Lemonade Mouth

Lemonade Mouth 
Director: Patricia Riggen
Starring: Bridgit Mendler, Adam Hicks, Hayley Kiyoko
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As we all know, or as all films of a certain ilk would have us believe, if you attend an American high school and don't fall into the category of jock or cheerleader, then you're in serious trouble.

Lemonade Mouth, based on the eponymous novel by Mark Peter Hughes, reinforces this notion wholeheartedly: the main protagonists are misfits who bond when they meet during after-school detention, establish music as a common love and quickly (and almost seamlessly) segue into the first of many badly mimed, yet rather upbeat, musical numbers.

As well as having to contend with a zealous principal who favours sports over the arts, each of the likeable (if one-dimensional) primary characters must deal with individual issues common to growing up (overprotective parents, a dysfunctional family situation, a self-esteem crisis and other such sources of teenage angst).

The film, a Disney Channel production, is clearly aimed at those in their early teens and the message that it promotes - that it's OK to stand out from the crowd and important to stand up for what you believe in - is a positive one, if wildly clichéd.

I wouldn't advise older viewers to actually seek this one out, but if you're forced to watch it under duress, then take solace in the fact that it's not as truly terrible as you might expect. Yes, it's overly cheery and overly cheesy, but it is harmless enough and has a feel-good factor that could even have you tapping your toes along with the music as the end credits role. Be warned, though: at 107 minutes, it takes far longer than necessary to reach this point.