Review of Bandslam (2009) by Laurence C — 17 Mar 2010

A charm. If Bandslam's marketing campaign hyped it as yet another factory-pressed Disney Channel singalong torture show, I think most viewers would be caught off-guard by how sincere and authentic it truly is.

Really, it's nothing more than a sweet, genial teen movie with a rock'n'roll edge and no real virtuosity or depth, but boy, does it get the notes right. Perhaps it is an everpresent penchant for 70s and 80s rock classics; perhaps it is the hugely likeable characters that populate this ultra-familiar narrative; perhaps it is the triumphant spontaneousness of two of the lead performers (that would be Connell and Michalka; Hudgens, though skilled stage-wise, is too inexpressive are artificial to inspire praise).

I'm not sure what it is, actually, but it makes those usual cliches and the inevitable happy ending go down very smoothly. Bandslam even succeeds in evoking teenage sexuality and its anxieties with a PG rating-- really, there is just so much to appreciate here that all resistance is futile.

You might want to consider checking this one out eventually, if safe but smart teen movies have a chance of clicking on your side.