Bandslam (2009) User Reviews

A surprise

[kiowhatta · 7/10 · 21 March 2021]

I didn't exactly choose to see this movie, it runs on a 24 hour movie channel on free to air. However, despite my cynical expectations I was pleasantly surprised. This film manages (just) to rise above the usual high school coming of age, misfit boy meets unlikely popular girl cliches not by directly avoiding them, but by both embracing them with sardonic humour, and unexpected twists. There is just the right mix of expected themes and tropes, yet the performances of the leads ( especially Hudgens) certainly make this a better than average coming of age teen angst drama. There are plenty of eye-rolling and cringe-worthy moments, but these are rarely lengthy. I invite the viewer to suspend cynicism ( at least a little ) and allow the diverse soundtrack to take one through the story, the closing sequence is remarkable. This is certainly not a lollipops and rainbows Disney trite offering- it has some very authentic dark moments which are not simply swept away by inane Pollyanna platitudes. Go on, give it a go.

Very enjoyable

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 12 August 2009]

I went to Bandslam expecting to find Vanessa Hudgens as cute as ever, but the rest of the movie a trite formulaic noughties version of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland going "I know, let's put on the show right here!"

Wrong!

Well, not 100% wrong, because there's quite a lot of formula in here, but the movie does move off model from time to time as well. There is at least an attempt at rounding out the main characters, and some of the more obvious plot developments either don't happen, or else don't happen exactly in the way you expected.

At the heart of the story is misfit music nut Will Burton trying to fit in a new school, his unexpected friendship with hottie senior Charlotte, and his growing love for quiet nonconformist Sa5m (no, it's not a typo). As Will, Gaelan Connell does well in a part which might have been written for Michael Cera. Alyson Michalka is an effective Charlotte and, while Vanessa Hudgens isn't stretched, Sa5m enables her to show off some comedy, singing, and decent guitar picking.

I thoroughly enjoyed the climactic musical number (though not much of the rest of the music).

And there's a terrific first kiss scene - great fun, and summons up very clearly what it's like to be in that first flush of love.

I liked this little film a lot.

This was a cute, sweet movie

[tammyaphillips · 7/10 · 15 August 2009]

I appreciated the PG rating since I saw this movie with my niece and nephew, both under 13. The casting was good as was the plot, music and pace. Lisa Kudrow's monologue, near the end of the movie, made me cry. I felt everything she said. And the sweet "first kiss" scene made you laugh out loud. The dialogue was not the typical contrived junk written for teens by senior citizens. I believed the characters. The band members were hysterical. This movie is not an Oscar contender. But, it will give you something to talk about with your family and friends. Dreams can come true, being honest and kind are preferable traits and love conquers all in the end.

A naive feel good movie for teens...

[Dr_Sagan · 18 October 2014]

The premise of this movie is not extraordinary. I say it's pretty common.

The ingredients are: (1) a boy (of the unpopular type) who has a charisma (understands music, although he doesn't seem to play an instrument) moves to a new town because his mom got a new job (2) a single mom (of the teenage boy) (3) a girl (of the cheerleader type) who likes boy 1 (4) another boy (of the popular type this time) who use to be the boyfriend of popular girl 3 and learns to hate boy 1 (5) A public contest of some sort...

...(wait this is exactly like the ingredients of ...The Karate Kid!)...except for Mr. Miyagi! ...

and (6) Vanessa Hudgens playing a good girl (!) of the lonely type who also happens to like boy 1.

Anyway. This doesn't look or feels nothing like The Karate Kid despite my comparison! It's basically a teen dramedy. Young hopes. Young love. Friendship.

It's enjoyable enough. It has music and some (not very good) teeny songs. It may attract the younger audience but this movie is far from deep or interesting. Pretty standard stuff really.

If it's on TV or something, check it out

Better than you think it is

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 18 October 2009]

New kid moves to New Jersey and gets hooked up with two girls, one of whom has a band that she wants him to manage so they can win the Bandslam, the schools version of a battle of the bands. Romance and comedy follow.

