Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011)

Directed by: Michael Lembeck | 86 minutes | drama, comedy, family | Actors: Ashley Tisdale, Austin Butler, Cameron Goodman, Bradley Steven Perry, Alec Mapa, Jack Plotnick, Robert Curtis Brown, Jessica Tuck, Pat Mastroianni, Mike ‘Nug’ Nahrgang, Alessandra Cannito, Lauren Collins, Shadia Ali, Sarah Joy Bennett, Tracey Ferencze

Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) is a character from Disney’s High School Musical film series. The most popular girl in school is so loved that she has earned her own spin-off. ‘Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure’ is a TV movie that has also been released on DVD to please the fans. The result is a real target group film, which will undoubtedly delight fans of ‘High School Musical’ and similar films.

The über-spoiled rich teen (a bizarre mix of Paris Hilton and Reese Witherspoons Elle from ‘Legally Blonde’) still hasn’t achieved her ultimate dream a year after graduating from high school. However, when after a glorious performance in Albuquerque (where the film opens) she comes into contact with a talent manager who asks her to audition for a Broadway production, her chances seem to change. She just has to convince her father that she can really stand on her own two feet. The dad, always ready with enough credit cards, finally agrees, on the condition that if the apple of his blond eye doesn’t break through within a month, she will come and work for him. Since ‘work’ is about Sharpay’s most loathed word, she does everything she can to fulfill her dream.

Once in New York, however, it is quite disappointing. The first downer is when her beloved dog Boi is not allowed in the luxurious penthouse that her mother has arranged through an acquaintance. Sharpay refuses to live without Boi, so she’s literally taken aback when the young and attractive Peyton (Austin Butler) gets her in front of his movie camera. Let Peyton just happen to be the son of Sharpay’s mother’s acquaintance! Peyton takes Sharpay under his wing and ensures that she gets a small apartment, albeit dingy and small. But that’s not the only disappointment Sharpay has to deal with. It turns out that the audition is not intended for her, but for her faithful four-legged friend Boi! The ambitious, arrogant girl decides to seize the opportunity in the hope that Bois’ success will be reflected in her. However, she has to compete with twelve-year-old Roger (Bradley Steven Perry) and his dog Countess and the star allures of the musical star Amber Lee Adams (Cameron Goodman) who miraculously surpass hers.

In the overcrowded genre of movies about a young, up-and-coming star who heads to the big city to make it there, Disney Channel’s ‘Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure’ is no stranger. The film neatly ticks the boxes on the checklist and offers no surprises, but simple, somewhat well-behaved entertainment (although well-behaved: you can hope your teenage daughter doesn’t make the same demands as Sharpay!). The acting is over the top (particularly the hate and envy scenes between Sharpay and Roger), but Ashley Tisdale is otherwise well in place in this sweet, pink-colored production. The watching elderly are warned: some toes will be bent.