Bandwagon

Like The Commitments and That Thing You Do, Bandwagon starts from the premise that four young misfit musicians can come together and make beautiful music in less than ideal conditions -- in this case, a garage in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. But first-time writer/director John Schultz is trying to make a film that captures the scruffiness and anti-commercial mythology of the American indie-rock underground, where making it big isn't always first on the list of priorities. "It's all about the songs," is the band's earnest motto.

So it's clear from the outset that fame and fortune are not in the cards for Circus Monkey -- instead, as they head out for a Southeast tour in a scrappy van behind a single on college radio, they find a trite lesson in the meaning of integrity and teamwork awaiting them at the end of the journey. The result is a tidy fairytale at odds with its gritty pretensions. The music, by local rocker Skeggy Kendall, is the best part. And he'd probably be the first to tell you that the world of indie rock is never as simple as Schultz makes it seem. Opens Friday at the Cable Car Cinema.

-- Matt Ashare