.gif)
Rock On (film)
Encyclopedia
Bandslam is a 2009 American musical romantic-comedy film produced by Summit Entertainment
and Walden Media
. Written by Josh Cagan and Todd Graff, it stars Aly Michalka
, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell
, Lisa Kudrow
, Scott Porter
., Ryan Donowho
, and Tim Jo. The film revolves around Will and Charlotte, who form an unlikely bond through their shared love of music.
Assembling a like-minded crew of misfits, the friends form a rock group and perform in a battle of the bands competition called "Bandslam". The film was shot in Austin, Texas
, with additional scenes filmed in New York City. The film generated mostly positive reviews but it failed to chart in the top 10 when it was released on August 14, 2009 in the US, where it grossed only $2,250,000 in the weekend.
) is a music enthusiast and a David Bowie
fan with a hint of rock and roll and boy next door. Throughout the movie, Will writes journal-like e-mails to Bowie seeking approval of his music, although Bowie never answers. When Will's mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow
) finds a new job, he switches to a new school, which he is eager to do since he was bullied at his previous one. During lunch one day at his new school, he meets a girl who says her name is written Sa5m, but pronounced Sam, the 5 is silent (Vanessa Hudgens). She tells him about Bandslam, an annual music competition in which the winning band gets a recording contract. Will and Sa5m quickly become friends, but shortly after, he is sought after by another girl named Charlotte Barnes (Alyson Michalka
). One afternoon, Charlotte asks Will to join her in an after-school day-care center. When she starts inviting him to hang out with her, the teenager is stunned—as is his single mother Karen. Impressed by his eclectic knowledge of music, Charlotte, who is a gifted singer-songwriter, asks Will to manage her rock/ska
band. Her goal is apparently to take revenge on her egocentric musician ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatley (Scott Porter
) during Bandslam.
Unsure of what he is getting himself into, Will agrees to help Charlotte's band (later called "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On") which includes Bug (Charlie Saxton
) and Omar (Tim Jo), eventually expanding it with more like-minded outcasts. These include drummer Basher Martin (Ryan Donowho
), who first hesitates because he has anger management issues and dislikes the idea of Bandslam, because he believes people don't appreciate the art, but decides to join after Will tells he has an older sister who is often around (in fact this is Karen). Against all odds, the group's sound starts to come together and their prospects for success look bright. Even more surprising, Will starts losing his "loser-status". Once he gets committed in Charlotte's band, however, he is unable to complete a project he was going to do with Sa5m. After spending a day with Sa5m, Charlotte teaches Will how to properly kiss a girl by showing him one night in the car. Will takes Sa5m to the Overlook, where, after knocking off her hat and ripping her book out of her hand, he kisses her. She asks him to come see a movie with her, but he stands her up after Charlotte gives him tickets to a band called Burning Hotels. After that, Sa5m starts ignoring Will at school. He visits her house, hoping to apologize. Her mom then shows him a video of a younger Sa5m performing "Everything I Own
", but when Sa5m walks in, she is outraged and orders Will to leave. As an apology, he makes a short yet touching documentary about her for his Human Studies project (with the song Young Folks
included in it)and she eventually forgives him.
After Will accidentally ruins Ben's attempt to reconcile with Charlotte, Ben decides to do a little research on him, in order to ruin his image. He finds out about Will's father, who was sent to prison years ago when he accidentally killed a child while driving drunk. Ben then starts to call Will "Dewey" (just as other students did at his old school), which stands for "DWI", Driving While Intoxicated. Will detests this nickname because it reminds him of his father, whom he is ashamed of. What is more, Charlotte's father dies and she decides to quit the band. As she explains to Will, her father hated how she acted when she was with her ex-boyfriend, so after he got sick, she decided to change her image and be nicer to "people like [Will]", meaning outcasts, hoping that this good behavior would cause her dad to get well. The band members are hurt by this discovery, as it means she did not genuinely like them, but they decide to go on nonetheless, with Sa5m taking over as lead singer.
On the night of Bandslam, Charlotte comes backstage in order to apologize to the band, and after a moment of hesitation, Will accepts her apology. Right before going on stage, however, they discover that Ben's band (the "Glory Dogs") have decided to play the song that "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On" were originally to perform, forcing them to change their act at the last minute. Will suddenly remembers the video Sa5m's mother showed him earlier and suggests that they perform "Everything I Own", since it is the only song Sa5m knows. To buy some time, Will comes out first onstage, but at first he is embarrassingly silent. The students begin to chant "Dewey! Dewey! Dewey!". He starts to walk off the stage, but then comes back and decides to chant with them instead. After a while, he yells into the microphone, "Do we wanna ROCK?!" The band then shows up and fires up the crowd with an upbeat ska version of "Everything I Own".
Although they fail to win the competition, a YouTube
video of their performance gains the band popularity at school. David Bowie (portraying himself) sees the video and sends an e-mail to Will, explaining that he is starting an indie music label and is interested in having the band as one of their first artists. Will is so excited and overwhelmed that he falls down in the middle of the school hallway. The last scene takes place during Charlotte's graduation ceremony where Will and Sa5m are confirmed as dating.
and Summit Entertainment
announced that they would co-finance Bandslam, co-written by Todd Graff and Josh Cagan and directed by Graff. Todd Graff was hired to direct in early March 2007 and rewrote the screenplay.
