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Avg. Critic Score: 66 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
10 OK for kids 10+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    Had Cameron Crowe and the late John Hughes collaborated on a movie populated by Disney Channel superstars, the result might have looked and sounded a lot like Todd Graff's Bandslam. And that's meant as a compliment. Read full review

  • 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. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety |

    High school musicals have their scrappiest number in Bandslam, an awkward, earnest, almost irresistible indie. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Bandslam is "Camp'' with rock 'n' roll instead of show tunes, but its roots go back to the Busby Berkeley backstagers and Mickey-and-Judy let's-put-on-a-show musicals of the 1930s. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    The late John Hughes would have liked Bandslam, an upbeat high school musical that plays like a garage-band cover of "The Breakfast Club." Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Misfit teens in the process of forming a high school band learn life lessons and raise their goblets of rock. But there's enough of a strong filmmaking backbeat in Bandslam to carry the movie's light tune. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

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

  • 70
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Best of all is newcomer Connell, the kind of charismatic kid who would have been cast in "Freaks and Geeks" ten years ago. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times |

    Buoyant, gratifying and, yes, rocking. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    The least offensive teen movie in ages. Read full review

View more reviews for Bandslam on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 10+ Music-driven teen flick is feel-good fun for parents, too.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this music-filled high school flick stars tween favorites Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka,so expect interest from kids familiar with their Disney projects.Although it's rated PG and doesn't have any drinking/smoking, violence, or strong language, the movie deals with a few mature themes-- like bullying, an absentee father, a chronically ill parent, and theongoing quest for high school status. Be prepared for a few kisses, too (although nothing gratuitous), and product placement from the likes of Apple/iPod and Coke.
  • Families can talk about the bullying and social jockeying that occurs in high school. Does this movie offer an honest, accurate depiction of that? Kids: How do you deal with bullying and cliques?
  • Dealing with the absence and/or loss of a parent is a heavy issue. How does the movie depict these themes?
  • Whatmusical genres are mentioned in the movie? Kids: One of the main characters mentions how punk influencedlater generations of musicians. Who influenced your favorite musicians?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The band learns to put aside personal preferences to work together as a group, rehearsing day after day to meet Will's goals for them. Charlotte espouses her philosophy about doing what scares you most in order to confront your fears, and Will does just that, overcoming his shyness to meet new people.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Will is a good model of commitment -- to both goals and friends. He's true to his mother, Sa5m, and the band. The relationship between Will and his mom is sweet and realistic. Charlotte, although at one point a pretty negative role model, redeems herself in the movie's final scenes.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Not an issue
  • sex false2 Sex: Ongoing flirting between a few characters leads to a "practice kiss" between Will and a friend -- and later between Will and the girl he wants to date. A high school senior thinks Will's mom is "hot" and eventually plants a surprise kiss on her. A couple of kisses among the Bandslam crowd.
  • language false2 Language: Mild language includes "idiots," "oh my God," "morons," "nerds," etc.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Brands visible include Apple (Mac notebook and iPod), Twizzler, California Pizza Kitchen, Coke, Wikipedia, MTV, CBGB, and several other NYC tourist stops. Many musical acts are mentioned or played prominently throughout the film.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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