Vanessa Hudgens Rocks Bandslam - Film Review
School of Rock Meets The Breakfast Club In This Edgy Teen Dramedy
Aug 13, 2009
Bandslam has the perfect mix to draw in teens to the movies on Friday, especially with the added bait of the new, full length trailer from The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Any accompanying adults will equally enjoy the great rock songs, if not the forced dramatic moments.
Sweet Score
Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) is the most unpopular kid at his Cincinnati high school. When his mom (Lisa Kudrow) gets a new job in New Jersey, it’s Will’s chance to reinvent himself in a brand new place, where no one knows him or his past.
At his new school, he is partnered in his Human Studies class with a mono-toned outcast, who goes by the name of Sa5m -”the 5 is silent” (Vanessa Hudgens). Will is also curiously befriended by a subdued ex-cheerleader Charlotte Banks (Aly Michalka). Charlotte quickly recruits Will as the manager of her garage band.
Will’s musical expertise is the secret weapon her crew of amateur rockers needs to overtake their rivals at Bandslam. Bandslam is an annual battle of the bands contest for area high schools. The competition is particularly fierce, since the winning group secures a recording deal.
Will expands the band’s sound with eclectic student musicians, and re-brands them “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On”. All the rock group needs now is an original song. Charlotte lends her personal writings about her gravely ill father as inspiration for the lyrics.
Just before the competition, Charlotte leaves the band. It’s up to Sa5m’s hidden talents to save the day. Or, perhaps, the challenged performers will merit a jubilant finale from a totally unexpected source.
Musical Prelude
Screenwriter-turned-director Todd Graff captures the awkward and isolated world of teenagers, plus gives his characters genuine back stories. Pretty much what the screenwriter achieved, in his directorial debut, with Camp. His small independent film was also a musical centered on young talented kids, but, without the commercial viability of teen star power.
Graff will leave the musical genre with his next screenplay, The Crowded Room, based on the book “The Minds of Billy Milligan”, about the true story of a young boy with over 20 multiple personalities.
The Cast and Crew of Bandslam
“Bandslam” stars Aly Michalka (“Phil Of The Future,” Aly & AJ In Concert), Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”), Gaelan Connell (Chocolat), Scott Porter (“Friday Night Lights,” Speed Racer), and Lisa Kudrow (P.S. I Love You, “Friends”); with a special appearance by David Bowie as himself.
Directed by Todd Graff (Camp). Screenplay written by Josh A. Cagan and Todd Graff. Story by Josh A. Cagan. Cinematography by Eric Steelberg. Edited by John Gilbert. Music supervised by Linda Cohen and Lindsay Fellows.
Produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas (Perfect Stranger, Little Black Book, Mona Lisa Smile, Maid In Manhattan). U.S. distribution by Summit Entertainment.
(Running Time: 111 min)
(Rated: PG for Some Thematic Elements and Mild Language.)
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