Prior to filming, they had two weeks of music rehearsals. The actors and actresses were designated to play their instruments. Donowho had a lifetime of experience with drums and Michalka with the guitar, so they were used to their instruments, but Lisa Chung, Scott Porter and Vanessa Hudgens were not. "I didn't think it would be this much music when I came here," Hudgens told MTV News on the set of Bandslam in Austin, Texas, last year. "And they are like, 'We are going to have two weeks of music rehearsals,' and I was like, 'What?' But it was really cool. It's definitely not the kind of music I do normally." Principal photography began on February 9, 2008 in Austin
, Texas
. Although the film is set in New Jersey
, Graff felt strongly that it was important to shoot in a place with a wide array of great live music to choose from. "I'm a big believer in local scenes," he says. "I think it's the lifeblood of music. Austin is renowned as a music town, and rightly so. They have a ton of really great bands just trying to get their music out there. So, it's great we had an opportunity to use several unsigned local Texas bands."
In an interview with Los Angeles Times
, director Todd Graff admitted there were cultural incongruities underlying the film, "I know, it's demented. Every once in a while on set I would think to myself, 'I can't believe we got away with this'. I always thought if it only sent one kid to listen to a Velvet Underground record, it would be worth it to me." All of the vocals for this film were filmed live by each of the singing cast members, as mentioned by director Todd Graff. One of the requirements for the film was that all actors had to be able to provide their own vocals. Because Alyson Michalka
was on tour with her sister Amanda Michalka
and Miley Cyrus
, she did not arrive in Austin until midway through rehearsals. Conveniently, the tour's last stop was in Austin, Texas, where rehearsal and filming for the movie took place. All of the instruments and singing in the movie were recorded by the actors, with the exception of the guitar parts of Vanessa Hudgens and Scott Porter, as well as Lisa Chung's piano parts. Although Hudgens and Porter learned how to play their songs, they were dubbed by guitarists Jason Mozersky and JW Wright.
David Bowie
officially began talks in early February. Bowie has a vital role in the film as Will Burton's idol, to whom Burton frequently writes e-mails. He makes a short cameo in the end of the movie. Liam Aiken
was originally chosen to play Will, but for unknown reasons, it was given to Gaelan Connell
. Actually, when Connell auditioned for "Will", he was recommended to try out for the cellist part since he plays cello
. Director Todd Graff watched his cello audition, and decided to give him the starring role as "Will." Originally, Vanessa Hudgens wanted to play the role of Charlotte, but she was cast for the role of Sa5m on January 12, 2008. Hudgens sang "Rehab" for her audition. In order to pursue the role, Hudgens watched The Addams Family
and tapped into Wednesday's character.
In partnership with Magic 106.7, Summit Entertainment
conducted a band contest in Boston
Burlington Mall. Hudgens and Connell attended the said contest as judges. Mike Ryan won the contest, and performed his original song on August 1, 2009. On August 7, 2009, Hudgens and Michalka were inducted as an honorary girl scouts
as part of the film's gimmick. The induction was held at Harmony Gold Preview House and Theater. During the induction, a special screening was held for the scouts present in the affair. In the UK, Stardoll
started a campaign which lets users dress Vanessa Hudgens in different Bandslam outfits, view the film trailer, create their own band using Stardoll scenery and virtual guitar gifts to give to friends.
However, Summit Entertainment
's marketing strategies have been criticized. There have been a lot of calls and e-mails from heads of marketing at different studios saying the film's marketing may be the worst job they have seen from positioning, title, marketing tie-ins, and targeting audiences. Nikki Finke
released an e-mail from a Bandslam insider who pointed out that Summit's marketing have basically sold it on to their stars Hudgens and Michalka instead of selling out the concept. The e-mail also claims that "they Disneyfied this movie with glitter paint." The insider also emphasized the good reviews the film is getting but it was unfortunate that it did not sell well because of Summit's bad marketing.
Yale Daily News
marked that the film had the "Worst Marketing", pointing out that "Summit Entertainment
, which has a done an admirable job marketing the "Twilight" films, completely ruined what should have been a sleeper hit."
and Canada
, ranking #13 at the box office, was the best debut for an musical film that week. By the end of its run, Bandslam grossed $5,210,988 domestically and $7,014,035 internationally, totaling $12,225,023 worldwide.
gave the film an 81 rating score and a 3/4 stars rating. As of August 15, 2009, based on 20 reviews collected, Metacritic
gave the film a 66 "metacritic" score. Rotten Tomatoes
reports an 80% acceptable "fresh" rating based on 84 reviews collected; 67 "fresh" and 17 "rotten" with the reported consensus "Bandslam is an intelligent teen film that avoids teen film cliches, in an entertaining package of music and coming-of-age drama." Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop critics, the film had an overall approval rating of 89%. With the positive critical response from the review Rotten Tomatoes collected, it ranked #9 in the 10 Tomatoemeters of the Summer. Comparatively, Yahoo! Movies
currently reports a grade of "B-" averaged from 7 critic reviews.
Entertainment Weekly
film critic, Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film a "B", and praised Hudgens' and Michalka's performances as well. Variety
said that "Bandslam" will make its cracking voice heard amid the summer's boy-based blockbuster clique while Joe Williams
remarked, "Although it's the wimpy teen musical that prevails, it's the misfit coming-of-age story that leaves an impression." Roger Ebert
wrote on his review, that though this isn't a breakthrough movie, it's charming, and not any more innocuous than it has to be. Fort Worth Weekly
revealed in the review, "The comedy subsides into some unusually heavy drama in the second half, and only Graff's assured direction keeps it from tipping over into weepiness." Radio Times
, Empire
, and Digital Spy
all gave Bandslam a three out of five rating while Independent Weekly
and the Deseret News both gave the film two out of four. Roger Moore of The Miami Herald
revealed that the film was a High School Musical
/Camp Rock
clone, but still praised it and said that "Bandslam may have charms enough to tickle your tweenage heart."
