It’s All About the Marketing

I began believing that my blog was turning into a horror film blog so I decided to intentionally write about a film that was not horror.  This is of course in preparation for another review on a horror film.  This is not that review.  In fact, this is a review of Bandslam.  It is true, I did watch this film.  I half expected a Disneyfied take on teen angst and music.  I also half expected Vanessa Hudgens to be the main star.  Well, that’s what all of the trailers and promotional pieces told me to expect.  What I didn’t expect was a film that was none of those things, but was a thoughtful film that was simply marketed wrong.

The film is about Will Burton (Gaelan Connell), a teen that has suffered much ridicule and is finally getting a chance to break free by transferring to a new high school.  While Will is certainly the central character (though the trailers would disagree), he becomes merely a mouthpiece for the other characters.  It’s not until much later in the film that we see his character’s own problems appear.  Will serves as a catalyst for the uncovering (and much later the resolution) of Charlotte’s (Alyson Michalka) personal struggles with life and death and Sa5M’s (Vanessa Hudgens) struggle with being someone that feels it’s necessary to spell their name with a number in it.  Through this process we are given a small treatise on “cool” music and the troubles of being a teenager.  That does sound familiar, but in this case it’s a much more adult version where the “being a teen” aspect carries more weight than not having the right shoes or fitting in.   However, the films is still aimed at teens which means we the adult perspective is tinged with more angst.

The film does venture into sketchy territory with the way in which Will is portrayed.  He is the everyman nerdy geek that has been played out in many teen films.  We get it, geeks rule and make the perfect lead role.  However, due to the late arrival of his back story, I became a bit annoyed.  There was never the magical connection between the viewer and Will, at least until the very end when his issues become central and come fast and furious.  This says nothing of Gaelan’s ability, but speaks more to problems in character development.  Then we have Vanessa Hudgens.  While I am glad that she is beginning the process of moving away from high school musicals, the direct attempt to be the anti-Gabrielle just does not work.  Her performance lacks the punch needed for a character named Sa5m.  More surprising was the way in which Alyson Michalka drove the story.  Her acting was more polished and really captured the needed emotional attitude needed by her character.  But all of these pale in comparison to Will’s mom, Karen Burton (Lisa Kudrow).  Kudrow steals the film partly due to her perfect fit for the role and partly due to her ability to weave comedic skill into even the most emotional of moments.  Perhaps this comes from being a parent, but you begin to feel that she is the glue that keeps this film from running afoul.  Teen movies need figures like her to be able to address more adult topics and move beyond just being a teen film.

Bandslam is well worth the watch because like so many films dealing with music, you find yourself singing and dancing along.  This is a testament to not only proper music choice but the fact that both Vanessa Hudgens and Alyson Michalka can sing.  If anyone has seen Nine, you know how important good singing can be.  While not a revolution of filmmaking, Bandslam fills the gap between teen film and adult drama.  We are given an emotional level not found in many teen films, while still being able to speak the language of youth.

So why did you not see Bandslam?  Perhaps the same reason I almost did not see Bandslam.  It was marketed to the Disney audience brought up on Selena Gomez and High School Musical.  While I have no doubt they did see the film, they surely did not view it again and again.  And what teen would have any concept of the importance of CBGBs (which Will has to explain ad nauseum to Sa5M) or why in the hell a band called Wilco has a song on the soundtrack.  However, this film falls between the gaps because many adults were turned off by the same reasons teens would be turned on.   With Hollywood pushing megahits and award winners relegated to “only pushed during awards season” status, it becomes difficult for films that are neither.  That in-between status of a film like Bandslam leaves the distributors with a major problem, should they push the marketing towards the Disney crowd or towards the tweeners?  Sadly, this film suffered due to this dilemma.  But don’t let that scare you away from watching Bandslam, even those films that fall through the cracks can be good solid films.