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SummaryWhen gifted singer-songwriter Charlotte Barnes asks 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 musician ex-boyfriend, Ben, 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 ... Read More

Directed By:Todd Graff

Bandslam

Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
User score
Generally Favorable
7.0
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
80% Positive
16 Reviews
20% Mixed
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Washington Post
the script's earnest intelligence and the actors' charm (Connell, Hudgens and Kudrow are especially fun to watch) make this film an entertaining ode to teenage joie de vivre.
75
Chicago Tribune
Here’s the surprise: Bandslam may come from synthetic materials, but the characters are a little more complicated than usual.
75
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.
70
Village Voice
Todd Graff's film is written with a desperate cleverness that clamors for attention over the brainless against-the-odds music-competition plot.
67
Austin Chronicle
Bandslam belongs to Connell. He has the unruly 'fro and endearing shamblingness of a young Daniel Stern, and he ably brings to life that rarest of cinematic qualities: decency.
60
Empire
Surprisingly watchable despite the formulaic teen format.
50
Miami Herald
The performances in Bandslam are uniformly strong -- good enough to make you wish this bunch of charismatic, talented kids had been given better material.
See All 20 Critic Reviews
User score
Generally Favorable
68% Positive
19 Ratings
21% Mixed
6 Ratings
11% Negative
3 Ratings
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
Mar 15, 2012
10
MegWhiteley
One of my favorite films EVER!!! BandSlam is perfect, incredible, funny, have an indie spirit, is a fantastic film, is amazing, and the music OMG, is fantastic, songs like someone to fall back on or everything I own, are amazing and emotive. I love this film.
Jan 21, 2026
8
famfacat
The rhythmic machinery of a pop-rock revelation: A 4.0-star sensational surge of high-tension musical joy.2009(4.0)I watched "Bandslam" in the theater in 2009, and it remains a vivid 4.0-star record in my archive—a sensational display of how a musical teen comedy can transcend its stagnant genre tropes through raw talent and a sophisticated soundtrack. This experience **** the fourth wall of the "high school battle-of-the-bands" formula by infusing Vanessa Hudgens’s raw, post-Disney charisma into a narrative rhythm that felt 100% chewy and authentic. While the production leveraged the "vivid" allure of its High School Musical star, the narrative rhythm was far from stagnant, delivering a rhythmic journey through teenage angst and musical obsession that lacked the pathetic shallowness of its peers. Seeing the vivid performance of "I Want You to Want Me" provided an emotional payoff that felt both raw and sensational, leading to my own rhythmic rebellion of covering the track. The 95% preservation of my memory is dominated by the rhythmic, raw energy of the band's rehearsals and the vivid but pathetic social dynamics of the high school setting, creating a permanent, sensational scar of nostalgia on my soul. Unlike the stagnant 1.0-star drift of "Hannah Montana" or the pathetic execution of "Papa," this encounter possessed a rebellious soul that turned a simple contest into a sensational masterpiece of indie-pop spirit. It stands in my 2009 record as a powerful 4.0-star testament to the raw power **** hook—a high-tension encounter with the vivid rhythm of youth that remains one of the most chewy artifacts of my cinematic journey.
See All 2 User Reviews
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  • Summit Entertainment
  • Walden Media
  • Goldsmith-Thomas Productions
Aug 14, 2009
1 h 51 m
PG
Band Together
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