Bandwagon MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 1/2 Content: -3

Set in the North Carolina music scene, this is a rock'n roll road comedy about the way it really is for bands struggling to make it big without self-destructing. The film moves from mom's garage onto the road with Circus Monkey, a promising young band composed of four very distinct personalities. In the process it offers a sharp look at the pressures of the music industry and the often aberrant individuals who drive it. Circus Monkey's members -- Eric (Steve Parlevecchio), a hot-tempered bass player; Tony (Lee Holmes), a neurotic but charismatic singer-songwriter who can only practice in a closet; Wynn (Kevin Corrigan), a claustrophobic spaced-out guitarist; and Charlie (Matthew Hennessey), a naively enthusiastic long-winded drummer -- pack up their sputtering van for a road tour which brings them closer to each other than they ever wanted. Their manager, Linus, an enigmatic "miracle worker," lays plans for their future. Bandwagon will draw measly crowds at the box-office, mostly composed of starving rock musicians. Few others will relate or care about this film.

The bandmembers are lazy generation X-ers who can't hold down a job. But through their time on the road, they come to realize what it takes to make it. They learn that self-centeredness and destructive habits cause failure. They become wiser so that they can possibly experience success in the future. Unfortunately, they never show any evidence of using that wisdom. By the film's end, their band is crumbling because of selfishness and pettiness. Language causes the biggest problem for discriminating moviegoers as 25 crude words and 28 obscenities fill the dialogue. Several bar-room fights are included in which punching and pushing are featured. The bandmembers also drink and smoke, including marijuana. Viewers will be better off by staying off this BANDWAGON.

Preview Reviewer: Kristi Shepherd
Distributor: Cinepix Film Properties, 561 Broadway #12B, New York, NY 10012