After being ousted from his band, troubled pop star Nikko Alexander (Nolan Gerard Funk) vows to make his way to the top on his own. But his goal takes an unexpected twist when he meets Courtney Lane (Tammin Sursok), the leader of show choir Spectacular!, and insists he join as the co-lead to help them in a regional competition against her ex-boyfriend Royce (Simon Curtis) and rival Tammi (Victoria Justice), the leaders of the rival group Ta-Da. When the two instantly hit it off despite their different ways, Nikko discovers the importance of teamwork.
This telefilm was Nickelodeon’s attempt to cash-in on the success of Disney Channel’s High School Musical movies, but only performed modestly in the ratings when it premiered which killed any future sequel or franchising plans.
Also of note, this movie is the rare musical where all the songs take place as performances In-Universe as a la Source Music opposed to the usual “breaking out into song” exposition the genre is known for.
Tropes:
- The Ace: Royce, according to the rest of Spectacular!.
- Alpha Bitch: Tammi, in spades. She even dumps Royce after they win.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Ta-Da ends up winning the championship, because Nikko's old band being unregistered members of Spectacular! caused the group to be disqualified.
- Bittersweet Ending: Spectacular! doesn't win the championship, but their performance gives Nikko a record deal, which he shares with the rest of the group.
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: Ta-Da's costumes are in shades of gold.
- Cover Version: When first introduced, Spectacular! performs a cover of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", while Ta-Da covers 10cc's "The Things We Do for Love".
- Diegetic Musical: Nickelodeon made it a point to promote the film as a diegetic musical; the songs are performed as rehearsal scenes, performances on stage, etc. The big love ballad between the two main characters actually takes place at an arcade where they and the other characters are playing a Rock Band-type game and the two take up the vocals for a known song.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Three times. When Courtney finds out Spectacular! has been practicing another routine behind her back, when the rest of Spectacular! finds out Courtney promised half of the prize money to Nikko, and finally when Spectacular! finds out from Amy that Nikko is auditioning for Apex Records on the day of the championship.
- Falling-in-Love Montage: A musical one between Nikko and Courtney, set to "For the First Time".
- Last-Minute Hookup: Nikko and Courtney at the end of the film.
- Madness Mantra: Nikko repeats "I need a great demo, I need a great demo" as he heads into the Ferndale Show Choir All-Stars.
- Retroactive Recognition: In-Universe. Nikko realizes the night before the championship that Mr. Romano is the lead singer of Herringbone, Joey Rome.
- Villain Song: Three of them for Ta-Da: "The Things We Do for Love", "Lonely Love Song", and "Wings of a Dream".
