Look at my surprise as I went to see the awful looking Bandslam for a sneak peak of the highly anticipated New Moon. And I came out disappointed at the New Moon angle. Yeah the footage was great but hardly enough to merit buying a ticket to see it. So I got over my disappointment I mean what am I gonna do. And crossed my fingers hoping the 87 percent of positive reviews for this film wouldn't make me regret my ticket price. The film is written and directed by Todd Graff, so i wasn't expecting much because that film got great reviews to. Well I'm the first to admit I'm wrong. And I was wrong. Majorly wrong. Shocked? I am too. Bandslam is such a genuinely endearing, funny, clever great teen flick that has just been so wrongly advertised. The talented Gaelan Connell stars as Will Burton a young man whom moves from Cincinatti to New Jersey. His mom gets a new job and he's glad to leave his loner lifestyle behind because of a shady past and hopefully make a new start. Once there he meets a shy, emotionless girl named Sa5m the five is silent which is kinda dumb. And Charlotte Banks played by Aly Michalka whose looking for a band manager. the whole plot line is centered around this competition Bandslam. Kind of like a battle of the bands where the winner gets a record contract. This film is so unpredictable and feels so genuine. It has the feel of a film by the late great John Hughes. It's a very cool movie about very cool misunderstood kids. Ignore the Disney casting session the film has depth. The performances aren't all perfect but they feel real and the great bits outnumber the awkward ones by far. Connell is so endearing as Will Burton. He's a real dork at first. And just a movie dork. He's a little odd looking, a loner and not in a cool way and is way bad with being social. But by the end you will love him and think he's a very cool guy. His love of music alone is enough to set him apart. the film sports surprising knowledge of the Velvet Underground, the birth of punk at CBGBs, The Ramones and even an cameo by David Bowie himself. Lisa Kudrow is surprisingly great as Will's mother. She shows a great range of depth, emotion and comedic timing. Hudgens is less successful as Sa5m but has some truly endearing moments and has great chemistry with Connell and Michalka is even less successful as Charlotte but when her characters storyline takes a surprising turn so does her performance. The film is just really great much along the lines of last years surprise Nick and Norah's infinite playlist. the film is smart, funny and genuine. A new classic for this generation. Too bad not many will see it just as no one really showed up for Charlie Bartlett, Nick and Nora or the girl next door. The film is really solid the surprise of the summer you should definitely check it out.
Review of Bandslam
