Five disparate high school kids are sentenced to detention in the basement. Principal Brenigan (Christopher McDonald) uses corporate sponsorship to support only the sport teams. He relegates all the other groups into the basement. Miss Reznick (Tisha Campbell-Martin) is the music teacher who is facing funding cuts. Stella (Hayley Kiyoko) is the rebellious new girl who is the least successful of her family. Olivia (Bridgit Mendler) is the awkward loner who is hiding some devastating family secrets. Mo (Naomi Scott) is dealing with a selfish boyfriend and her conservative East Indian father. Charlie (Blake Michael) is the drummer forced to live up to his soccer star older brother. Wen (Adam Hicks) is angry that his father is moving on with a young girlfriend. The five new friends form a new band to compete in the local talent contest.
I like all five young actors and their characters. With that, the movie can survive the cheesiness and the standard tropes. The music from the five is good enough. The story is hitting all the traditional kiddie movie ideas of rebelling against the system. Christopher McDonald and Tisha Campbell-Martin fall victim to the need for adults to act wacky in kiddie movies. The young actors and their characters' journeys save this from being a bad Disney TV movie.
I like all five young actors and their characters. With that, the movie can survive the cheesiness and the standard tropes. The music from the five is good enough. The story is hitting all the traditional kiddie movie ideas of rebelling against the system. Christopher McDonald and Tisha Campbell-Martin fall victim to the need for adults to act wacky in kiddie movies. The young actors and their characters' journeys save this from being a bad Disney TV movie.