Movie Review: Sunday School Musical

Sunday School Musical a.k.a Sunday School The Musical
Faith Films, USA, 2008.

Zachary (Chris Chatman) sings in the Hawthorne Church School's (Afro-American) gospel choir. In choir competition they and the Crossroads Choir (White) are selected for the state competition. The competition looks like an easy win as the Crossroads Choir can not sing. The much-needed prize money would save the Hawthorne Church. 

Aundrea, Zach and Trevor

Zachary and his friends Aundrea (Krystle Connor) and Trevor (Hitcliff Leigh Tan) dis the Crossroads Choir. Zachary's nurse mother (Millena Gay) gets fired (it's the recession). Zach's father is on the military tour, so the family must move temporarily to Zachary's aunt Janet (Rae Silva). Zachary must change schools and what a surprise! Zach's new school is the Crossroads High School. Zachary sees that Aundrea cared for him only because he could sing. 

Zach's family

Zachary and Aundrea

In the new school Zach meets Savannah (Candise Lakota). The other kids shun him on Bible study class, especially Miles (Robert Acinapura). Savannah is a hard-working student and crams the order of mitosis with her dad Pastor Joe (Mark Hengst). Zach's studies, on the other hand, begin to suffer.

Savannah

Miles

Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telephase!

Zach gets detention for not making his homework so he has to clean the class room while the choir is practising (oh my ears hurt). He gives tips to Crossroads Choir. The choir wants Zach but Miles is opposing. Zach's old friends abandon him so he joins the choir.

Miles and Savannah have artistic differences and try to sink each other into a bog by singing. Zach gets ultimatum from teacher: unless he gets B or better on the next test he will not be allowed to sing in the choir. Also Savannah has her problems. Her father shrunk her favourite shirt! Meanwhile Hawthorne school is closing down because they haven't got money. Zachary must get the rivals to cooperate to save the church.

Musical fight!

You shrunk my shirt!

Crossroads Choir

Produced by Faith Films (religious movie division of The Asylum). Basically this is a Christian mockbuster of "High School Musical."

This was quite awkward film. On the positive side Chris Chatman has a good singing voice. Also the other singers are quite good but would need better script and songs to bring out their talents. The story is about as generic as possible. All the problems are solved easily without much thought making the drama weak. Cheesy high school musical is made extra cheesy with lazily included Christianity. There's so much cheese that I want a hamburger! I don't know. Maybe this will appeal to those desperate for any Christian family entertainment as the story is clean and emphasizes co-operation and charity. I would rather watch some "Highway to Heaven" reruns.

As a cherry on the top the UK DVD age rating would be Universal if some brainiac hadn't thought it to be a bright idea to include gory trailers for Asylym's horror films as extras resulting to BBFC rating 15. How did it go, like, um, in your own opinion?

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#21. Movie that is set in school)

Rating: Bad

Starring: Chris Chatman, Candise Lakota, Krystle Connor, Robert Acinapura, Amy Ganser, Millena Gay, Dustin Fitzsimons, Hitcliff Leigh Tan, Mark Hengst, Rae Silva, Kesha Ealy, Shane Carther Thomas, Debra Lynn Hull, Justin Spanko, Daniel J. Roberts, Brian Brinkman, Walter J. Harris, Sharon Diane King, Tom Nance, Cecile del Rosario, Shari Emami, Sharon Stockbridge, Donald C. Turner and over 80 choir members and background persons.

Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg