Pack your Zac Efron towel and definitely your Zac Efron pillow sham

In case you've been in a cave for the past two years, you may not have heard the name Zac Efron. If you've been anywhere else since High School Musical first debuted on the Disney Channel, back in January 2006, it's hard to escape seeing Zac's (or any cast member's) face plastered on everything from magazines to bedspreads to post-it notes. Disney certainly knows how to capitalize on any idea; just talk to any American girl under the age of 25.

It's a little bit tiring, and it's probably creepy to know that your image is somewhere in the bedroom of two million different little girls. On the up side, at least the movie was good. Seriously!

Quick overview of HSM, the original: brainy Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) and athletic Troy (Zac Efron) work hard to overcome the stereotypes and status quo of their high school as they fight for the lead parts in the musical, always with catty diva Sharpay right behind them. In High School Musical 2, the drama picks up as the school year is ending. The devious and spoiled Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) wants to guarantee that her summer will be packed with Troy, so she uses her powers to get him a job. At her parents' country club.

However, Troy has a few powers of his own, and he convinces the manager to employ the rest of the school basketball team and some other friends. Gabriella gets to come along, too, as the lifeguard, and they promise to spend the whole summer together.

But Sharpay's not going to settle for trampled plans. Slowly, she helps Troy ease his way up in the world--from waiter to caddy to golf pro, even to the point of getting a prestigious college scholarship (her daddy's on the board). The price? Not much: he just has to sing with her at the staff talent show.

Meanwhile, Gabriella and friends notice that Troy's new status is making him a new person...and not in a good way. However, they've got Sharpay's disgruntled Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) to lead them through the funk--as the director of their own number in the talent show.

That is, until things start breaking down. A broken heart and scattered friendships force Troy to think about who he's becoming, and Sharpay has to learn that she can't control everything...or everyone. Will any of the Wildcats get the summer they've dreamed of?

Okay, so it probably sounds a little predictable and over-the-top...and it is. But the truth is, that for as over-commercialized and ridiculous as the whole High School Musical empire has become, the movies are just good, decent fun. And for a sequel, this was surprisingly delightful. It didn't feel like a cheap reunion tour, made simply to cash in on a trend. HSM2 has got some real heart to it.

That's thanks to the actors, who do a stellar job in their parts. Vanessa Hudgens is still adorable, Ashley Tisdale makes the perfect spoiled brat, and Zac Efron is the good-looking but semi-awkward boy who can utilize great facial expressions instead of having to say anything. Monique Coleman, who plays brainy friend Taylor McKessie, is the only one that gets on my nerves a bit; she has just a few lines, and they always come out sounding a smidge too theatrical. The real star of HSM2, though, is Lucas Grabeel. He is adorable as Ryan Evans, showing us a bit of his vulnerable side, doing completely amazing things but in a very understated, humble way. Away from Sharpay's shadow, the character gets to blossom and show off his smart, underestimated side. When I watch this, I just wanna kiss him.

The soundtrack is also very catchy, filled with memorable pop songs and even some pumping rock numbers. There are also a few cutesy love numbers, but nothing that's really throwaway. Well, unless you consider Sharpay's song about a fish prince, a special feature on the DVD which was left out of the TV version. It's a fun song but kind of strange, and I didn't think the movie benefited a whole lot from it.

Of course, there are always going to be some disappointments. For one, it's predictable. Two, Troy gets a whole song to himself, but while the music's good, the accompanying dance (a long frolic across the golf course) is humorously painful to watch--he's taking himself so seriously. Yeah, the guy has moves, but the scene is so awkward! Finally, I was slightly surprised at all the low-cut shirts in Sharpay's wardrobe. It's not that she has mega-cleavage, so at least everything wasn't spilling out, but in a movie targeted especially at young girls, it bothered me that they focused so much on making an already-beautiful girl so sexy.

Okay, if you thought the first one was cheesy, there's no way I'll be able to convince you otherwise about the second. And if you're not into cutesy teen movies, then HSM2 might drive you crazy. But sometimes you don't need a stirring classic. Sometimes, you just need a feel-good flick. Here it is. It's zany, it's a touch campy, it's unrealistic. It's very teen, a category which either drives people away (the people who assume that teen movies can't have any substance) or draws them in (the people who, though they might not admit it, like escaping to childhood or at least to less cluttered, fancy-free fantasies). It's also well-done and loaded with good messages, especially the warning not to let status or things change who you are.

HSM2 premiered on my 23rd birthday. I work with teens, and they kept telling me that we'd have a High School Musical party for me (and by "for me," they really meant "for us--but we'll say it's for you because it's a good excuse for a party." I didn't mind. :). When I arrived that night, there were nearly twenty-five kids crammed into a basement, with one who kept shrieking every time Troy and Gabriella almost kissed. When I left that night, I remember thinking, "That movie was okay. But it was fun!" Watching it again tonight, I thought, "You know, that movie was solid." The summery setting, the upbeat music--I really am going to pull this out whenever I'm having a bad day. The thing is, HSM has this strange appeal to all ages, no matter how "young" it seems. I know kindergarteners and moms who love it, and I'm right there with 'em. Even my boss, a 31-year-old father of boys, told me it "wasn't too bad."

High School Musical 2 is deliciously ridiculous, something that turned out way better than I ever expected a made-for-TV sequel could be. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I might like it than the first one. Maybe that's because we see deeper into the characters? Maybe because it's at a cheery country club? All I know is that, of all the things I've ever seen on TV, this is one of the few I'd pay to own on DVD. If you are (or know) Disney fans--from classics like Aladdin to modern moguls like Hannah Montana (whom I wouldn't give such rave reviews...but that's another story)--check out High School Musical 2. And make sure you watch the first one, too!