Dvd
Bandslam
The new geeky kid in town is Will (Gaelan Connell). When the popular Charlotte (Alyson Michalka) asks him to manage her fledgling rock band, he jumps at the chance. Charlotte wants to go head-to-head against her egostistical ex-boyfriend Ben at the biggest music event of the year: Bandslam, a battle of the bands. Meanwhile romance brews between Will and guitar playing Sa5m (the 5 is silent) played by High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens.
With the odds stacked against them, the band develop their own sound and rate themselves as having a real shot at success in the contest.
Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Alyson Michalka, Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Charlie Saxton, David Bowie, Scott Porter
Directed by Todd Graff ('Camp')
Written by Josh A. Cagan, Todd Graff
Tween, Music, Drama, Comedy | 1hr 51mins | Rated (PG) | Origin: USA | Official Site »
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The Talk
3 votes / No comments
Flicks review
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3
Turns out all the promo material for this movie has been misleading. Posters with Vanessa Hudgens splashed front and centre would have you believe this is ‘High School Musical: The Rock Remix’. Instead, while music does play a significant role, Bandslam is a teen romcom first and foremost.
It’s formulaic for the most, but it succeeds on its own terms because of the very good cast. Gaelan Connell might be able to carve himself a cosy little niche in Hollywood playing the awkward, less attractive guy. He really delivers here. Meanwhile, Lisa Kudrow is the most entertaining she has been for years and Hudgens is pretty much made for this sort of fare. The humour is a touch smarter than your standard teen-aimed release and a solid romantic subplot is pulled off with conviction. It ticks all the boxes required to make a crowd pleaser.
The biggest weakness is the music. You can’t help thinking that a good chunk of audiences will go along wanting more catchy sing-a-along goodness a la Hudgens’ previous appearances. What they will actually get is generic pop rock and a mood infused with a detatched slacker ethos. Hopefully that doesn’t turn people off, because Bandslam is one of few recent releases for tweens that deserves to be seen.
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The people's reviews
5 reviews
Press Reviews
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Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
This isn’t a breakthrough movie, but for what it is, it’s charming, and not any more innocuous than it has to be.
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Empire Magazine (UK)
3
Surprisingly watchable despite the formulaic teen format.
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Hollywood Reporter
Had Cameron Crowe and the late John Hughes collaborated on a movie populated by Disney Channel superstars, the result might have looked and sounded a lot like Todd Graff's Bandslam. And that's meant as a compliment.
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New York Times
Buoyant, gratifying and, yes, rocking.
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NZ Herald (Francesca Rudkin)
3
Better than your average teen flick thanks to good music and a quirky sense of humour.
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Variety (USA)
High school musicals have their scrappiest number in Bandslam, an awkward, earnest, almost irresistible indie.
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