Time Out reviewer Derek Adams said that Bandslam is far from exceptional, but is saved by decent character development, a cluster of engaging performances and several amusing deadpan moments. Canada's The Globe and Mail
reviewer's conclusion follows: "Bandslam offers some nice observational and comedy moments, and director and co-writer Todd Graff deftly deliver the coming-of-age goods for the three main characters." The Daily Telegraph
s reviewer Leight Paastch says that the film gives the genre a right old spin thanks to some lively performances and sharp pacing. Bandslam was The Washington Post
's critic choice, having a perfect score of 4/4 stars. Bandslam was somehow associated with High School Musical
in a couple of reviews. However, the reviews concluded the comparisons positively, saying that Bandslam was "actually a lot quirkier than the posters would have you believe." New Jersey
's local newspaper, The Star Ledger says that the plot is nicely skewed: "Basically, it's the standard teen picture -- girl torn between bad boy and nice guy -- with a gender switch." Michael Phillips
of The Los Angeles Times praised the film by saying: "Bandslam is a pretty good movie given that the odds of it having been a pretty bad movie were steep."
Critic Andy Webster of The New York Times
said that Bandslam may not entirely break new teen-movie ground, but it does offer intriguing glimpses of performers ready to bolt from the Disney stable. Hudgens received an amount of praise from reviewers, emphasizing her transition from being associated with her previous commercial character, Gabriella Montez multiple times. Reviewers also cited her impressive performance in the film. Even though Connell and Michalka each received their fair amount of enthusiastic press, David Waddington of North Wales Pioneer claims that Hudgens "outshines the rest of the cast, failing to fit in with the outcast narrative and making the inevitable climactic ending all the more expected." Hudgens was praised with her performance in the film that The Guardian
critic, Philip French
said that she looks like the young Thandie Newton
and "wisecracks like Dorothy Parker
." French then adds that "Bandslam is a witty, touching, cleverly plotted film with excellent music."
Eye Weekly
reviewer Will Sloan says, "Bandslam is like a teenybopper version of Adventureland
, and if its PG limitations keep it from being quite as insightful or funny as that film, it's still a serviceable, surprisingly intelligent bit of tweenertainment." Reviewers asserted that the film's music mainly lifted to the success of Bandslam from reviews, especially the ska
version of Everything I Own
, that the film is full of unexpected pleasures set to a surprisingly retro soundtrack. Similarly, Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter
emphasized the effect of the film's music-driven comedy set against the backdrop of a high school battle of the bands competition which manages to come up with a fresh backbeat for the familiar alienated teen refrain, boosted by a talented cast and authentic soundtrack.
Bandslam was released on August 12, 2009, in the UK, Ireland, and France; August 13, 2009 in Australia; August 14 in the US, and Canada; August 20, 2009 in some parts of Asia; August 26, 2009 in The Philippines. Earlier, the film's tentative date was April 10, 2009 listed by The Numbers around the time Liam Aiken
was involved in the film. It then switched to be on July 31, 2009, which was the original release date once production started. But with unknown reasons, Box Office Mojo
confirms the push back to its current US release date which is on August 14, 2009. The film was titled as "High School Band" in Brazil
, and "College Rock Stars" in France. The film was previously titled as "Will", based on early reports, and then it was renamed to "Rock On", ultimately ending up being called "Bandslam." A premiere night, which was attended by the rest of the cast including the main actors of the film, was held at Westwood
, California
on August 6, 2009. The film was rated PG in the US for some thematic elements and mild language. In The Philippines, it's rated GP
.
Bandslam was critically successful but did not do well commercially. Debuting at 2,121 theaters, the film only grossed $890,000 on its first day and failed to chart in the top 10. The film eventually reached the top 10 and grossed $50,000 more on the same day. For its opening weekend, Bandslam didn't chart in the US weekend box office top 10, where it only grossed $2,250,000. It only reached the number 12 spot. As of October 1, 2009, the film has a domestic gross of $5,210,988, with a foreign gross of $7,014,035 totaling an international gross of $12,225,023.
and Blu-ray in the UK on December 7, 2009. However, due to unknown circumstances, UK label E1 Entertainment were unable to release the film on Blu-ray at that time. In the United States, the DVD was released on March 16, 2010. In the rest of the world, specified in the countries where the film was released, a DVD was also released between December 2009 and January 2010.
The DVD contains, aside from the movie itself, some extra's:
Additionally:
on August 11, 2009. The soundtrack features tracks from Wilco
, The Burning Hotels, Velvet Underground, John Bjorn and Peter, Seventeen Evergreen
, Honor Society, the Daze, Nick Drake and David Bowie
. Mitchell Leib, president of music and soundtracks at Walt Disney Pictures, describes the album as a "real music picture in a way Cameron Crowe
would make a music picture."
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
and Walden Media
Walden Media
Walden Media is a children's film production and publishing company best known as the producers of The Chronicles of Narnia series. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, documentaries and some original...
. Written by Josh Cagan and Todd Graff, it stars Aly Michalka
Alyson Michalka
Alyson Renae "Aly" Michalka , often credited as Aly, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. Michalka gained fame for playing the role of Marti Perkins in the CW television drama Hellcats...
, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell
Gaelan Connell
Gaelan Alexander Connell is an American actor and musician.-Life and career:Connell was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has two brothers, Brendan and Shawn, and his first name is Gaelic. He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and attended the Tisch...
, Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
, Scott Porter
Scott Porter
Matthew Scott Porter , better known as Scott Porter, is an American actor and occasional singer known for his role as Jason Street in the NBC television drama Friday Night Lights. His character was injured during a football game in the pilot episode and became a paraplegic...
., Ryan Donowho
Ryan Donowho
Ryan Wayne Donowho is an American actor and musician.-Early life:Born in Houston, Texas, Donowho moved to Brooklyn, New York and then to Los Angeles. He was a street musician in New York City as "bucket" drummer...
, and Tim Jo. The film revolves around Will and Charlotte, who form an unlikely bond through their shared love of music.
Assembling a like-minded crew of misfits, the friends form a rock group and perform in a battle of the bands competition called "Bandslam". The film was shot in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, with additional scenes filmed in New York City. The film generated mostly positive reviews but it failed to chart in the top 10 when it was released on August 14, 2009 in the US, where it grossed only $2,250,000 in the weekend.
Plot
Will Burton (Gaelan ConnellGaelan Connell
Gaelan Alexander Connell is an American actor and musician.-Life and career:Connell was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has two brothers, Brendan and Shawn, and his first name is Gaelic. He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and attended the Tisch...
) is a music enthusiast and a David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
fan with a hint of rock and roll and boy next door. Throughout the movie, Will writes journal-like e-mails to Bowie seeking approval of his music, although Bowie never answers. When Will's mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
) finds a new job, he switches to a new school, which he is eager to do since he was bullied at his previous one. During lunch one day at his new school, he meets a girl who says her name is written Sa5m, but pronounced Sam, the 5 is silent (Vanessa Hudgens). She tells him about Bandslam, an annual music competition in which the winning band gets a recording contract. Will and Sa5m quickly become friends, but shortly after, he is sought after by another girl named Charlotte Barnes (Alyson Michalka
Alyson Michalka
Alyson Renae "Aly" Michalka , often credited as Aly, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. Michalka gained fame for playing the role of Marti Perkins in the CW television drama Hellcats...
). One afternoon, Charlotte asks Will to join her in an after-school day-care center. When she starts inviting him to hang out with her, the teenager is stunned—as is his single mother Karen. Impressed by his eclectic knowledge of music, Charlotte, who is a gifted singer-songwriter, asks Will to manage her rock/ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band. Her goal is apparently to take revenge on her egocentric musician ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatley (Scott Porter
Scott Porter
Matthew Scott Porter , better known as Scott Porter, is an American actor and occasional singer known for his role as Jason Street in the NBC television drama Friday Night Lights. His character was injured during a football game in the pilot episode and became a paraplegic...
) during Bandslam.
Unsure of what he is getting himself into, Will agrees to help Charlotte's band (later called "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On") which includes Bug (Charlie Saxton
Charlie Saxton
Charlie Saxton is an American film, television and video game actor.He had a supporting role as Bug, one of the band members, in Bandslam. He currently is featured in Hung, an HBO comedy-drama series, playing the son of Thomas Jane's main character...
) and Omar (Tim Jo), eventually expanding it with more like-minded outcasts. These include drummer Basher Martin (Ryan Donowho
Ryan Donowho
Ryan Wayne Donowho is an American actor and musician.-Early life:Born in Houston, Texas, Donowho moved to Brooklyn, New York and then to Los Angeles. He was a street musician in New York City as "bucket" drummer...
), who first hesitates because he has anger management issues and dislikes the idea of Bandslam, because he believes people don't appreciate the art, but decides to join after Will tells he has an older sister who is often around (in fact this is Karen). Against all odds, the group's sound starts to come together and their prospects for success look bright. Even more surprising, Will starts losing his "loser-status". Once he gets committed in Charlotte's band, however, he is unable to complete a project he was going to do with Sa5m. After spending a day with Sa5m, Charlotte teaches Will how to properly kiss a girl by showing him one night in the car. Will takes Sa5m to the Overlook, where, after knocking off her hat and ripping her book out of her hand, he kisses her. She asks him to come see a movie with her, but he stands her up after Charlotte gives him tickets to a band called Burning Hotels. After that, Sa5m starts ignoring Will at school. He visits her house, hoping to apologize. Her mom then shows him a video of a younger Sa5m performing "Everything I Own
Everything I Own
"Everything I Own" is a song written by David Gates. Originally recorded by Gates's band Bread for their 1972 album Baby, I'm a Want You, the single was recorded by The Connells, Jack Jones, Ken Boothe, Olivia Newton-John, Georgie Fame, Boy George, *NSYNC, Jude, Rod Stewart, Crystal Gayle, Nicole...
", but when Sa5m walks in, she is outraged and orders Will to leave. As an apology, he makes a short yet touching documentary about her for his Human Studies project (with the song Young Folks
Young Folks
"Young Folks" is the first single from Peter Bjorn and John's third album, Writer's Block . The single features Victoria Bergsman of The Concretes as a guest vocalist.-Reception:...
included in it)and she eventually forgives him.