I had no interest in this film what so ever, and thought it was disposable until several friends told me it wasn't bad. I still wasn't convinced until I found out what some o the music being used was and I realized that whomever was responsible for the film at the very least had a clue about the music so I decided to give the film a try. Amazingly I liked it. Yes its predictable but you won't care. There are some good characters, some amusing lines, and some really good music. Its one of the best film of this sort thats has come out in a long time, certainly from a major studio.

I really liked this. Its not brain surgery, its just a good little film thats worth making the effort to see.

The Vidiot Reviews...

[capone666 · 7/10 · 20 March 2010]

Bandslam

Starting a high school rock band, nowadays, is as easy as plugging plastic instruments into a video game console and following the progression of blinking lights.

And while most teens are comfortable pantomiming their prowess in a virtual world, others, like the ones in this movie, are intent on rockin' out old school.

Upon moving to a new town, music aficionado Will (Gaelan Connell) meets jaded Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens), who informs him of their school's bandslam competition. Known for his music savvy, Will is approached by Charlotte (Alyson Michalka), a popular student who hopes to tap his astuteness for her bandslam entry.

A tongue-in-cheek critique of the state of music, as well as the close-minded cliques that preserve it, Bandslam is a refreshing surprise filled with sardonic jabs and stirring family secrets.

As for my high school band – we called it quits after someone stole all of our air guitars. (Green Light)

Excellent little movie

[Gluepack · 7/10 · 23 August 2013]

Nothing on Bulgarian TV so I checked out Film4 on filmon.com, as there was nothing else on the UK channels worth watching. I've avoided Film4 a lot lately as the titles/writeups haven't been that inspiring.

What a surprise! I started it as the popcorn was popping, half expecting to give it 15 mins max. However, it was an excellent little movie with excellent direction and acting that kept me enthralled to the end.

The main characters were all excellent, particularly Sa5m (Survive'em), but many of the minor characters were very good too which, to a great extent, was down to quite a pleasantly-surprising well-written script.

Bandslam

[jboothmillard · 5/10 · 3 September 2016]

I had heard of and seen the poster for this film in the past, I knew it was a teen targeted movie with singing, I assumed it was going to be similar to High School Musical, so I watched to see what I would think. Basically Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) is a teenage outcast and a music enthusiast, he always writes to singer David Bowie with his thoughts, like a journal, although Bowie never answers. Will's mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow) has found a new job, so he has switched high schools and escaped bullying at his previous one, he soon makes with friends with a girl who writes her name as "Sa5m" (High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens), pronounced Sam, the 5 is silent. Sa5m tells him about Bandslam, an annual music competition in which the winning band gets a recording contract, Will then meets another girl named Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka), she is impressed with his eclectic knowledge of music. Charlotte is a talented singer/songwriter, she is forming a band to compete against her egocentric musician ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatley (Scott Porter) in Bandslam, Will agrees to help Charlotte's band, later named I Can't Go On, I'll Go On, which includes members Bug (Charlie Saxton) and Omar (Tim Jo), also outcasts, slowly they create good music, and Will loses his "loser-status". But Will helping with the band gets in the way of helping Sa5m with a project, she teaches him how to kiss at one point, but he stands her up to go with Charlotte to a concert, Sa5m starts ignoring him, but he makes a touching documentary, with the song "Young Folks", about her for a Human Studies project as a way of apology, she forgives him. Will accidentally ruins an Ben's attempt to get Charlotte back, so Ben researches and finds out his father went to prison for killing a child while drink driving, just like his previous bullies Ben and others start calling Will "Dewey", which stands for "DWI" ("Driving While Intoxicated"). Then it gets worse when Charlotte's father dies and she quits the band, she explains that she changed her image and attitude for her father, and be nicer to outcasts, the band members find out this and are hurt, as it means she did not genuinely like them, but they go on, and Sa5m joins as the new lead singer. On the night of Bandslam, Charlotte arrives to apologise to Will, he eventually accepts, before they are due to go on stage, Ben and his band "Glory Dogs" sing the song I Can't Go On, I'll Go On were originally going to perform, forcing them to change their act at the last minute. While the band get their act together, getting the lyrics to the song "Everything I Own", Will buys some time for them going out on stage, the students chant "Dewey! Dewey! Dewey!", he initially walks off, but uses this chanting to make the phrase "Do we wanna ROCK?!", then the band shows up and excite the crowd with an upbeat ska version of "Everything I Own". Although they do not win the Bandslam competition, a YouTube video of their performance goes viral, even David Bowie sees it, he emails Will explaining that he is starting an indie music label and is interested in having the band as one of their first artists, Will is excited, and he and Sa5m are confirmed as dating. Also starring Ryan Donowho as Basher Martin and Lisa Chung as Kim Lee. Connell is convincing as the unaccepted teen, Hudgens is pretty and has a good voice, and Kudrow gets her time as the nerd's mother, the story is simple, I agree with critics there are the odd duff notes in the performances, but there is good music, a familiar but fun music-based romantic comedy. Worth watching!

