Review of Bandslam (2009) by Deb S — 12 Oct 2010

Bandslam is the story of Will (Gaelan Connell), an unpopular kid who lacks friends and a social life, so when his mom gets a new job, he's glad to leave his loner lifestyle behind because of a shady past and hopefully make a new start. Upon moving to a new town, he meets Sa5m (the 5 is silent played by Vanessa Hudgens), and becomes her partner in the class project. She tells him of their school's Bandslam competition, a competition for local bands to win a record deal. Will is approached by Charlotte (Alyson Michalka), a popular student who recognizes Will's extraordinary knowledge of music and recruits him to be her band's manager. The rest of the story revolves around how Will starts fitting into socially and making friends. At the end you're a firm believer in dreams coming true, realize that being honest and kind are preferable traits and love conquers all in the end.

Aly Mashalka gave a good performance as Charlotte and Vanessa Hudgens did a wonderful job as Sa5m. I also loved the David Bowie cameo and Lisa Kudrow gives good support as his over protective mother. A pleasant surprise!