One thing that I've learned over the past four years of watching "Lemonade Mouth" with my little sister is that the world needs more empowering kids movies. I use the term "kid's movie" loosely because in all reality "Lemonade Mouth" is one of those movies that is intended for kids watching Disney Channel but has a message and music that reaches across the ages. In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea for a millennial to take some time to watch it.
If you've seen the movie then you know what I'm talking about, but if you haven't, let me break it down for you. It starts off with a group of students in a high school who end up in detention together for odd reasons (I know, very "Breakfast Club"-esque) and then through some Hollywood magic they start playing a song that they all happen to know and jam out. From that moment the characters are all bonded and make up the band that is later named Lemonade Mouth after a lemonade related altercation with a rival band.
I'll stop the synopsis there and dig into what it is that I love about this movie because it certainly isn't the subtle and artful way that the directors worked the songs into a picture perfect high school experience with crazy gorgeous high school students. What I love about the movie is the way it promotes rebellion and seeking justice for those who feel like they don't have a voice.
This band, Lemonade Mouth, isn't just a group of students seeking stardom, they are fighting for the arts in their high school. They are standing up to the biased principle and the status quo that the students have blindly accepted as reality.
The rebellious leader of Lemonade Mouth, Stella, unapologetically questions authority and encourages her friends and bandmates to do the same. They fight for the opportunity to be on stage, the ability to practice on the school grounds, and for there to be a music department at their school.
Yes, these causes are very "high school." After all, it is a Disney Channel movie, you can't expect too much from it. But the fact that a kid's movie is promoting this idea that you don't have to just live in the circumstances you've been dealt is revolutionary, in my opinion.
In an age where inequalities and unfair treatment are being called out daily, it's important to teach the younger generations how to appropriately question the powers at play in their lives and how to use their rights and skills to fight inequality and unfair treatment.
I was raised by parents that encouraged me to think critically about the situations I face in life. I was taught by teachers who made me question the significance of their courses and the accuracy of "facts." I was taught how to think critically in a culture that encourages people to be passive through likes on Instagram and shares on Facebook.
The only way we can get the younger generations to think critically and develop creative solutions to problems is by encouraging them to question authority and the status quo. Kids' movies like "Lemonade Mouth" that encourage critical thinking are the first step toward bringing up a younger generation who can think critically. That is why I love "Lemonade Mouth" and you should too.