It's corny, it's predictable, and I liked it!

[kevin_crighton · 8/10 · 16 August 2009]

Will Burton, has just moved to a new school. On his first day, he meets Sa5m (the 5 is silent), finding out about an event called Bandslam, a competition for local bands to win a record deal. Charlotte is forming a band, and decides to make Will the band manager...

On paper, Bandslam shouldn't work as well as it does. The story is predictable, it's very clichéd, and in places corny. The plot also has a number of plot holes in it. But despite all this, it is very enjoyable, and very well done.

One of the key reasons for this is the script. Co-written by the director, Todd Graff and Josh A. Gagan, the script takes time to flesh out it's main characters, although in parts the character Sa5m does feel under-written, but this could be due to scenes being edited out. There are twists to each character, which helps explain their actions, especially towards the end. Graff as director handles the material well, right up to the musical finale.

The cast are pretty good too. Vanessa Hudgens is the one getting most attention due to the High School Musical movies, does okay as Sa5m, an outsider. Aly Michalka, as Charlotte is better, but as I said, I think this is due more to her part being written better. However the real stand-out performance is from Gaelan Connell as Will. Lisa Kudrow gives good support as his mother, and in fact there isn't a bad performance in the movie.

The songs themselves aren't that bad, if not entirely memorable, which in a movie about a music contest is important.

At a time when the bigger summer block-buster movies are sacrificing character for visuals, it's good to see a movie that while not setting it's sights very high, gives it's movie proper, rounded characters. It deserves huge credit for that. In fact the best complement I can give this movie, is that it has a John Hughes vibe to it.

And that isn't a bad thing at all. Go enjoy.

Nice

[gianmarcoronconi · 7/10 · 13 September 2023]

This is not a real review, it should be taken more as a collection of impressions on the film.

Very classic film for kids with the usual band of losers who have to put on a big show, and up to this point this is a very normal film of very normal sufficiency but this film has a little something that raises it slightly making it worthy of something more than six and this thing is an unusual depth with which the film is approached especially in the first part even if this depth is then lost a little becoming strangely hasty as if it had to end quickly due to lack of time. So the film deserves a seven because it is a little deep as well as being a good film for teenagers.

Had potential but hate protagonist

[emma-22575 · 3/10 · 2 February 2022]

Who yells at someone who just lost their father? I don't like anything about the protagonist from beginning to end. He's just entitled and annoying. If they replaced that character with someone actually likeable I would give it maybe a 7 rating.

A Nutshell Review: Bandslam

[DICK STEEL · 10/10 · 26 August 2009]

If bad marketing can torpedo a film's chances at the box office, then Bandslam is one such unfortunate victim to fall prey to shoddy promotional efforts, where its High School Musical, kiddy-like trailer would have put off the non-Disney fans, and unfairly slapped on a juvenile perception on this film that had so much of a mature aspect and indie-spirit going for it, from its sensitively crafted characters to its eclectic choice of songs that just did wonders.

The gist of the film centers on its protagonist Will Burton (Gaelan Connell), who is the new kid in town, moving with his single mom Karen (Lisa Kudrow) to a new town to try and start things afresh. He broods a lot, and narrates his letter of the day to his idol David Bowie. Priding himself as a musical encyclopedia of sorts, his human studies classes will see him paired up with goth chick Sa5m (the 5 is silent), played by HSM alumni and Efron-less Vanessa Hudgens, and in his after-school hours, his good Samaritan turn and easy going nature sees him making friends with senior year Charlotte (Alyson Michalka). Not bad for a new kid actually to have been taken notice of by some of the hottest chicks in school.

