Bandslam - Get Ready to Rock!

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.

I am surprised of how much I enjoyed this movie.

It was clever. You know how teen movies – especially ones involving kids competing against each other in school related events – tend to be highly predictable? Well, this movie had real unpredictable moments… I mean real ones. Like when Will is upstage and everyone is chanting his name (this is not a spoiler, don't worry)… I didn't know what was going to happen until it happened. I know this might sound kind of lame, it's only a detail but the fact that they managed to surprise me with it was really something.

And, the mirror scene. How many people wish they had thought of this for show and tell? And the kissing scene! HAHAHAHAHAHA. With the hat and the hair…. God that was funny. I'm still laughing just thinking about it! The only reason I'm giving it a 9 is because one small detail bothered me. How in the world did they come up with the song at the end? It was a little far-fetched which kind of clashed with the rest of the movie because the rest made sense… if you've seen the movie, you'll know what I mean.

And I cried! Twice! One time because I was touched and the other time because I was sad...

So, this is a FAMILY movie that is CLEVER, FUNNY, SAD, TOUCHING. I highly recommend this if you're hanging out with your younger sibling or if you are babysitting a 12 year old (not younger than 12 though because they might not get all the jokes...) They will LOVE it and so will you!

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.

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.

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.