My friend said it best, this is a high school musical. None of the actors seemed to be concerned about their 'reputation'; but simply about having fun. This movie was just that, fun. Yes, Meryl Streep was 'too old' to be believable as a 41 year old, but that didn't matter - she did a great job. Besides who goes to movies to find reality? If so, I really doubt you would see a village full of people suddenly break into song and dance on the docks. All and all, a great movie, good cast interaction and not too horrible for non singers.