After Will accidentally ruins Ben's attempt to reconcile with Charlotte, Ben decides to do a little research on him, in order to ruin his image. He finds out about Will's father, who was sent to prison years ago when he accidentally killed a child while driving drunk. Ben then starts to call Will "Dewey" (just as other students did at his old school), which stands for "DWI", Driving While Intoxicated. Will detests this nickname because it reminds him of his father, whom he is ashamed of. What is more, Charlotte's father dies and she decides to quit the band. As she explains to Will, her father hated how she acted when she was with her ex-boyfriend, so after he got sick, she decided to change her image and be nicer to "people like [Will]", meaning outcasts, hoping that this good behavior would cause her dad to get well. The band members are hurt by this discovery, as it means she did not genuinely like them, but they decide to go on nonetheless, with Sa5m taking over as lead singer.
On the night of Bandslam, Charlotte comes backstage in order to apologize to the band, and after a moment of hesitation, Will accepts her apology. Right before going on stage, however, they discover that Ben's band (the "Glory Dogs") have decided to play the song that "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On" were originally to perform, forcing them to change their act at the last minute. Will suddenly remembers the video Sa5m's mother showed him earlier and suggests that they perform "Everything I Own", since it is the only song Sa5m knows. To buy some time, Will comes out first onstage, but at first he is embarrassingly silent. The students begin to chant "Dewey! Dewey! Dewey!". He starts to walk off the stage, but then comes back and decides to chant with them instead. After a while, he yells into the microphone, "Do we wanna ROCK?!" The band then shows up and fires up the crowd with an upbeat ska version of "Everything I Own".
Although they fail to win the competition, a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video of their performance gains the band popularity at school. David Bowie (portraying himself) sees the video and sends an e-mail to Will, explaining that he is starting an indie music label and is interested in having the band as one of their first artists. Will is so excited and overwhelmed that he falls down in the middle of the school hallway. The last scene takes place during Charlotte's graduation ceremony where Will and Sa5m are confirmed as dating.
Production
Bandslam was already bought by a studio back in 2004, but in late January 2008, Walden MediaWalden Media
Walden Media is a children's film production and publishing company best known as the producers of The Chronicles of Narnia series. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, documentaries and some original...
and Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
announced that they would co-finance Bandslam, co-written by Todd Graff and Josh Cagan and directed by Graff. Todd Graff was hired to direct in early March 2007 and rewrote the screenplay.
Prior to filming, they had two weeks of music rehearsals. The actors and actresses were designated to play their instruments. Donowho had a lifetime of experience with drums and Michalka with the guitar, so they were used to their instruments, but Lisa Chung, Scott Porter and Vanessa Hudgens were not. "I didn't think it would be this much music when I came here," Hudgens told MTV News on the set of Bandslam in Austin, Texas, last year. "And they are like, 'We are going to have two weeks of music rehearsals,' and I was like, 'What?' But it was really cool. It's definitely not the kind of music I do normally." Principal photography began on February 9, 2008 in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Although the film is set in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Graff felt strongly that it was important to shoot in a place with a wide array of great live music to choose from. "I'm a big believer in local scenes," he says. "I think it's the lifeblood of music. Austin is renowned as a music town, and rightly so. They have a ton of really great bands just trying to get their music out there. So, it's great we had an opportunity to use several unsigned local Texas bands."
In an interview with Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, director Todd Graff admitted there were cultural incongruities underlying the film, "I know, it's demented. Every once in a while on set I would think to myself, 'I can't believe we got away with this'. I always thought if it only sent one kid to listen to a Velvet Underground record, it would be worth it to me." All of the vocals for this film were filmed live by each of the singing cast members, as mentioned by director Todd Graff. One of the requirements for the film was that all actors had to be able to provide their own vocals. Because Alyson Michalka
Alyson Michalka
Alyson Renae "Aly" Michalka , often credited as Aly, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. Michalka gained fame for playing the role of Marti Perkins in the CW television drama Hellcats...
was on tour with her sister Amanda Michalka
Amanda Michalka
Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka , often credited as AJ, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. She used to be a model prior to becoming an actress, and was best known as one-half of the duo 78violet with her sister, Alyson Michalka. AJ recently recorded the theme song for the film...
and Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
, she did not arrive in Austin until midway through rehearsals. Conveniently, the tour's last stop was in Austin, Texas, where rehearsal and filming for the movie took place. All of the instruments and singing in the movie were recorded by the actors, with the exception of the guitar parts of Vanessa Hudgens and Scott Porter, as well as Lisa Chung's piano parts. Although Hudgens and Porter learned how to play their songs, they were dubbed by guitarists Jason Mozersky and JW Wright.
Cast and characters
- Aly MichalkaAlyson MichalkaAlyson Renae "Aly" Michalka , often credited as Aly, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. Michalka gained fame for playing the role of Marti Perkins in the CW television drama Hellcats...
as Charlotte Barnes, popular cheerleader and a senior at the high school that Will attends. We are told later in the film that her ailing father does not approve of how she only runs with the "Populars" in school. Charlotte makes a vow to forsake the populars and run with the geekGeekThe word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
ier teens like Will and Sa5m in hopes that this good behavior will cause her dad to get well. She terms this an "experiment". Her efforts to start a new band ("I Can't Go On, I'll Go On"), include making Will the manager and coach of the eight musicians that make up their newly formed group. Old boyfriend, Ben Wheatley, surfaces several times in the movie attempting to woo Charlotte back. - Gaelan ConnellGaelan ConnellGaelan Alexander Connell is an American actor and musician.-Life and career:Connell was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has two brothers, Brendan and Shawn, and his first name is Gaelic. He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and attended the Tisch...
as Will Burton, the male protagonist of the film. Will is an avid fan of David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and writes regular emails to that particular gentleman. Will is also a music enthusiast and well acquainted with the mechanics of well produced, pop music. After relocating to New Jersey and a new high school, he finds himself managing Charlotte's new rock band. They hope to compete in the East Coast, "Battle of the BandsBattle of the BandsBattle of Bands is a contest in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Traditionally, battles of...
