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Guys 'N' Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals

(Rated TV-14, Reality TV, Where to watch: Showtime)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 15.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Teen theater documentary could dig a lot deeper.

Themes in this show include:   growing up

Why We Rated This on for Ages 15 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The take-away is that students can accomplish impressive things when they work hard -- and work together. There's also a subtle message that a school doesn't have to have lots of money to put on an entertaining production. But that doesn't stop some schools from spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to be "the best." Although brief, it's worth noting that there's a scene in the opening sequence that includes a blackface gag, as well as a joke about Nazis.

  • Role models:

    Most of the students profiled are positive role models who work hard and take their participation seriously (one is austistic, while another spends his spare time as a minister). But some of the adults in charge let their competitive spirits get the best of them.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    A student talks about bullying at school and domestic violence in his home; another mourns when an older friend is strangled to death by a python.

  • Sex:

    Some theatrical kissing and talk of "hooking up," but nothing overt. One featured male student is openly gay (and has been bullied for his sexuality); another female student says she's been called a lesbian.

  • Language:

    Language is unbleeped and runs the gamut from "damn," "hell," "sucks," and "crap" to "bitch," "ass," and "creepy f--k." A gay student says he's been called "fairy" and "faggot."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    A student mentions that he knows high-schoolers who "party" but that he doesn't indulge -- although he bought cigarettes when he turned 18. Another student admits that he once sold drugs, although he's since reformed.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Guys 'N' Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals

Parents need to know that, because this documentary about high school musical theater airs on pay cable, viewers will hear unbleeped swearing (including several uses of "f--k"). There's also some candid discussion of issues like bullying, domestic abuse, sexual orientation, and gang-related drug activity, although that isn't the real focus. The bulk of the film concentrates on what it takes to mount three different high school productions from start to finish -- and the answer, in some cases, is lots of money.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about whether what they see in this documentary bears any resemblance to their local high schools' musical theater programs. Do you think these schools take their programs too seriously? Is competition good for everyone involved -- or only for those who "win"?
  • Is there a relationship between the quality of a school's productions and how much money it spends to put them on? Did it surprise you to learn that a high school could spend up to $200,000 to bring one show to the stage?
  • Did you think the film did a good job of capturing the reality of high school theater? Why or why not?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Sadgrl0
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 2.0

    It's all about favorites... And I wasn't one of them.

    I hated this documentary. This was supposed to be about teamwork, a group of kids striving towards one common passion. Instead they made it about the drama, the relationships, and the personal lives. They completely ignored the chorus members who spent hours of exhausting work getting their dance steps right. The ones who stayed even after the main characters were gone, having rehearsals that lasted from 3 pm until midnight on every day, including weekends. After waiting three years for this documentary to air, I turn it on just to find I have maybe three scenes in which I am in the distant background. I was in the show Kaiulani, and I was exhausted, but excited, it was my first and last performance, and the best time of my life. This documentary did nothing but chronicle the personal lives of the main actors who could afford to bribe the teachers for the part.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    Sadgrl0
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 1.0

    They filmed only the main characters

    I hated this documentary. This was supposed to be about teamwork, a group of kids striving towards one common passion. Instead they made it about the drama, the relationships, and the personal lives. They completely ignored the chorus members who spent hours of exhausting work getting their dance steps right. The ones who stayed even after the main characters were gone, having rehearsals that lasted from 3 pm until midnight on every day, including weekends. After waiting three years for this documentary to air, I turn it on just to find I have maybe three scenes in which I am in the distant background. I was in the show Kaiulani, and I was exhausted, but excited, it was my first and last performance, and the best time of my life. This documentary did nothing but chronicle the personal lives of the main actors who could afford to bribe the teachers for the part.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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