Then there's Bandslam the competition, where Charlotte ropes Will in to be their manager, and he has to assemble a rag tag team of musicians, and basically be pushed to the forefront of making things happen, from recruitment, to song selection, demo tapes, website, the whole works. From a nobody before to having his school life all planned out for him, this of course leads to plenty of zero to hero moments that you would be familiar with especially if you're a fan of such genre from the Japanese. But director Todd Graff had injected the film with enough maturity to avoid being just another clone, and as such made this highly enjoyable from the get go.

But the strength of this movie laid in its portrayal of teenage relationships, be it parental where one's teenage life starts to fill up, leaving out one's parents who feel that you're abandoning them for more happening peers, or the platonic, which is often the catalyst for jealousy and misunderstandings. Then there's the romantic angle which is typically saccharine sweet, if not for well placed humour to break things up a little bit. Being a film primarily about contemporary teenagers who grapple with perennial issues like confidence, believing in oneself, identity crisis and the sense of belonging, this growing up tale also had enough backstory built into it that just led to a richer experience, without having the need to show everything explicitly.

However the film played down the typical stereotypes that come to plague the teenage movies, such as the blonde who has to be Ms Popular – in fact she's Ms Quirky here – or that Goth Chick who has to be Ms Emo. On the contrary, it shattered some of the stereotypes through excellent characterization that makes you look beyond their physical make up and come to understand the common concerns that you would have identified with (given old blokes like me who are way past the teenage years). The great looking leads (well, some geeks here are pleasing to the eye at least) also helped, and what more having real life singers and performers like Michalka, Hudgens and the other performing bands helped to lend some authenticity to the film's musical elements too. As the main, relativey unknown lead, Gaelan Connell held the ground firmly, and while his character had the weight-of-the- world-on-his-shoulders look, Connell was charismatic and likable to have made you want to root for him and his cause, without bringing in any irritation of smugness.

If you subscribe to the mantra of no music no life, then Bandslam is your film. Being a sucker for zero to hero type stories that I've weaned on from Japan, this film had those formulaic elements done right, and more, with its cast anchoring a solid emotional core and a finale that you'll find hard pressed not to groove to. Forget its marketing people, otherwise you'll be unfairly missing out on what I would shortlist for my end of the year top 10 list. Definitely highly recommended, and watch out for that surprise at the end which just summed the theme of hope in the film really nicely!

Suffers From A Severe Audience Disconnect

[zkonedog · 3/10 · 11 March 2017]

I really didn't expect much out of the viewing experience as I settled in to watch "Bandslam". Pretty much the only reason I rented it was because of the "Vanessa Hudgens" name and the fact that I thought my younger sister and I would enjoy watching it together. Pretty faces and good music...what can go wrong, right? Unfortunately, the film fell short of even those somewhat less than lofty expectations.

For a quick plot summary, the film centers on young high-schooler Will Burton (Gaelen Connell) in the midst of changing schools. Burton, a classic-rock savant of sorts, is quickly befriended/recruited by fellow student and band-leader Charlotte (Alyson Michalka) in order to use his talents to try and win the school's upcoming "Bandslam" competition. Also in the mix is Sam (Hudgens), an unemotional loner who intrigues Will.

The biggest problem with this film (besides featuring some of the dumbest exposition in film history) is that, while it markets itself towards children, the subject matter (classic bands, music terminology) is by and large geared towards nostalgic 80s-teens. In this aspect, it suffers from the same problem as 2003's "The School of Rock", although that movie was able to pull through due to the crazy antics of Jack Black. Not only that, but the relationships are so contrived that even young children (like my sister) won't be suckered into them.

Further bumping this film down a notch is the poor acting, on the whole. Hudgens (while very beautiful) is by no means a star thespian, while Lisa Kudrow (playing "Mom Burton") plays such an annoying character that it is almost physically uncomfortable to watch. Michalka turns in easily the best performance of the entire piece, with Connell doing a decent job as the lead. Other than that, there's nothing to get excited about.

Thus, if you are considering viewing this video due to Hudgens' "High School Musical" reputation, I would recommend the following: Put it down and look elsewhere (as previously mentioned, "School of Rock" would be an excellent same-genre choice). Unless you are easily suckered into the cheesiest of plots/characters, you'll be wondering why you wasted two hours on this.

