Will centers on a high school outcast and a popular girl who form an unlikely bond through their shared love of music. Assembling a like-minded crew of misfits, the friends form a rock group and perform in the battle of the bands competition at their school.
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Music
Runtime: 111 minutes
Rating: 5.8/10 (1,159 votes)
Release Date: 6 August 2009
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Goldsmith-Thomas Productions
Sound: Dolby
MPAA: Rated PG for some thematic elements and mild language.
Director(s): Todd Graff
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Producer(s):
Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas - producer
Jared Mass - associate producer
Ron Schmidt - producer
Marisa Yeres - producer
Writer(s):
Josh A. Cagan - (screenplay) and
Todd Graff - (screenplay)
Josh A. Cagan - (story)
Cast:
Alyson Michalka - Charlotte Banks (as Aly Michalka)
Vanessa Hudgens - Sa5m
Gaelan Connell - Will Burton
Scott Porter - Ben Wheatly
Ryan Donowho - Basher Martin
Charlie Saxton - Bug
Lisa Kudrow - Karen Burton
Tim Jo - Omar
Elvy Yost - Irene Lerman (Cello)
Lisa Chung - Kim Lee (Keyboards)
Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas - producer
Jared Mass - associate producer
Ron Schmidt - producer
Marisa Yeres - producer
Writer(s):
Josh A. Cagan - (screenplay) and
Todd Graff - (screenplay)
Josh A. Cagan - (story)
Cast:
Alyson Michalka - Charlotte Banks (as Aly Michalka)
Vanessa Hudgens - Sa5m
Gaelan Connell - Will Burton
Scott Porter - Ben Wheatly
Ryan Donowho - Basher Martin
Charlie Saxton - Bug
Lisa Kudrow - Karen Burton
Tim Jo - Omar
Elvy Yost - Irene Lerman (Cello)
Lisa Chung - Kim Lee (Keyboards)
Posted on: August 13, 2009
July 21st, 2009
I rate it an 8 only because for a PG movie kids younger than 12 mightnot get what the movie is about; though they might just think it'sabout singing. Which is not bad because the movie has excellent musicselection, flows with scene transition very well. Teenagers will lovethis movie for sure; but parents will be pleasantly surprise. Thedialogs are well written – witty and not contrive. Each characters andtheir dynamic are well developed and relatable. You laugh; you cry, butat the end you leave the theater with a smile on your face, forgettingthat you have just spent almost 2 hrs in a theater. All actors were onpoint in playing their characters. Great casting. This is the sleepermovie of the summer.
July 27th, 2009
Invited to a screening of the film on 7-27-2009. I had read about thefilm and expected a so so movie. Very pleasantly surprised by thestory, characters and music in the film. Would recommend this to allages. Some very funny lines with this one, sit back and enjoy Will ashe leaves one school and begins anew in Lodi NJ. As an outsider/lonerhe is paired with SAM for a class project. The outcome is both fun towatch 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 filmconcludes with a Bowie cameo. The film's web site should be looked atonly after you see the film as it will give away too much of the storyline. The soundtrack is excellent and contains tracks from the variousbands performing in the annual Band Slam competition.
August 12th, 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 MickeyRooney and Judy Garland going "I know, let's put on the show righthere!"
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 isat least an attempt at rounding out the main characters, and some ofthe more obvious plot developments either don't happen, or else don'thappen exactly in the way you expected.
At the heart of the story is misfit music nut Will Burton trying to fitin a new school, his unexpected friendship with hottie seniorCharlotte, and his growing love for quiet nonconformist Sa5m (no, it'snot a typo). As Will, Gaelan Connell does well in a part which mighthave been written for Michael Cera. Alyson Michalka is an effectiveCharlotte and, while Vanessa Hudgens isn't stretched, Sa5m enables herto show off some comedy, singing, and decent guitar picking.
I thoroughly enjoyed the climactic musical number (though not much ofthe rest of the music).
And there's a terrific first kiss scene – great fun, and summons upvery clearly what it's like to be in that first flush of love.
I liked this little film a lot.
August 14th, 2009
For the first time this year, a teen film actually appeals to teens.It's painfully routed in fantasy, a trend most adolescent movies tendto follow, but with interesting characters and a hip soundtrack, thetarget audience is likely to be thoroughly entertained. Formulaic attimes but unpredictable at others, Bandslam isn't as unique as it iswell-timed. Amidst the really sour teen flicks popping up in theaters,this is less immature, more comedic and generally more fun.
Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) trudges through high school life inCincinnati at a school he describes as Guantanamo with a lunch period.It's Novocain for the soul, providing him a constant source of boredomand bullying. His mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow) brings him great news thatthey're going to move to New Jersey, and although he feels that hisclassmates will provide much of the same old annoyances, at least itwill be a chance to start fresh as an unknown.
At Martin Van Buren High, he quickly attaches himself to a quiet, darkand mysterious girl named Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) – the 5 is silent. Healso discovers that the cafeteria is used for live band performancesand to support the local group the Glory Dogs, led by Ben Wheatly(Scott Porter), a singer/guitarist who is too cool (and too old) forschool. Glory Dogs enters every year into the Bandslam competition, abattle-of-the-bands contest that awards the winner with a $10,000record deal. Ex-Glory Dogs singer Charlotte Banks (Alyson Michalka)discovers that Will has an uncommon knowledge of music and uses him tojumpstart another band to compete in Bandslam, courageously goinghead-to-head against the school favorite. With his new career as a bandmanager, the confusing advances by Charlotte (a bound-to-be-troubleblonde with her own Wikipedia page who refuses to answer "Why"questions), and his occasionally overbearing mother, will young Burtonhave time for Sa5m, the girl he really likes? It seems that teendramedies always get carried away with pure fantasy, most notable whenthe dorky lead character immediately makes friends with the two hottestgirls in school. In similar fashion to School of Rock, he also luckilyunites several of the most talented musicians in the state to somehowwork together and form an amazingly original band in which everyone hasmastered improvisation and spontaneity. Anyone who's actually beenthrough high school will probably wonder where exactly miracles likethis take place. Fortunately, although the reality is slim, Bandslamemploys enough humor and drama to keep things interesting, along with agood twist at the end and naturally catchy music. It's a film that maynot boast the most original premise, but at least teens won't bedisappointed in the entertainment value, even if they have to look pastthe mild PG rating. It's certainly a level more realistic than the HighSchool Musicals.
- Mike Massie