Minutemen (film)

Minutemen is a 2008 science-fiction Disney Channel Original Movie. The movie was the most viewed program on American cable TV for the week ending January 27, 2008, with 6.48 million viewers.

The film was written by John Killoran (writing the teleplay) and David Diamond and David Weissman (writing the story) and directed by Lev L. Spiro, who received a Directors Guild nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programs for it. Andrew Gunn, Ann Marie Sanderlin and Doug Sloan are the executive producers. The movie was originally slated for release in March 2008, but the film premiered on Disney Channel in United States on January 25.

Plot
On their first day of high school, best friends Virgil Fox, Derek Beaugard, and Stephanie Jameson decide to try various activities. As Derek and Stephanie try out for the football and cheerleading teams respectively, Virgil tries to help young genius Charlie Tuttle after the latter interrupts football practice, but both are publicly humiliated by the jocks. Following this, Derek claims to Virgil that he tried to help the pair while Virgil comes to resent that day.

Three years later, Virgil and Charlie have become outcasts while Derek and Stephanie have become popular and entered a relationship. Amidst this, Charlie designs a time machine, recruits another outcast named Zeke Thompson for his engineering expertise to help him build it, and tells Virgil. During their first test run, the trio travel back in time and convince a local street performer to purchase a winning lottery ticket for them. However, they are forced to return to the present early, leading to the performer winning the lottery. Due to this, Charlie decides they should only use the time machine to undo their classmates' mistakes and recruit Jeannette Pachelewski, a classmate with an unrequited crush on Charlie, to oversee it while the trio are in the past. In the process, she gives them snowsuits to protect them from the time stream's freezing temperatures.

Throughout their adventures, the trio become known as the "Snowsuit Guys" despite their desire to be called the "Minutemen" and earn a heroic reputation with their classmates while Vice Principal Tolkan sees them as troublemakers. However, they soon realize that former bullying victims are becoming bullies themselves. Even worse, Charlie reveals he hacked into and used NASA's files to complete the time machine. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, Charlie advises Zeke and Virgil to minimize their use of the time machine, but Virgil disobeys him to prevent Stephanie from suffering an injury that will cost her a scholarship to her dream college and reveal his identity to her.

After Derek experiences a loss at the state championship, Stephanie asks Virgil to help him win. Virgil mends his friendship with them, but abandons Charlie and Zeke. When Stephanie catches him cheating on her, Derek asks Virgil to avert it. Realizing his own feelings for her, Virgil proves reluctant.

Meanwhile, having monitored the Minutemen's activities, the FBI locate and interrogate the trio, causing them to disband over Virgil's selfishness. After consulting with government scientists, Charlie learns that the Minutemen's work damaged the space-time continuum and created a black hole. With hours to live, the trio reunite and venture into it to repair the damage. Transported back to their first day of high school, they work to retrieve a component from past Charlie. Since it is their first day of high school, Virgil realizes he can stop his past self from helping Charlie and undo the event that caused him to permanently lose his popularity. Charlie tells Virgil to do whatever he wants, but admits he cherished this day because it was when he got a real friend while Virgil discovers Derek secretly contributed to their humiliation to join the football team.

Coming to his senses, Virgil reunites with Charlie and Zeke. The trio return to and re-enter the black hole as it closes and are brought back to the day they first time traveled. While exploring the school, they learn nobody remembers their activities. As Virgil confronts Derek over his treachery and wins over Stephanie, Charlie reciprocates Jeannette's feelings and later comes up with an idea for a teleportation machine, though Charlie and Zeke carry him away.

Cast

 * Jason Dolley as Virgil Fox
 * Luke Benward as Charlie Tuttle
 * Nicholas Braun as Zeke Thompson
 * Chelsea Staub as Stephanie Jameson
 * J. P. Manoux as Vice Principal Tolkan
 * Steven R. McQueen as Derek Beaugard
 * Kara Crane as Jeanette Pachelewski
 * Dexter Darden as Chester
 * Kellie Cockrell as Jocelyn Lee
 * Molly Jepson as Amy Fox

Additionally, Larry Filion and Dwayne Hackett make uncredited appearances as an FBI agent and a store manager, respectively.

Production
Disney Channel first released an official press via its press release website DisneyChannelMedianet.com on July 14, 2007, to confirm the production of Minutemen. The lead star, plot, writers, director and executive producers of this movie were revealed in this press. In addition, another 2008 DCOM named Camp Rock, scheduled to begin production in September 2007, was also confirmed in the same press.

Location
Minutemen was filmed at Murray High School. Murray High School was also the set of the auditorium scene of High School Musical (2006), and High School Musical: Get in the Picture (2008). Filming also took place at Highland High School located in Sugar House.

Featured music
The first single of the movie, "Run It Back Again" by Corbin Bleu was released January 22, 2008 on Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 10 and its music video premiered on Disney Channel. Another single titled "Like Whoa" from Aly & AJ began airing January 19 around the world, as a music video on Disney Channel. The song became available on their album Insomniatic.

Reception
Minutemen premiered on Disney Channel on January 25, 2008, with 6.48 million views.