Great Idea, bad execution

[chocokitty11 · 4/10 · 22 January 2011]

Oh god, where do I even start. I was reading about this movie somewhere online and thought it sounded like a really good idea. The thought of a bunch of misfits who are into music and want to start a band sounded like a great idea. The first half an hour in I really enjoyed the movie. It was really funny. However, after a while it got so annoying it was hard to take. First of all, as a teenager myself, I don't think this movie is relate-able to older or younger teens. It's much too witty and classic rock savvy for tweens to understand, and too corny and hokey for older teens to like.The movie obviously lacked a target age demographic. I also found that the characters where not very likable. Will didn't have any negative character traits (unless you count awkward,) which made him seem like he couldn't be a real person. I also found the whole reason that he was made teased in his previous school INCREDIBLEY unrealistic. As for Charlotte, it seemed odd that she would start a band to try to be nice to people. Her whole motive made no sense to me. However, I do think that Aly Michalka playing Charlotte was the best performance in the film. I liked Sa5m a lot. She was angsty, sarcastic and whimsical. Unfortunately I started to REALLY dislike her the second half of the movie because she completely changed characters and started smiling, which got on my nerves. Finally, I think that this movie got mixed up with what the term "indie" means. Indie means a band that is apart of an independent record label. Most of the bands in this movie where Classic Rock or Classic Alternative. The only indie bands mentioned where The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, and Peter Bjorn and John. In conclusion, I tried to like this movie. It was such a good idea, I REALLY REALLY wanted to. But in the end, this movie just ended up sounding poserish and unhip. The movie was a lot of fun, but definitely not something I would watch again.

Very Enjoyable

[ritavil · 10/10 · 25 August 2009]

It's a shame this movie didn't have the hype it so rightfully deserves. It's a great teen movie with a real storyline not an unrealistic, sugar coded, made up tale. It depicts real situations. Teens do go thru all these heartaches, disappointments and hardships. It's worth to go see it. It has absolutely nothing inappropriate. It's clean and again, great. Vanesssa Hudgens and Aly Michalka are great in it. Gaelan Connell in a very natural and sincere actor. These are all very talented actors and shouldn't be type-casted. You see genuine acting with a lot of heart. The musicians were incredibly good. Better than a lot of famous bands out there. Very entertaining and funny at times. It deserved much more than it got, not to mention that theaters only gave this movie, (at least here in Georgia), two viewings on weekends maximum and where I actually live only one at 9:35 PM in it's first week. They give awful movies more than that, but a clean movie like this one, nothing. I truly recommend this movie to every parent and teen, especially if they like music and I guarantee you, you'll be very surprised. This isn't just another teen movie, it's pure gold.

"Bandslam" hits some really good notes but misses others...

[martinsteph79 · 5/10 · 3 May 2010]

Again, this was another movie I happened to pick up. It's not a bad movie but it slacks at the part to keep the viewers interest. The acting was incredible! It may be the story line, or the plot but I can't be sure. But it starts good, and then goes downhill, the back up, then back down. It's like being on a roller-coaster.Pretty much the only reason I rented it was because of the "Vanessa Hudgens" name and the fact that I thought my younger sister and I would enjoy watching it together. Pretty faces and good music...what can go wrong, right? Unfortunately, the film fell short of even those somewhat less than lofty expectations. Bandslam hits some really good notes but misses others. It's a pretty decent movie overall but I wouldn't count on this movie to be "all the way entertaining." So for that 3/5

excellent family movie

[charm313 · 9/10 · 21 July 2009]

I rate it an 8 only because for a PG movie kids younger than 12 might not get what the movie is about; though they might just think it's about singing. Which is not bad because the movie has excellent music selection, flows with scene transition very well. Teenagers will love this movie for sure; but parents will be pleasantly surprise. The dialogs are well written - witty and not contrive. Each characters and their dynamic are well developed and relatable. You laugh; you cry, but at the end you leave the theater with a smile on your face, forgetting that you have just spent almost 2 hrs in a theater. All actors were on point in playing their characters. Great casting. This is the sleeper movie of the summer.

Not Sure About This One...

