Best movie ever!

Admirable film.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A new kid in town assembles a fledgling rock band -- together, they achieve their dreams and compete against the best in the biggest event of the year, a battle of the bands. Bandslam is one of those rare films that you don't really know what to expect but it was freaking amazing. Great messages about love and friendship, terrific music, the entire cast does a great job (especially Kudrow) and even has a cameo from the late David Bowie i mean what's there not to love? Such a funny, full of heart and just terrific comedy, drama, music that really is a suprise.. (10/10)

Bandslam is a wonderful,entertaining and underrated Musical/Teen/Coming Of Age Comedy-Drama that combines great direction,a terrific cast and an outstanding soundtrack elements that make Bandslam a fun,memorable and fantastic film.Set in Lodi,New Jersey,Bandslam tells the story of Will Burton(Gaelen Connell),a young teenager who has great knowledge of music and is a huge David Bowie fan but is also a loner that has no friends. When Will's Mom(Lisa Kudrow)gets a job in another state Will is transfered to a new school where he meets and befriends Sa5m(the 5 is silent)(Vanessa Hudgens),a mysterious girl that who also has no friends. Will also meets another girl named Charlotte(Aly Michalka),who's the leader and singer of her own band. Impressed with Will's knowledge of music,Charlotte asks Will to manage her band who Will renames I Can't Go On,I'll Go On who are practicing to compete for Bandslam,a battle of the bands contest.Released in 2009,Bandslam is a terrific and well-made film that received rave reviews from movie critics at the time,but was a Box Office flop. Many have said and agree that the film was a failure at the Box Office because of bad advertisements and marketing by movie studio Summit Entertainment who promoted the film like it was a High School Musical movie which is unfortunate because Bandslam is an underrated film that deserves more praise. If John Hughes and Cameron Crowe collaborated on a film together it would be Bandslam,a fantastic movie that for 112 minutes combines Musical,Comedy,Drama,Teen Movie and a Coming Of Age story in an interesting and memorable way. Co-writer and director Todd Graff who directed the equally underrated Coming Of Age Musical Comedy Camp(2003)brings the same quirky and oddball energy of his first film and brings to Bandslam but instead of Teenagers at a music and dance camp being the focus in Camp in Bandslam it's bands and music groups. The Comedy and Humor in Bandslam is funny and well-done because the Comedy is balanced from being over the top and weird while being honest and real where you can relate to the characters in some of the scenes. The music and band performances are amazing and done with great energy and pace that never stops and when you watch the performances you don't feel like you're watching the performances you feel like you are in the scenes watching the music being played as if you are a member of an audience. The best Coming Of Age films are usually about the characters instead of the Actions because while the movie is called Bandslam the contest Bandslam is the subplot of the film with the main plot being about the three main characters Will,Charlotte and Sa5m. What's great about Will,Charlotte and Sa5m is that the three of them don't feel like Teen movie stereotypes but feel like real people who are three dimensional and have depth. There is also an examination of the friendships that Will has with Charlotte and Sa5m. With Charlotte Will has never seen a girl like her before,a girl that is cool and confident with a lot of energy and is trying to teach Will to have confidence in himself. With Sa5m Will sees almost a mirror of himself because like Will Sa5m is also a loner with no friends and when Will and Sa5m meet the two connect immediately. Will and Sa5m are like kindred spirits who can't relate to other people but can relate each other on a deep level. Also,with Will,Charlotte and Sa5m we see that all three of them are trying to distance themselves from who they were in the past before they met each other and are trying to reinvent themselves by burying the past and creating a great future that is bright. Will,Charlotte and Sa5m are incredible characters who are unforgettable and make the movie. What I also like about Bandslam is that despite Bandslam being a Teen movie there are no Teen movie stereotypes or clichés found:no jocks,cheerleaders or popular teens. It's all about the outcasts and quirky characters. The ending is amazing and electric because there is great music,fun as well as surprises. A great ending.The cast is great. Gaelan Connell is terrific as Will,with Connell bringing humor and depth to the role. Aly Michalka is wonderful and beautiful as Charlotte,the leader and singer of I Can't Go On,I'll Go On. Vanessa Hudgens is fantastic and sexy as Sa5m,Will's friend and classmate. Lisa Kudrow is amazing as Karen,Will's Mom. Scott Porter is great as Ben Wheatly,Charlotte's ex-boyfriend who is also a musician. Ryan Donowho(Basher),Charlie Saxton(Bug),Tim Jo(Omar)and Elvy Yost(Irene)give good performances as well. Also,lookout for a cameo by David Bowie.The direction by Todd Graff is wonderful,with Graff always moving the camera and bringing energy and style to the film. Fine direction,Graff.The soundtrack is an amazing collection of Alternative,Indie and Pop/Rock songs that add to the feel and tone of the movie.In final word,if you love Teen movies,Coming Of Age films or Musicals,I highly suggest you see Bandslam,a wonderful,entertaining film that give you a great time. Highly recommended. 10/10.

Bandslam is an almost shockingly engrossing and thoughtful movie recalling some near-classics as ?Revenge of the Nerds?, ?Say Anything?, ?Breakfast Club? and most especially ?High Fidelity.? The presence of Disney regular Alyson Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens always the marketers to frame this as ?High School Musical 4? which puts asses in the seats but short-changes what is actually a more far more substantial and less sticky sweet concoction. Also it deals with a few dark themes, their presence makes the happy ending feel earned and you?ll leave the theater elated, repeating some dialog gems and humming David Gates ?Everything I Own.? The only major shortcoming are the voices of Hudgens and Michalka who are plenty tuneful for the ballads but lack the pipes that balls out rock numbers require. However, if they weren?t in the film no one would have seen it so the compromise may be worth it.

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!