Bandslam – DVD Review

Film, Reviews



Before I even popped Bandslam into my DVD player, I was certain I would not like it. The film did extremely poor at the box office, and it stars one of the High School Musical kids, Vanessa Hudgens. In fact, according to Box Office Mojo, it’s #8 in the Worst Wide Openings of all time. From Justin to Kelly had a better first weekend opening, for crying out loud. But I have to say, I was incredibly surprised. The film had me laughing, tapping my feet, and humming the songs days after watching it.

Gaelan Connell stars as Will Burton, a music-loving high school kid who writes daily letters to David Bowie and is forced to move to another state with his mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow) after a bad incident with his father. Luckily though, Will sees this as a new start and makes friends fairly quickly. He meets Charlotte (Aly Michalka, Phil of the Future), the lead singer of a ska band, and becomes the band’s manager due to his extensive knowledge of music. He also meets Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical) – the 5 is silent – a quirky, quiet girl whom he’s assigned to do a project with. The ska band is rehearsing to compete in Bandslam, the ultimate battle of the bands for high schools in the area.

A love triangle develops as Charlotte takes control of her friendship with Will, leaving Sa5m in the cold. Will and Sa5m are attracted to each other, but Charlotte is beautiful and sparks jealousy between them. More of the film deals with the development of the characters – the band members, the love triangle, the rival bands – than simply serving as a vehicle for the Disney stars to showcase their singing abilities. Gaelan Connell in particular stands out, as he reminded me of a younger Shia LaBeouf or a less dorky Michael Cera. Lisa Kudrow’s humor sometimes doesn’t translate as well in films, but here she’s great as a supportive mom. Even Vanessa Hudgens, likely cast in this film solely because of High School Musical, does surprisingly well.

Bandslam was marketed as a Camp Rock or High School Musical type movie, but it’s not at all like either of those. Will Burton talks about classic rock such as Thin Lizzy, The Ramones, and Cheap Trick and even takes Sa5m to CBGB’s in New York City. They’re forming a ska band (something that I particularly loved), not a boy band. This isn’t a movie about teens who only listen to Hannah Montana or the Jonas Brothers. The ending isn’t just the great performance at Bandslam, where the ska band covers a song by Bread, but there is also a very satisfying cameo by David Bowie himself! Almost like a Cameron Crowe or a John Hughes film, the music is the heart and soul of the characters in this surprisingly well-written coming of age story.

Presented in a 1.77:1 aspect ratio and with Dolby Digital Surround. The sound is especially clean.

Bandslam: Making the Band – A making of featurette, hosted by Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka. They talk about the soundtrack, and how the bands that compete in the Bandslam at the end of the film were discovered at SXSW. (21:13)

Deleted Scenes – These can be viewed with or without director introductions. There are several cute ones that could easily have fit into the film, especially one at the daycare where Will and Charlotte volunteer. (15:11)

Honor Society Music Video

Vanessa Hudgens Musical Performance – Which is lame because it’s the song that the band performs at the end of the movie. Why just Vanessa Hudgens? All the actors learned their instruments for the film. Just another case of the bad marketing used for this film.

Commentary with director and cast

TrailersThe Twilight Saga: New Moon, Astro Boy, Letters To Juliet, Penelope

Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you might be that this movie is actually good. Bandslam is full of humor, relatable characters, and really great music. The key word here is surprising. You’ll honestly be surprised at how good this film is. It’s a great film for teens and parents who love music.


Summit Entertainment presents Bandslam. Directed by: Todd Graff. Starring: Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Vanessa Hudgens, Aly Michalka. Written by: Josh A. Cagan, Todd Graff. Running time: 111 minutes. Rating: PG. Released on DVD: March 16, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.

Jenny is proud to be the First Lady of Inside Pulse Movies. She gives female and mommy perspective, and has two kids who help with rating family movies. (If they don't like 'em, what's the point?) She prefers horror movies to chick flicks, and she can easily hang with the guys as long as there are several frou-frou girlie drinks to be had.