This movie would appeal to most ages, not just teens & pre-teens.

First for the 70's & 80's, Penny Marshall portraying a tough teacher. She turned out to be a little caring later on, had a little Laverne DeFazio in her.

Then for the 90's, Luke Perry of classic 90210. He owned a music store & showed his hidden talent that he could play the guitar & sing. Guess Dylan McKay didn't want to pose a threat to either David Silver or Ray Pruit.

And for this decade, Lucas Gabriel. The High School Musical star who boldly did what no HSM star would dare do, play an instrument! He was cool playing the guitar, but did he have to have a shirtless rock band? Disney would disapprove that, but not Chippendale's (LOL).

This is a little too lightweight to be of interest to most adults, but for what it is, it's done pretty well. Sure there are serious topics here, but they are not explored in any great depth or with any signs of real pain and suffering, so would be quite suitable for a younger audience, or for all the family to share in.

Stoner is very cute here but she does look and act her real age (14) when she is supposed to be playing an 11 year old. That's a big age gap at that time of life, and for me her performance just doesn't work at that level, but that's not really to the detriment of the film as a whole. She is not the most talented actress by a long chalk, but she has a certain charm on screen that many young stars lack, and it is easily sufficient to carry a light movie like this.

Grabeel is good and there is ample support from all the kids. Perry is Perry. Marshall is probably the best of the bunch, experience obviously telling. All in all the performances are competent and the characters sufficiently well rounded to make them interesting, even if the plot itself is a little weak.

Few flaws here then, but don't expect to be wowed. One for a rainy day in with the kids.

I'm giving this a 10 not because it was Lawrence of Arabia or some earth-shattering, life-altering drama, but for two reasons: 1) to counterbalance the snobs who gave it a low rating, and 2) because for what it is, it was really good. Yes, it could be a Saturday morning Disney Channel show. Yes, it reminded me of Lizzie McGuire or That's So Raven and other programs of that genre. But folks, that's what it's supposed to be! Why are you trashing it when it is so obviously not trying to compete for an Oscar? I'm a middle-aged father and watched this with my son. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Penny Marshall was a an unexpected delight.I've never seen the Stoner girl before, or most of the cast for that matter, but thought they were all very talented. No--I haven't read the book that people mention on the boards, so I don't know if was faithful or not. Does it really matter? It had well-defined characters, good interaction and lots of momentum. I'm a professional musician and I even liked the soundtrack. This movie presented a believable story about commonly shared family circumstances (okay...for middle-class white kids) treated with humor and respect. Funny, good acting, cute kids, no cursing or stupid sexual jokes, and valuable messages for teens. So, I guess I had more than two reasons for giving it a 10!