Movie Review: Bandslam

Bandslam

PG for thematic elements and mild language.
Running Time: 1 hour 51 minutes

Disney Channel superstars Vanessa Anne Hudgens of High School Musical fame, along with Alyson Michalka, of Phil of the Future fame, team up in this new movie. When a gifted singer-songwriter asks the new kid in town to manage her fledgling rock band, she appears to have just one goal in mind…

Going head to head against her egotistical musician ex-boyfriend at the biggest event of the year…a battle of the bands.

Against all odds, the band develops a sound all its own with a shot at success in the contest. In the meantime, romance is also brewing between Will Burton and Sa5m (the 5 is silent) who plays a mean guitar and has a voice to die for. When disaster strikes, it’s suddenly time for the band to make a choice…

Do they admit defeat, or face the music and stand up for what they believe in?

This Is Not Your High School Musical

Dear David Bowie…

Even though Bandslam stars Vanessa Anne Hudgens of High School Musical fame, this is by no means a High School Musical movie. Yes, the storyline centers around a group of high school students. Yes, the movie includes lots of music. But, the similarities between Bandslam and High School Musical ends there. While the High School Musical flicks had a very campy feeling to them, Bandslam seems a little more realistic. While it’s definitely edgier than the squeaky-clean High School Musical, Bandslam also does very well at staying within the family-friendly arena.

This is a fun movie with some really great music too!

While Sandra likes the High School Musical flicks more than I do, I really liked Bandslam. Musicals are fine, but I find myself easily bored when much of the storyline is carried through song. I know, that’s what a musical does, but it’s just not my cup of tea. However, Bandslam I really enjoyed.

Bandslam is NOT a musical.

There’s a difference between a musical and a movie with musical elements. Bandslam falls squarely into the later category. A musical sings its way through the movie. A movie with musical elements has a storyline centering around music, but the script is not sung. That’s probably why I like Bandslam. This is a movie about a group of high school students preparing for a battle of the bands competition. This is a music-driven comedy, not a musical. But, tossed in along the way we also discover messages about identity, character, friendship and of course, true love.

A Happier Side of High School Life

While the trailers for Bandslam push the music aspect of the movie, there’s really more going on here than meets the eye. It’s a movie about high school and teenage life. A time of life when kids are trying to find their own identity. Of course at the same time, they’re also working through concepts of peer pressure, and yes, even bullying. I must admit, when the movie started I was a little concerned that we would have to sit through another movie highlighting nothing but the bully aspect of the teen years. Too often Hollywood highlights the down side of teen years. While we’re not living with a closed eye to those aspects of the teen years, we do get tired of the Hollywood fascination of the downside of teen life.

But, Bandslam quickly changes the theme to a more positive one of kids trying to find their identity, while also having a good time. For this we applaud the scriptwriters. Yes we do see struggles, but at the same time, we see a group of teens having a good time too. As for racy content, there really isn’t much racy in the movie. Again, too often Hollywood likes to highlight the aspect of teens behaving badly. In this movie we discover kids having a good time and becoming friends. While the issues are real, we discover support and healthy character development.

As for the acting, Vanessa Anne Hudgens shows she can do more than just sing. This is a rather surprising character for her, considering her past performances in High School Musical. That’s also all I will say in this review about her because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Alyson Michalka is simply amazing in Bandslam. While her acting at times seems somewhat stilted, her singing quickly covers any of that up. She is an incredible singer. It’s also nice to see Lisa Kudrow playing the mom/groupie in this movie. She seems to bring in a great parental balance for the movie which is mainly populated by teens.

As for the rating – PG – it’s very appropriate for Bandslam. It’s also accurate as it puts it firmly into the family-friendly category for the rating. While there are some more serious issues dealt with in the movie, they’re dealt with in such a way that hopefully teens who may be experience similar things in real life can relate to. In the end, there’s also the hope that teens will learn and grow from the lessons learned in the movie.

Overall, Bandslam is a strong, happy and fun movie.

The odd thing is, it did not do all that well for it’s debut weekend. It did not break the top 10, coming in at 11th. Maybe too many people thought it would be another musical in the genre of High School Musical. For those who thought that, I can safely assure you such is not the case.  While it is a little on the long side, Bandslam is definitely worth seeing.

Enjoy the show!
Dr. Rus