Whenever the music is playing, it's tough to fight the urge to rock out right in your theater seat.
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08/14/09
Bandslam (2009)
80
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:87
Fresh:70
Rotten:17
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Bandslam is an intelligent teen film that avoids teen film cliches, in an entertaining package of music and coming-of-age drama.
Theatrical Release:Aug 14, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $5,205,343
Synopsis: Disney Channel superstars Vanessa Anne Hudgens (High School Musical 1 & 2, High School Musical 3) and Alyson Michalka (Phil of the Future, pop duo Aly and AJ) join Gaelan Connell (Chocolat), Scott... [More]
Starring: Gaelan Connell, Vanessa Hudgens, Alyson Michalka, Lisa Kudrow
Director: Todd Graff
Reviews for Bandslam
For the most part, BandSlam is a decent knockoff. The script is quippy and smart. Connell and Hudgens are both appealing.
08/14/09
Tidy, heartfelt direction by Todd Graff (“Camp”); astute song references; and a David Bowie cameo transcend the formula underpinnings and keep Bandslam buoyant, gratifying and, yes, rocking.
08/14/09
The movie has a few good tunes and some charming comic dash, at least at first.
08/14/09
Bandslam consistently exceeds current teen-flick standards thanks to its snarky humour, its strong musical sequences and its ability to convey the excitement the characters feel both about performing and forming new friendships.
08/14/09
Top CriticAn utterly charming work of pure pop exuberance, Bandslam is full of unexpected pleasures set to a surprisingly retro soundtrack.
08/14/09
Music-driven teen flick is feel-good fun for parents, too.
08/14/09
Simultaneously shiny and retro, calibrated and uncalculated, familiar and unpredictable.
08/14/09
Top CriticThe bonus in this modest charmer? Not a single major female character, including Wills single mother played by Lisa Kudrow, is subjected to the usual Hollywood rom-com demonization.
08/14/09
Top CriticIn a goofily endearing performance reminiscent of the young John Cusack, Connell is charming and relatable. Likewise, Kudrow, as the overprotective mother who both fears and wants more independence for her son.
08/14/09
Top CriticDirector Todd Graff does have a keen understanding of kids in the world of performing arts, as he shows here and in his earlier and better film Camp.
08/14/09
Top CriticHigh school... Vanessa Hudgens... kids making music. We know what you're thinking, but you're wrong.
08/14/09
It feels like a missed opportunity, but perhaps is a blessing since Bandslam's dialogue is much more pat than Hughes's quotable writing.
08/14/09
Top CriticIt seems acutely unaware of how casually sick some of its themes are.
08/14/09
Rife with spirit-lifting scenes of teens singing their hearts out. And it feels just that good, in a quirky-smart way.
08/14/09
Knowing that you know the drill, Bandslam leaves out most too-explanatory details, and lets the kids be kidlike rather than movie-kidlike.
08/14/09
Surprise! This ain't no Disney-fied cotton candy movie. It has more bite, angst and soul than that.
08/14/09
It's all pretty predictable yet despite the occasional lapses into cuteness, it has a lot more going for it than the standard teen movie.
08/14/09
A tedious, predictable tale about following your dreams and being yourself.
08/14/09
What appeared to be another High School Musical, Bandslam delivers a well written script and an in depth story with sprinkles of cliches throughout.
08/14/09
Latest News for Bandslam
August 13, 2009:
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This week at the movies, we've got an alien nation (District 9, starring Jason Cope and Sharlto Copley); a high school musical (Bandslam, starring Gaelan Connell and Vanessa... More...
August 13, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: District 9 Invades Over Crowded Frame
With summer almost out of gas, studios toss five more contenders into the ring in hopes of catching moviegoers that just haven't had their share of multiplex entertainment yet.... More...
August 10, 2009:
Updated: The New Moon Teaser Trailer Teaser; Is 14 Seconds Enough for Fans?
It's one thing to announce a trailer debut and have fans furiously mark their calendars, DVRs and web browsers at the ready. But when a studio can cause a frenzy by announcing a... More...
July 13, 2009:
Check out 8 Bandslam video clips and interviews with Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, and Lisa Kudrow 
More...
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