[DiamondGirl427 · 4/10 · 15 October 2010]

Parts of this film were good...and kept you interested in what was coming next...but then part of it was so predictable you could leave the room and still know what was going on when you came back 20 minutes later...as it drags along so slowly. The new kid...Will..moves into town with his rather odd mother...and tries to start fitting in somehow. Right away...he meets two girls...one is a dark brooding emo chick...who is overly serious..about what we aren't too sure...and the other girl is a blonde who is trying to be overly mature for her age with witty comments and attitude to match. She once was a cheerleader...but that was..as she puts it "in another life"....how deep can you get? She has left all the trappings of being a silly high school girl..including a jock boyfriend...(who looks way too old to be in high school to begin with). She is also the lead singer for a band trying really hard to stand out but cannot find a real way to do it...they simply attempt to do covers of rock songs..and do it pretty badly...but...of course..they think they are THE BEST at it. The band is made up an odd assortment of kids...the kind that don't fit into the mainstream...and they plan to win BIG at BANDSLAM...which is THE EVENT of every year. The problem is though...they will be up against another band with more or less the same name....GLORY DOGS...I guess finding an original name was just too hard to do. Will..being the cool kid he really is...(and he doesn't know it...)gets the band to re-think everything...their style, their music..etc..etc...and POOF...they suddenly the PERFECT BAND! While all this is going on...Will is also trying to decide which girl he truly likes the most...and which one truly likes him in return. Neither girl is the "girl next door"...and we wonder what will become of them after high school...when the real world comes knocking. The movie is kind of a coming of age thing...kids trying to find their identities while trying to survive high school at the same time. None of the characters have any real depth...as if what they are doing at that moment is all they ever will do in life. No one will peak any farther than they have already...mundane lives for everyone...with the only highlight being BANDSLAM..which they will talk about over and over to anyone who might listen. The director was trying to cash in on using Vanessa Hudgens...the cute girl from High School Musical...and she tries to do the exact opposite of what she did for Disney...tries a little too much really. And...the other girl is very overly sexy with pouty lips and smoldering facial expressions that are way too old for her to be doing. Both girls are going to attract the attention of men way too old for either of them. Gross. Anyway...it is a decent film....for the most part. I am not sure if it is suppose to be a cutting edge indie type film...or just a film that was made on a low budget. Either way...it is one most teens would enjoy...even though they might not have a clue who David Bowie or Cheap Trick is.

Sappy "feel good" teen flick

[MadamWarden · 3/10 · 5 October 2019]

All round pretty awful little musical teen movie. The only downside being the totally miscast lead actor, and his whiny little self obsessed character. Me me me when he visits his ''best" friend who's father just passed away incidentally. Literally incidental. No one cares. WTF??

Oh and the band puts together a smash hit performance of a complex modified cover that they've never practiced. Oh and whiny lead singer... At least they don't win. Oh, sorry, they win Bowie's admiration. For a crap cover...

Terrible plot?!?!

Surprising and very enjoyable!

[zvkg_ai · 9/10 · 21 July 2009]

A great movie. I was fortunate enough to watch the advance screening in Bellevue, and it was worth the travel and the day off.

First of all, the trailers and how Summit is promoting this to the public is misleading. Vanessa Hudgens isn't the main character of this movie. Gaelan and Aly are.

The story is told in Gaelan, aka 'Will's point of view. He meets Aly, a popular girl who takes him under her wing and turns him into her band's manager. He also meets Vanessa aka Sa5m (the 5 is silent) and becomes her partner in the class project.

The whole cast are wonderful, and they mesh well together. There were a lot of funny scenes that made me almost pee on myself. (so be careful when drinking soda) And the cast performance were all spot on.

The screening that I was in was mostly of people in their late 20s-60s. And when we came out of the theater, there were definitely a lot of smiles. In fact, one of them was even in the bus and couldn't stop gushing about it.

I definitely think that Summit should have marketed this to older folks as well because coming out from that theater, it was the older audience that enjoyed it the most. I'm in my 20s and the film was very enjoyable. I can't wait to watch it again.

