I enjoyed Bandslam so much that I saw it in theatres twice. This movie had personable and lovable characters that reminded me of myself in a way-it appealed a lot to my avaricious predilection for music and the desire to as a vocation have a band of my own.

?This story centers on the underdog music lover Will Burton (Gaelan Conell) – a high school student that has an insatiable love and knowledge of music. Forever it seems a dark cloud of derelict loneliness and pejorative mindset has hovered over Will’s being; mostly because of his classmate’s inflammatory remarks at him due to the history of his alcoholic father. To taunt him they called him “DUI”(Driving Under Influence). Alone, Will seeks solace in perpetually emailing his idol David Bowie (Musician, actor, record producer, arranger).

Life in Cincinnati seemed very perfunctory and boring and forever Will wished his mom would quit her job and that the two of them would move. After facing another day of taunts and abuse at school Will alights from the school bus, drenched in some liquid poured on him by another student. “What could I say to make you happy”, asks Karen (Lisa Kudrow) his mom. “Say you’ve quit your job and we’re moving”, replies Will. And to grant his wish his mom pronounces that very fact-that she has quit her job and they are moving to New Jersey where her sister has found a job for her.

From here on out things get very interesting…

During a lunch period at his new school the students are presently addressed by the band Glory Dogs; who announce that they will win this years “Bandslam”. Curious Will asks a girl at his table, “Exactly how big is this whole bandslam thing?” “Texas football big”, she replies. Will meets the girl, her name being Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens)- the 5 is silent. They happen to have a class together and as a result become friends. Almost directly afterward he is drafted by singer/songwriter Charlotte Barnes (Alyson Michalka) to be the manager for his band. Never has Will got so much attention from his peers and never has he got attention from girls either. We are a part of Will’s experience as he gets to know this new town and takes on his new life with its highs and lows.

This is to date, one of my favorite movies dealing with the genre of music. Not only is the story good, but also the actual performances are great. Especially, performance -wise I enjoyed the concert by “The Burning Hotels” featuring their song “Stuck in the Middle”.

The way the band that the movie centered around (I cant go on*, I’ll go on*) was developed was a pretty cool process as well; as Will recruited artists and got them all together- forming them into a harmonious sound.

In short I loved this movie and I think you should see it.

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