A good-time musical comedy-drama in British indie terms is always going to be a nice thing to check out – and in the tradition of BREAKING GLASS (1980), COYOTE UGLY (2000) and THE COMMITMENTS (1991) comes KAT AND THE BAND.
Even before people queue up to see this film, there is added appeal for music fans, not least in that the lead cast is headed up by McFly bassist Dougie Poynter, so there is already to some degree a built-in following that the film-makers can capitalise on in much the same way that the people behind BREAKNG GLASS did with Hazel O’Connor four decades before.
Seventeen year old schoolgirl Kat Malone (Ella Hunt, ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE) is an ambitious adolescent who blags her way into a gig at a top London bar with friend Jane (Jennifer Leong), where she sees new upcoming band Dollar Days, featuring bassist Alex (Poynter), who is pretty unhappy with the way things are going, not least in that his band’s drummer has just walked away from the band.
Chancing on bringing in untried drummer Sid (Idris Debrand), her desire to become a music manager and promoter is set in motion, thanks in part to a gig she organises for the band at an alternative venue called The Tumbledown, in which she manages to get above-capacity interest in the band.
Amidst all the brouhaha, Kat and Jane hang out reflecting at a local restaurant called Casablanca Cave and talk all things girls usually do.
Kat is still a pubescent girl at heart and in spirit with loftier ambitions than most peers her age and coupled with her own mother, Liz (Katherine Kelly), who has a lot of persistent desire for her to get the best education she can and the desire of her teachers, Kat faces all manner of challenges in her bid to be the next Harvey Goldsmith….
Directed by E.E. Hegarty from a screenplay by Jemma Field and Michael Muller, KAT AND THE BAND follows the traditional band-based music yarn narrative with the twist of a over-enthusiastic teen pulling the strings. It’s vibrant and enjoyable enough, with good performances all round, with Ella Hunt’s effervescent charisma shining through as she tries to solve all manner of problems along the way.
The music score is addictive enough and worth the price of entry – and McFly’s stock will certainly help awareness of the film as it enters the marketplace.
A toe-tapping teen tease of a film and a COMMITMENTS for this generation.
KAT AND THE BAND screens as the ‘Closing Night Gala’ at the London Independent Film Festival 2020.
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