BS: The Movie

[questl-18592 · 3/10 · 13 September 2020]

I had never heard of this movie but was told how great it was by some people that really loved it so they decided to introduce me to it and wow... Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

Honestly, it's been a week and I can barely remember it. What I know is that for a kick out of it and kept getting mad with me for constantly pointing out the things that didn't make sense. As someone with no connection to this movie, I can comfortably says it's not good. There's ridiculous plot convenience, utter nonsense being accepted that would never happen.

This is probably an innocent enough movie that I was being overly critical on due to the hype from people around me. Still, I can't exactly recommend seeking it out either. It's network movie. Pop it on in the background and go about your day if anything.

School of not

[Chris Knipp · 8/10 · 20 August 2009]

This high school musical movie actually contains one of HSM's stars, Vanessa Hudgens, plus Lisa Kudrow as the single mother of the protag, Will Burton (Gaelen Connell), who is delighted when his mom finds a way to take them to live in a new place, Lodi, New Jersey. He was more then ready for a change. In one of the chatty emails to David Bowie that provide the narration, he calls his old high school "Guantanamo with lunch breaks." What happens at the new school? Will gets lucky. Real lucky. He gets paired off with Vanessa Hudgens in a class, and they become a couple. A former Alpha Female called Charlotte (junior prom queen, head cheerleader), played by Alyson Michalka, finds out Will has an encyclopedic musical knowledge and recruits him to meld her garage band into one that can beat the high school's reigning Glory Dogs and win the tri-state (NY, NY, CN) "bandslam." One obvious motive is that she wants to beat the Glory Dogs to trounce its lead singer, Ben Wheatly (Scott Porter), because he is her snotty former boyfriend. Aside from Ben, a generic model of testosterone overconfidence, Graff (mostly) steers clear of high school stereotypes.

This sets up a trajectory for the film that's like an older kids' version of Richard Linklater's 'School of Rock,' but Gaelen Connell is no Jack Black and the pathway to the big event isn't as cute -- or as climactic. That was one of Black's triumphs, but on the other hand Connell himself is way cuter than Jack Black, whose closest lookalike is the base guitarist, a Flea imitator who calls himself Bug (Charlie Saxton). Resembling young Tom Hanks or maybe John Cusack, with a weak chin, a sweet little smile, a mini Afro and a wrinkled brow, you can almost believe Connell's Will might actually be in the constant company of the school's hottest chicks. Not quite. He's not as articulate and soulful as Cusack, and not as edgey and dark as Christian Slater was in 'Heathers' or 'Pump Up the Volume.' But then Hudgens isn't the shiny, prefab girlfriend of Zac Efron this time. Au contraire. She gets to be the dark one. She calls herself Sa5m ("the 5 is silent"), wears dark clothes, and she reads all the time, even when Will's trying to kiss her.

When you think of Eighties youth classics like those two Slater was in, Bandslam looks generic. We'll just never relive that great Eighties youth movie moment or see the likes of the late, great John Hughes again. But when you compare Bandslam to 'High School Musical,' you realize this is not the kind of movie that you pan. It deserves encouragement. The screenplay by Graff and Josh A. Cagan is packed with inessential cuteness and never takes its dark moments seriously enough -- even though it pushes them too hard. The music Will leads the band into is bland -- and loud. There's none of the joy in rock frenzy that Jack Black comically evokes. Maybe Wil's expertise -- his celebratory (and still pretty touching) visit to the ruins of CGMG, where punk began -- may seem more a reflection of the 50ish director than a teenager. But none of that matters enough to maul this movie, unless you're desperate to show how musically hip you are. The cast is just too appealing and the action is just too much fun to write them off.

When Will reshapes the band by adding brass and an Asian girl classical keyboardist (Lisa Chung) and an elphin-spouting nerdy girl cellist (Elvy Yost) and a boy drummer called Basher (Ryan Donowho) whose majors are machine shop and anger management, if feels like he's bringing something to life (however silly the music), and Jack Black was just a puppet master. It's also good that Kudrow really seems like a single mom trying not to get too much in the way of her son's new life but still protective and sometimes forgetting herself and making him a friend, or as he says "doing that thing of talking to me like I'm Oprah." Sometimes Todd Graff's perky cuteness seems pretty real. Connell has been compared to a Michael Cera "without the sweetness." "Thank you Shia LaBeouf and Michael Cera" is something Connell has actually said, "for paving the way for someone like me to be the leading guy in a movie." But Connell is Connell. LaBeouf would be a lead weight here, and Cera would swamp the movie with his indie quirkiness. The best thing about Connell is he's not a scene stealer: he's a catalyst. He makes this movie built around him an ensemble picture, and everybody looks pretty good.