" contest called "Bandslam." He lives with his single parent mother. - Vanessa Hudgens as Sa5m (the 5 is silent). She is Will's first friend at his new school in Lodi, New Jersey. She talks in a monotone and slowly because she says that "emotion is overrated" and she used to stutter when she was young. She develops a relationship with Will, but "breaks up" with him when she is stood up for a date and discovers that Will was at an event with Charlotte. We discover later that she is a gifted singer. After she reconciles with Will, she is appointed the new lead vocalist in their band. She recognizes long before Will that Charlotte is "hard wired" to run with the high rollers. Sa5m suspects that Charlotte's "experiment" might have wider scope in that a higher intelligence could be controlling their actions ("Charlotte times a trillion").
- Lisa KudrowLisa KudrowLisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
as Karen Burton (Will's single parent mother). She is concerned with Will's involvement with other kids at school because they pick on him due to the fact that his dad was sent to prison. She is a good mom and tries to protect him from the likes of Charlotte. - Scott PorterScott PorterMatthew Scott Porter , better known as Scott Porter, is an American actor and occasional singer known for his role as Jason Street in the NBC television drama Friday Night Lights. His character was injured during a football game in the pilot episode and became a paraplegic...
as Ben Wheatley, the boastful and show-off lead vocalist in the original band,"Glory Dogs", which is now competing against Charlotte's new band, "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On". He is Charlotte's ex-boyfriend as well. In the later part of the movie, he reconciles with Charlotte and also becomes friends with the rest of the "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On" band. He serves as the main antagonist of the film. - The film's fictional band, "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On" members include:
- Charlie SaxtonCharlie SaxtonCharlie Saxton is an American film, television and video game actor.He had a supporting role as Bug, one of the band members, in Bandslam. He currently is featured in Hung, an HBO comedy-drama series, playing the son of Thomas Jane's main character...
as Bug, the bassist. - Ryan DonowhoRyan DonowhoRyan Wayne Donowho is an American actor and musician.-Early life:Born in Houston, Texas, Donowho moved to Brooklyn, New York and then to Los Angeles. He was a street musician in New York City as "bucket" drummer...
as Basher Martin, the drummer. - Tim Jo as Omar, the guitarist.
- Lisa Chung as Kim Lee, the keyboardist.
- Elvy Yost as Irene Lerman, the cellist.
- Charlie Saxton
David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
officially began talks in early February. Bowie has a vital role in the film as Will Burton's idol, to whom Burton frequently writes e-mails. He makes a short cameo in the end of the movie. Liam Aiken
Liam Aiken
Liam Padraic Aiken is an American actor who has starred in a number of films, such as Stepmom and Good Boy!. He starred as Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the series of books....
was originally chosen to play Will, but for unknown reasons, it was given to Gaelan Connell
Gaelan Connell
Gaelan Alexander Connell is an American actor and musician.-Life and career:Connell was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has two brothers, Brendan and Shawn, and his first name is Gaelic. He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and attended the Tisch...
. Actually, when Connell auditioned for "Will", he was recommended to try out for the cellist part since he plays cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. Director Todd Graff watched his cello audition, and decided to give him the starring role as "Will." Originally, Vanessa Hudgens wanted to play the role of Charlotte, but she was cast for the role of Sa5m on January 12, 2008. Hudgens sang "Rehab" for her audition. In order to pursue the role, Hudgens watched The Addams Family
The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
and tapped into Wednesday's character.
Marketing
Summit Entertainment spent an estimated $10 million to produce and market the film. The full-length trailer was released in the internet on March 25, 2009. On June 3, 2009, the official poster was released. A novelization of the movie written by Aaron Rosenberg was released on July 9, 2009. Michalka, Hudgens and Connell, hosted a Bandslam Reel Thinking event at the Grammy Museum LA to promote the importance of music to middle-schoolers.In partnership with Magic 106.7, Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
conducted a band contest in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
Burlington Mall. Hudgens and Connell attended the said contest as judges. Mike Ryan won the contest, and performed his original song on August 1, 2009. On August 7, 2009, Hudgens and Michalka were inducted as an honorary girl scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
as part of the film's gimmick. The induction was held at Harmony Gold Preview House and Theater. During the induction, a special screening was held for the scouts present in the affair. In the UK, Stardoll
Stardoll
Stardoll is a browser game for girls and boys based around the paper doll concept. Launched in 2004, the website was attracting a reported 200 thousand unique users a month ; as of September 2011 there were over 124 million users worldwide...
started a campaign which lets users dress Vanessa Hudgens in different Bandslam outfits, view the film trailer, create their own band using Stardoll scenery and virtual guitar gifts to give to friends.
However, Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
's marketing strategies have been criticized. There have been a lot of calls and e-mails from heads of marketing at different studios saying the film's marketing may be the worst job they have seen from positioning, title, marketing tie-ins, and targeting audiences. Nikki Finke
Nikki Finke
Nikki Finke is an American journalist and blogger. She is Founder and Editor in chief and President of Deadline.com, a website with original content consisting of her and other veteran showbiz journalists' reporting and commentary on the business of the entertainment industry formerly known as...
released an e-mail from a Bandslam insider who pointed out that Summit's marketing have basically sold it on to their stars Hudgens and Michalka instead of selling out the concept. The e-mail also claims that "they Disneyfied this movie with glitter paint." The insider also emphasized the good reviews the film is getting but it was unfortunate that it did not sell well because of Summit's bad marketing.
Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...
marked that the film had the "Worst Marketing", pointing out that "Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
, which has a done an admirable job marketing the "Twilight" films, completely ruined what should have been a sleeper hit."
Box office
Despite receiving positive reviews, the film was not a box office success. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $2,231,273 million in 2,121 theaters in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, ranking #13 at the box office, was the best debut for an musical film that week. By the end of its run, Bandslam grossed $5,210,988 domestically and $7,014,035 internationally, totaling $12,225,023 worldwide.
Critical
Bandslam was well-received critically, prior to and after it was released. The Broadcast Film Critics AssociationBroadcast Film Critics Association
The Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada , representing approximately 250 television, radio and online critics....
gave the film an 81 rating score and a 3/4 stars rating. As of August 15, 2009, based on 20 reviews collected, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the film a 66 "metacritic" score. Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports an 80% acceptable "fresh" rating based on 84 reviews collected; 67 "fresh" and 17 "rotten" with the reported consensus "Bandslam is an intelligent teen film that avoids teen film cliches, in an entertaining package of music and coming-of-age drama." Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop critics, the film had an overall approval rating of 89%. With the positive critical response from the review Rotten Tomatoes collected, it ranked #9 in the 10 Tomatoemeters of the Summer. Comparatively, Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...
currently reports a grade of "B-" averaged from 7 critic reviews.
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
film critic, Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film a "B", and praised Hudgens' and Michalka's performances as well. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said that "Bandslam" will make its cracking voice heard amid the summer's boy-based blockbuster clique while Joe Williams
Joe Williams (film critic)
Joe Williams is the film critic for the daily St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Web site STLtoday.com in St. Louis, Missouri. He has been a staff writer for the newspaper since 1996. From 2003-2006, he was the on-camera movie reviewer for St...
remarked, "Although it's the wimpy teen musical that prevails, it's the misfit coming-of-age story that leaves an impression." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
wrote on his review, that though this isn't a breakthrough movie, it's charming, and not any more innocuous than it has to be. Fort Worth Weekly
Fort Worth Weekly
Fort Worth Weekly is an alternative weekly newspaper that serves the Greater Fort Worth area . The newspaper has an approximate circulation of 75,000. The Fort Worth Weekly is published every Wednesday and features news, editorials, profiles, and reviews of art, books, theatrical productions, food,...
revealed in the review, "The comedy subsides into some unusually heavy drama in the second half, and only Graff's assured direction keeps it from tipping over into weepiness." Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
, Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
, and Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
all gave Bandslam a three out of five rating while Independent Weekly
Independent Weekly
The Independent Weekly is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States and distributed throughout the Research Triangle area and counties .The Independent is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and has a...
and the Deseret News both gave the film two out of four. Roger Moore of The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
revealed that the film was a High School Musical
High School Musical
High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
/Camp Rock
Camp Rock
Camp Rock is a 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie starring the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. The music is written by Julie Brown, Paul Brown, Regina Hicks and Karen Gist. The film is directed by Matthew Diamond and produced by Alan Sacks....
clone, but still praised it and said that "Bandslam may have charms enough to tickle your tweenage heart."
Time Out reviewer Derek Adams said that Bandslam is far from exceptional, but is saved by decent character development, a cluster of engaging performances and several amusing deadpan moments. Canada's The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reviewer's conclusion follows: "Bandslam offers some nice observational and comedy moments, and director and co-writer Todd Graff deftly deliver the coming-of-age goods for the three main characters." The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
s reviewer Leight Paastch says that the film gives the genre a right old spin thanks to some lively performances and sharp pacing. Bandslam was The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
's critic choice, having a perfect score of 4/4 stars. Bandslam was somehow associated with High School Musical
High School Musical
High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
in a couple of reviews. However, the reviews concluded the comparisons positively, saying that Bandslam was "actually a lot quirkier than the posters would have you believe." New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's local newspaper, The Star Ledger says that the plot is nicely skewed: "Basically, it's the standard teen picture -- girl torn between bad boy and nice guy -- with a gender switch." Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips (critic)
Michael Phillips is a film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Previously he was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald....
of The Los Angeles Times praised the film by saying: "Bandslam is a pretty good movie given that the odds of it having been a pretty bad movie were steep."
Critic Andy Webster of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that Bandslam may not entirely break new teen-movie ground, but it does offer intriguing glimpses of performers ready to bolt from the Disney stable. Hudgens received an amount of praise from reviewers, emphasizing her transition from being associated with her previous commercial character, Gabriella Montez multiple times. Reviewers also cited her impressive performance in the film. Even though Connell and Michalka each received their fair amount of enthusiastic press, David Waddington of North Wales Pioneer claims that Hudgens "outshines the rest of the cast, failing to fit in with the outcast narrative and making the inevitable climactic ending all the more expected." Hudgens was praised with her performance in the film that The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
critic, Philip French
Philip French
Philip French is a British film critic and former radio producer.French, the son of an insurance salesman, was educated at the direct grant Bristol Grammar School, read Law at Oxford University. and post graduate study in Journalism at Indiana University, Bloomington on a scholarship.He has been...
said that she looks like the young Thandie Newton
Thandie Newton
Thandiwe Nashita "Thandie" Newton is a British actress. She has appeared in a number of British and American films, including The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission: Impossible II, Crash, Run, Fatboy, Run and W....
and "wisecracks like Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles....
." French then adds that "Bandslam is a witty, touching, cleverly plotted film with excellent music."
