Bandslam (2009) on Netflix
Will Burton, a music-obsessed teenager, moves to New Jersey and enrolls at a new high school, where he meets Sa5m. Charlotte, a singer-songwriter, recruits him to manage her band for Bandslam.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.3/1015,701 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
Will Burton knows a lot about music and idolizes David Bowie. His mother Karen takes a new job, so he transfers to a school in New Jersey, glad to leave the bullying at his old one behind. At lunch he meets a girl who introduces herself as Sa5m, the 5 silent, and she explains Bandslam, a yearly contest whose winning band gets a recording contract. The two become friends. Charlotte Barnes, an older student and a singer-songwriter, is struck by how much Will knows about music and asks him to manage her rock and ska band. Her ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatly leads Glory Dogs, the group favored to win.
Cast
- Lisa Chungas Kim Lee (Keyboards)
- J.W. Wrightas Dylan Dyer (Glory Dogs Guitar) (as J.W. Wright II)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Bandslam (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Gaelan Connell landed the lead almost by accident. Liam Aiken had first been picked to play Will, and when Connell auditioned he was steered towards the cellist part because he played cello; director Todd Graff watched that cello audition and handed him the starring role instead.
- Vanessa Hudgens had her eye on the part of Charlotte and ended up as the deadpan Sa5m instead. She sang Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" at her audition and based the character on Wednesday Addams.
- Though the story is set in New Jersey, Todd Graff insisted on filming in Austin, Texas, because he wanted a city with a deep pool of live music to draw on.
- Aly Michalka missed the start of rehearsals because she was on tour with her sister AJ Michalka and Miley Cyrus. The scheduling worked out neatly, as the tour's final date was in Austin, where the film was being made.
