Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Gaelan Connell

When gifted singer-songwriter Charlotte Banksasks new kid in town Will Burton to manage her fledgling rock band, she appears to have just one goal in mind: go head-to-head against her egotistical musi...( read more  read more... )cian ex-boyfriend at the biggest event of the year, a battle of the bands. Against all odds, their band develops a sound all its own with a real shot at success in the contest. When disaster strikes, it's time for the band to make a choice: Do they admit defeat, or face the music and stand up for what they believe in?

Flixster Users

60% liked it

98,535 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

87 critics

PG, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Todd Graff

Release Date: August 14, 2009

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DVD Release Date: March 16, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (2,553)


  • September 6, 2009
    David Bowie, eh? Hopefully he appears on stage in a magical puff of smoke, wearing his Labyrinth codpiece, and interrupts Vanessa Hudgens' Guitar Hero tournament with a special rendition of "I'm Afraid of Americans".
  • September 3, 2009
    If Bandslam's marketing campaign hyped it as yet another factory-pressed Disney Channel singalong crapfest, 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, ...( read more)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). I'm not sure what it is, actually, but it makes those 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...
  • August 21, 2009
    Took my daughters to see it :(
    Don't bother!
  • August 17, 2009
    A surprisingly enjoyable family film.
  • November 22, 2009
    Holy crap! This was good. Like really good. The director tread similar territory in the deligthful Camp, but that had some problems, here he seems to have been able to shave off the excess and just focus on the two important things: Characters and music. Lots and lots of music. A...( read more)ll every well chosen and works within the story. The actors are all very solid. Is it predictable with a too clean of an ending? Yes, but it has charm oozing out it's ears, and was very engrossing, but as just stated, I felt a part of the ending was a bit too clean, and had that not happened, it would have been relatively perfect.
  • November 19, 2009
    This movie disappoints what you were probably hoping for, but was still an excellent movie! it was great to see Hudgens acting in something other the HSM. She is a great actor and you got to see a different side of her. You also get to her vocals in a new way other than what she ...( read more)did for Disney!
  • November 17, 2009
    this was nice, i liked it.
  • November 16, 2009
    yesss...niceeeeee...
  • November 12, 2009
    Vanessa H. & Lisa K are wonderful actresses
  • November 12, 2009
    i love this movie although i dont love vanessa hudgens....i dont her for posing all the nude pic....

Critic Reviews


August 19, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press

The barely hyped Bandslam must settle for simply being the best American movie this summer. full review

August 14, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

The movie has a few good tunes and some charming comic dash, at least at first. full review

August 13, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Within the context of modern family comedies and the vast enabling wasteland of tweener TV, these people feel almost three-dimensional. full review

August 13, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This isn't a breakthrough movie, but for what it is, it's charming, and not any more innocuous than it has to be. full review

View more Bandslam reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • XxNatsyxX
    August 22, 2009
    Wow went to see this movie yesterday it was awesome!!!
    Vanessa you rock!!!
  • mdobby
    June 1, 2009
    Nope, "Rock On" was the working title, and "Bandslam" is the official one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976222/
  • kollenesteele01
    July 16, 2008
    isn't the title of this movie changed to 'Rock On'?

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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