La tournée

Bandwagon is a movie that every young man who is a fan of Rock'n'Roll must watch. This is a great feel good film that will make anyone who watches it start a garage band. The music is superb and it is a testament to how bad radio is right now that some of the circus monkey songs received no airplay. Although this movie has several dubing mistakes and a few instances of poor acting, in the end you turn of the T.V. with a smile on your face.

When a bunch of guys hit the skids they decide to form a band. Led by Tony Ridge the neurotic song writer who can't handle playing infront of people they face an uphill battle. Starring a bunch of basically unheard of actors (with the possible exception of Kevin Corrigan) they deliver what arthouse and independant films are all about. But ultimately as the film says "It's all about the music" with an absolute killer soundtrack and great laughs all the way through this movie has got to be one of the best movies ever made in my opinion. If you love this movie but cannot find the soundtrack please email me and I'll try to help you out :)

I'd never seen or heard of this one. I put on the television and there it was this morning. I must say it was a very pleasant surprise.

It strikes me that inasmuch as a comedy can be gritty, Bandwagon is a grittier version of the Tom Hanks film, That Thing You Do. Instead of the cute sixties moptops of that film, here we get the tired, bored, living in the van, probably smell bad band of the 90s, Circus Monkey.

The story is a familiar one. Band forms full of idealism and belief in their music. Band goes on the road.Band starts battling. Band reaches breaking point. Anyone who has been in a band will appreciate Bandwagon a bit more than the casual observer. The cast of largely unknown actors does very well. The songs are good, but there should have been more of them.

I waited over a year and a half to see "Bandwagon" -- and by the time I finished viewing it, I had: developed an even further appreciation for the talents of Kevin Corrigan and Doug MacMillan; discovered some wonderful new actors and a promising new director; and determined that North Carolina and its surrounding states were lovely, must-add places to my future vacation list. Most importantly of all, I left this movie thinking that I really, really wanted to be in a band!

"Bandwagon", in short, is about a band (the tag line even reads: Finally- A Movie About a Band). The band is made up of four twenty something guys who call themselves Circus Monkey. The film chronicles their climb from garages, to clubs, to touring (under the advising of a mysterious road manager), and finally to that big hookup with a record label and decision whether or not to "sell out." Now I've never been a member of a band myself, so I can't say how realistic the story is (though it certainly seems to be relatable and accurate). All I know is that this movie is a heck of a lot of fun!

"Bandwagon" marks the feature-film directorial debut of John Schultz (the original drummer for North Carolina band the Connells). You may recognize Schultz as the director of that Melissa Joan Hart mockery, "Drive Me Crazy". Please don't let that keep you from seeing this film, if so! Schultz' endearingly low-key style is quite evident here, and you don't have to be a teenager to enjoy it.

Even better than Schultz' directorial work are his script and characterizations. It's rare that you'll find such detailed and appealing personalities in one movie! Each member of Circus Monkey is likable and distinct. We have Tony Ridge, the singer-songwriter, who is as committed to his music as he is shy. Tony plays every song with his back turned to the audience (he even practices in a different section of the garage than his band mates, so that they don't see him!), and writes all those songs to some girl named Ann. He's played by Lee Holmes, who looks a little like Christian Slater with spiky blonde hair, and who has an intriguingly soft spoken voice that's very nice to listen to! Then there's Charlie Flagg, the long-haired, big-mouthed drummer who's pretty much into the band scene for the girls that come along with it. Charlie works in a record store, and his garage is where Circus Monkey gets their start. He's played by Matthew Hennessey, a newcomer who captures the mellow slacker essence of his character flawlessly. Thirdly, Eric Ellwood is Circus Monkey's bass player, a trouble making "time bomb"; he gets fired from his job after a fight with Charlie's cynical, whiny sister. Eric is played by Steve Parlavecchio, another big-star lookalike (he's a dead ringer for a short Brad Pitt) who quickly grew as appealing as his co-stars (despite some early scenes that hinted at annoyingness.). Finally, we have Wynn Knapp, the spacey drugged-out guitarist who loves to fish and has a mind "somewhere between the tangerine trees and the marmalade skies." Wynn is played by Kevin Corrigan, the only even somewhat-recognizable name in this cast. Corrigan, a gifted actor and one of my favorites, makes for the perfect Wynn. He's a master at that "lovably odd" thing (and he does a very respectable Southern accent), and this is one of my favorite performances from him!

The only other major character is road manager Linus Tate, who is brought to life by Connells member Doug MacMillan, in his first acting role. Linus, according to Wynn, brings bands to great and exciting peak levels, then mysteriously disappears until he emerges with a brand-new band. When said band becomes Circus Monkey, Linus goes fishing with Wynn, carries around a huge book (the scene where the band members finally find out what that book is is one of many great ones!), and mostly is just there for Circus Monkey ... letting them know when they're on "in five", and quietly guiding them. MacMillan's mellow, North Carolina drawl is as pleasant to listen to as his singing voice, and he gives a performance equivalent in likability to the others! Overall, the entire cast has a wonderful chemistry (particularly Corrigan and MacMillan), and even the minor characters (such as the front man for Circus Monkey's horror-show rival band Spittle, and Ann herself) are entertaining.

The movie takes place in Connells territory (Raleigh -- until Circus Monkey start touring, and then we see Nashville, Alabama, South Carolina, and other beautifully-shot Southern places). I doubt "Bandwagon" is actually autobiographical of the Connells' early days, but it's kind of fun to imagine that, since I'm a fan of their music. Like I said, it's easy for me to imagine ANY band relating to the experiences Circus Monkey go through ... that first failure of a show, the diners, the van, the first college station interview, being billed as Circle Monkey, that first jubilant time hearing your song on the radio, etc. etc.

Of course, a music movie wouldn't be much of a music movie without the music! The "Bandwagon" soundtrack is thoroughly enjoyable, and largely courtesy of musicians Bob and Greg Kendall. As Charlie says in the movie, their tunes go beyond straight pop, but aren't quite hard rock ... "ultrapop", he labels them. Think Paul Westerberg, or the Connells themselves.

I can never shut up about the films I love most. I love this film. Watch it yourself; "Bandwagon" is a blast!

The day after I saw this movie on TV I went to the DVD store to order it. Two days later they told me there is no DVD or VCD for this movie and that got me surprised. ''Bandwagon'' is such a simply-made, feel-good movie I wish to watch over and over again. The cute fairy-tale-like story with quite excellent original songs are the major plus points. There are a number of movies out there dealing with small-town garage bands achieving fame and fortune but... I don't know, this is somehow different. That's probably because the director John Schulz never showed Circus Monkey as a band with really talented musicians. All that happened to them just... happened. That's why I liked it so much, it never abandoned the indifferent attitude towards the characters and in most cases pointed out their follies rather than their musical skills.

There are drawbacks, if one wishes to point them out, like a bit unrealistic tour schedule or some weak dialogs at some times. But I think there's no point in finding out loopholes in these kind of films. These films are meant to please you and in that sense I have to say, the filmmakers did a pretty good job. The four band members, with different personalities are very well portrayed by the actors especially Lee Holmes as the lead singer Tony. The songs are quite better than average. I hummed "It Couldn't Be Ann" for at least a week thereafter. As a whole, one would never be disappointed on watching it. 4/5