Mirza Aaqib Beg
‘A Week Away’ follows a troublesome and erratic teenager, Will, who has a long rap sheet of some strange criminal offenses. The orphaned and introverted teen finds himself struggling to create meaning in life. Luckily, he ends up at a youth summer camp, Aweegaway, where a week-long stint helps him find his passion, friendship, love, and so much more. The cheerful musical can lift anyone’s spirits, and if you want to watch something similar, then we have a few recommendations for you. You can watch most of these musical movies like ‘A Week Away’ on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu.
6. High School Musical (2006)
‘High School Musical’ revolves around two teenagers, Gabriella Montez, the “geek,” and Troy Bolton, the high school basketball superstar. They meet each other on New Year’s Eve and eventually audition for the school musical unintentionally. In order to ensure that Gabriella is on the Decathlon team and Troy focuses on basketball coaching, their friends plan to create differences between the two.
As the story unfolds, Gabriella’s growing reluctance to do the callback with him worries Troy while their participation in the musical hangs in the balance. Unlike Will from ‘A Week Away,’ the protagonists of ‘High School Musical’ have no such crisis of identity other than trying to break the stereotypical molds in their school. People who want to watch more uplifting films like the former in which the characters end up finding love and their passion should definitely watch ‘High School Musical.’
5. Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
Miley Stewart may appear like any other ordinary girl who is always busy with her friends, family, or schoolwork, but nothing can be further from the truth. Secretly, Miley lives a double life and is actually Hannah Montana, the pop star. The life of a pop star is tough in itself, and Miley’s double life eventually starts to put too much pressure on her; therefore, Robby Ray Stewart, her father, decides to send her to her hometown for some soul-searching.
Miley in ‘Hannah Montana: The Movie’ does not face the same problems as Will from ‘A Week Away,’ but fundamentally, they have to do some serious soul-searching before their life comes back on track. The origins of the crisis of identity in both films are different, but viewers who like Will’s brave journey must watch ‘Hannah Montana: The Movie’ to find out how Miley deals with her problems.
4. Camp Rock (2008)
Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato) is an ordinary young girl with an incredible talent for singing who wants to join a prestigious summer camp. Unfortunately, her family does not have the financial means to make that possible. Her mother, Connie Torres, takes up a catering job there, and Mitchie gets the opportunity to be a part of the elite camp on the condition that she helps her mother. However, after arriving there, she finds out the notable roots of other teenagers and realizes that she is a misfit. Her immature desire to fit in with others forces her to lie as she hides her real identity.
As the story unfolds, Mitchie eventually learns to take pride in who she is and finds love. Mitchie in ‘Camp Rock,’ just like Will from ‘A Week Away,’ is a misfit at the camp who eventually finds love and learns to take pride in her roots. If you love the former, then you should definitely watch Mitchie’s journey in ‘Camp Rock,’ which teaches her valuable lessons on friendship, love, and much more.
3. Hairspray (2007)
‘Hairspray’ revolves around an overweight teenager, Tracy Turnblad, who loves to watch the Corny Collins Show after school. Her obsession with the show knows no bounds, and when she finds out that Corny Collins is taking auditions to give fans an opportunity to dance on the show, Tracy impresses everyone with her dance skills. She soon becomes a television superstar and heartthrob of Corny Collins and Link Larkin. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to see her climb the ladder of success, as Velma von Tussle, the show’s manager, employs dirty tricks to oust her.
Realizing that she is a victim of racial discrimination, her magical journey to stardom suddenly comes to a halt, but Tracy decides to fight back. ‘Hairspray’ recounts the inspiring journey of a teenager who finds success in the television industry and creates her own identity, something people who love Will’s struggle with identity and meaning will enjoy watching.
2. Camp (2003)
Camp Ovation offers everyone the opportunity to display their talent in theatre, dance, and music. With an incredible chance to embrace their true selves, people of all ages flock to the summer camp to spend some quality time honing their skills. Vlad, a gifted songwriter and singer, unfortunately, deals with the annoying Jill and underconfident Ellen, who sometimes makes his life tough. The camp is full of misfits struggling with different personal issues like lack of self-respect, sexual identity, and parental pressure.
However, they slowly find the courage to get over their problems and prove themselves to the director of the camp. ‘Camp,’ like ‘A Week Away,’ introduces viewers to misfits struggling with deep-rooted psychological and emotional issues. Therefore, ‘A Week Away’ fans must watch ‘Camp’ to enjoy a somewhat similar feel-good story of courage and drama.
1. Lemonade Mouth (2011)
A chance meeting in detention leads five high school students – Stella, Mohini, Olivia, Charles, and Wendell – to creating a musical improv that impresses the music teacher, Miss Reznick. She motivates them to start their own rock band, but with different backgrounds, the students have to overcome numerous obstacles. In the face of various reasons to give up, the students persist and emerge as an inspiring rock band.
The motivating story of five high school students who form a successful rock band despite the odds is a must-watch for ‘A Week Away’ fans who want to witness another memorable story of courageous characters who leave their past and present conditions behind to do what they love.
Read More: Is A Week Away Based on a True Story?
