actually, it's pronounced lame (accent over the e)" LOL! If you are a girl between the ages of 8 and 14, this movie is for you. Please. Go watch it. I BEG OF YOU!!!
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I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
this was really weird!
-people I only saw a part of "Spectaculour" and i can tell you it is defenitly N-O-T Spectaculour!I think it was deffenitly not good!It was infact terrible!I think if you liked the movie you have lost your mind! thanks! :)
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
OK
It was OK nothing special but nothing horrible.
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I rate this title pause for age 7 and give it
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents say it's educational |
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