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
reviewer Will Sloan says, "Bandslam is like a teenybopper version of Adventureland
Adventureland (film)
Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:...
, and if its PG limitations keep it from being quite as insightful or funny as that film, it's still a serviceable, surprisingly intelligent bit of tweenertainment." Reviewers asserted that the film's music mainly lifted to the success of Bandslam from reviews, especially the ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
version of Everything I Own
Everything I Own
"Everything I Own" is a song written by David Gates. Originally recorded by Gates's band Bread for their 1972 album Baby, I'm a Want You, the single was recorded by The Connells, Jack Jones, Ken Boothe, Olivia Newton-John, Georgie Fame, Boy George, *NSYNC, Jude, Rod Stewart, Crystal Gayle, Nicole...
, that the film is full of unexpected pleasures set to a surprisingly retro soundtrack. Similarly, Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
emphasized the effect of the film's music-driven comedy set against the backdrop of a high school battle of the bands competition which manages to come up with a fresh backbeat for the familiar alienated teen refrain, boosted by a talented cast and authentic soundtrack.
Accolades
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
| 2009 | 11th Annual Golden Tomato Awards Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance... |
Best Musical | Bandslam | |
| 2010 | Scribe Awards | Young Adult Novel - Best Adaption | Bandslam: The Novel | |
| Gabriel Awards | Family Film of the Year | Bandslam | ||
| Recognitions | ||||
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
| 2009 | indieWIRE | Best Film | Bandslam | 10th |
| Best Supporting Performance | Aly Michalka | 5th | ||
Distribution
Liam Aiken
Liam Padraic Aiken is an American actor who has starred in a number of films, such as Stepmom and Good Boy!. He starred as Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the series of books....
was involved in the film. It then switched to be on July 31, 2009, which was the original release date once production started. But with unknown reasons, Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
confirms the push back to its current US release date which is on August 14, 2009. The film was titled as "High School Band" in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and "College Rock Stars" in France. The film was previously titled as "Will", based on early reports, and then it was renamed to "Rock On", ultimately ending up being called "Bandslam." A premiere night, which was attended by the rest of the cast including the main actors of the film, was held at Westwood
Westwood
- Canada :*Westwood, Asphodel-Norwood, Ontario*Westwood, Edmonton, a neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta*Westwood Plateau, an area of Coquitlam, British Columbia*Westwood Motorsport Park, a race track in Coquitlam, British Columbia...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on August 6, 2009. The film was rated PG in the US for some thematic elements and mild language. In The Philippines, it's rated GP
GP
- Business and media :* Georgia-Pacific LLC, a manufacturer and marketer of tissue, packaging, paper, pulp and building products* Gestair's IATA airline designator* Girard-Perregaux, a luxury brand of Swiss watches...
.
Bandslam was critically successful but did not do well commercially. Debuting at 2,121 theaters, the film only grossed $890,000 on its first day and failed to chart in the top 10. The film eventually reached the top 10 and grossed $50,000 more on the same day. For its opening weekend, Bandslam didn't chart in the US weekend box office top 10, where it only grossed $2,250,000. It only reached the number 12 spot. As of October 1, 2009, the film has a domestic gross of $5,210,988, with a foreign gross of $7,014,035 totaling an international gross of $12,225,023.
Home media
Bandslam was slated to be released in standard DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray in the UK on December 7, 2009. However, due to unknown circumstances, UK label E1 Entertainment were unable to release the film on Blu-ray at that time. In the United States, the DVD was released on March 16, 2010. In the rest of the world, specified in the countries where the film was released, a DVD was also released between December 2009 and January 2010.
The DVD contains, aside from the movie itself, some extra's:
- Bandslam: Making the Band documentary
- Audio commentary by the Director and the cast
- Deleted scenes
- Music video: Honor Society "Where Are You NowWhere Are You Now"Where Are You Now" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in July 1991 as the fourth and final single from his 1990 album Put Yourself in My Shoes. The song reached number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks...
". - Music video: I Can't Go On, I'll Go On featuring Vanessa Hudgens "Everything I OwnEverything I Own"Everything I Own" is a song written by David Gates. Originally recorded by Gates's band Bread for their 1972 album Baby, I'm a Want You, the single was recorded by The Connells, Jack Jones, Ken Boothe, Olivia Newton-John, Georgie Fame, Boy George, *NSYNC, Jude, Rod Stewart, Crystal Gayle, Nicole...
".
Additionally:
- Internationally, a trailer in the language of the country the DVD is released in is also featured.
- Also, the UK DVD includes an The Twilight Saga: New Moon artcard.
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
December 7, 2009 |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
December 16, 2009 |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
December 30, 2009 |
| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
January 13, 2010 |
| Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
January 27, 2010 |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
February 10, 2010 |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
March 16, 2010 |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
June 3, 2010 |
| Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
April 20, 2010 |
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released under Hollywood RecordsHollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
on August 11, 2009. The soundtrack features tracks from Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, The Burning Hotels, Velvet Underground, John Bjorn and Peter, Seventeen Evergreen
Seventeen Evergreen
Seventeen Evergreen is a San Francisco based duo, composed of Caleb Pate and Nephi Evans, which stylistically weaves psychedelic rock with electronic experimentation. They record on their own Pacific Radio Fire imprint and license material to UK label, Lucky Number Music—also home to Sebastien...
, Honor Society, the Daze, Nick Drake and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Mitchell Leib, president of music and soundtracks at Walt Disney Pictures, describes the album as a "real music picture in a way Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
would make a music picture."