'Bandslam' review

Vanessa Hudgens (Credit: Van Redin/Summit)

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A new school means new possibilities for recovering geek Will (Gaelan Connell), who quickly befriends a quiet loner (Vanessa Hudgens) and a pretty ex-cheerleader (Alyson Michalka), who admires Will's musical knowledge and recruits him to manage her band. Various romantic and platonic troubles ensue as the band—which Will pretentiously names I Can't Go On, I'll Go On—works towards performing at Bandslam, a high school competition which awards the winner a record deal.

The buzz: There are few things more painful than a bad coming-of-age story (thanks for the reminder, "I Love You Beth Cooper"), except maybe a bad coming-of-age musical. Directed and co-written by Todd Graff ("Camp"), "Bandslam" sounds a bit like "High School (of Rock) Musical," which could be a deadly formula.

The verdict: The first cool, exciting concert; the casual teasing; the transient identity; the awkward first kiss. The finely acted "Bandslam" finds just the right tone for its teen struggles and rites of passage, with wit that sometimes gives clichés a big ol' wedgie, and sometimes winds up on the receiving end. The film can be sappy, and it ain't subtle. Yet high school's all about separating the real from the fake, and this vulnerable, funny mix of irony and sincerity gets that, unlike in most teen movies, the two are often indistinguishable.

Did you know? Nice for a movie to try to capture some of-the-moment bands, but including and/or name-dropping Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Arcade Fire and Peter Bjorn and John—acts that no one is talking about anymore—not a good way to stay fresh. Why not just cite Men Without Hats and commit to a group that will be relevant forever?

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