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

Review

Common Sense Media says

Teen theater documentary could dig a lot deeper.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

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.

  • Positive messages2
    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.
  • Positive role models3
    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.
  • Violence2
    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.
  • Sex2
    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.
  • Language4
    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."
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    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.
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What's the story?

In GUYS 'N' DIVAS: BATTLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALS, filmmaker Barry Blaustein (Beyond the Mat) captures the inherent drama of the high school theater scene by shadowing three different student productions in southern Indiana: Floyd Central High School's Zombie Prom, New Albany High School's Kaiulani: The Last Princess, and Jeffersonville High School's Starmites. The plot centers of which of the schools, if any, will win admission to the prestigious International Thespian Festival, an annual showcase of the nation's best high school theater fare.

Is it any good?

 

Blaustein kicks off his homage to high school theater by talking briefly about his own theatrical experiences as a teen (an animated opening sequence that includes an unfortunate "blackface" gag and a joke about Nazis). But then he basically disappears for the rest of the movie, dropping in only with occasional voice-overs. Still, maybe that's best. After all, it's the students' stories that really make this film worth watching.

But that's also where Blaustein misses the mark. The downside to focusing on three different schools is that he has to split the movie's time between them, a structural problem that ultimately leaves the viewer unsatisfied. Would it have been better (and more revealing) to limit the action to just one of these schools as the students launched a production from start to finish? Maybe. But since, as a director, Blaustein triple-casted his lead, we'll never know.

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What 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?

This review was written by Kari Croop
Adult
September 21, 2009
AGE
14
 
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.
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This review was written by Kari Croop
TV rating:TV-14
Network:Showtime
Genre:Reality TV
This review was written by Kari Croop
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
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