Better Than Expected

[mmagick · 8/10 · 27 July 2009]

Invited to a screening of the film on 7-27-2009. I had read about the film and expected a so so movie. Very pleasantly surprised by the story, characters and music in the film. Would recommend this to all ages. Some very funny lines with this one, sit back and enjoy Will as he leaves one school and begins anew in Lodi NJ. As an outsider/loner he is paired with SAM for a class project. The outcome is both fun to watch and makes you feel good about him and his role in the film. Partly told via Will's emails to his idol, David Bowie, the film concludes with a Bowie cameo. The film's web site should be looked at only after you see the film as it will give away too much of the story line. The soundtrack is excellent and contains tracks from the various bands performing in the annual Band Slam competition.

A Masterpiece of the Sort

[ivangatsby · 9/10 · 11 November 2009]

Bandslam, in spite of the irritating Lisa Kudrow's character(who screams throughout with no reason), is a pure gem of the youth films. Great actors, great director and good story. Music-superb.Melodic rock is back, surviving (c)rap garbage taking the radio and mind-waves all over. Bandslam is simply an irresistible film which must be seen at any cost to be charges with the emotions and urban agenda gone long ago, so we all thought. DVD. Video.If you haven't seen it yet, rush to your closest DVD rental and you will experience two finest hours of high-end entertainment. Some tears too. David Bowie, eventually, does have an artistic touch himself, even when selecting of the feature films he will appear in. All compliments to the crew!!! Above and down the line! 'Dear David,...'

Surprise of the summer!!!!

[rivertam26 · 10/10 · 15 August 2009]

Look at my surprise as I went to see the awful looking Bandslam for a sneak peak of the highly anticipated New Moon. And I came out disappointed at the New Moon angle. Yeah the footage was great but hardly enough to merit buying a ticket to see it. So I got over my disappointment I mean what am I gonna do. And crossed my fingers hoping the 87 percent of positive reviews for this film wouldn't make me regret my ticket price. The film is written and directed by Todd Graff, so i wasn't expecting much because that film got great reviews to. Well I'm the first to admit I'm wrong. And I was wrong. Majorly wrong. Shocked? I am too. Bandslam is such a genuinely endearing, funny, clever great teen flick that has just been so wrongly advertised. The talented Gaelan Connell stars as Will Burton a young man whom moves from Cincinatti to New Jersey. His mom gets a new job and he's glad to leave his loner lifestyle behind because of a shady past and hopefully make a new start. Once there he meets a shy, emotionless girl named Sa5m the five is silent which is kinda dumb. And Charlotte Banks played by Aly Michalka whose looking for a band manager. the whole plot line is centered around this competition Bandslam. Kind of like a battle of the bands where the winner gets a record contract. This film is so unpredictable and feels so genuine. It has the feel of a film by the late great John Hughes. It's a very cool movie about very cool misunderstood kids. Ignore the Disney casting session the film has depth. The performances aren't all perfect but they feel real and the great bits outnumber the awkward ones by far. Connell is so endearing as Will Burton. He's a real dork at first. And just a movie dork. He's a little odd looking, a loner and not in a cool way and is way bad with being social. But by the end you will love him and think he's a very cool guy. His love of music alone is enough to set him apart. the film sports surprising knowledge of the Velvet Underground, the birth of punk at CBGBs, The Ramones and even an cameo by David Bowie himself. Lisa Kudrow is surprisingly great as Will's mother. She shows a great range of depth, emotion and comedic timing. Hudgens is less successful as Sa5m but has some truly endearing moments and has great chemistry with Connell and Michalka is even less successful as Charlotte but when her characters storyline takes a surprising turn so does her performance. The film is just really great much along the lines of last years surprise Nick and Norah's infinite playlist. the film is smart, funny and genuine. A new classic for this generation. Too bad not many will see it just as no one really showed up for Charlie Bartlett, Nick and Nora or the girl next door. The film is really solid the surprise of the summer you should definitely check it out.