Rock of Ages (based on the 2009 hit Broadway play of the same name) is a nostalgic look back at the big hair, power ballad laden days that were the 80’s. It pays tribute to everyone from Pat Benatar to Twisted Sister in a no holds barred romp that makes no apologies for its excesses. As far as plot goes there is nothing new here. It tells your basic story of a girl from the sticks who comes to the big city to try to make it big, meets a boy and faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles on her way to both love and success. Change the time and setting and one could easily see Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in the lead roles (Though I’m not sure Judy ever climbed aboard a stripper pole). Instead they are filled here by relative newcomers Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta. This is a movie that never met a cliché it didn’t love.
That being said, nobody buying a ticket to see this at the local cineplex is laying down their hard earned money to see the leads or get lost in a deep plot. They came to see Tom Cruise in hair extensions and a cod piece. They came to see Alec Baldwin in a wig. They came to see Russell Brand be, well, Russell Brand (though I’m not exactly sure why). They came to hear their favorite Journey, Reo Speedwagon, Night Ranger etc. songs revamped and retooled into big production numbers. They came because they are fans of the play and wanted to see if director Adam Shankman could recapture the same magic he had with his successful adaption of Hairspray in 2007.
As mentioned before, the plot offers very little here so the success of this movie depends on the performances of its players. In the lead roles of Sherrie Christian and Drew Boley (who meet, fall in love, have a misunderstanding and get lost in their pursuits of making it in this cruel world only to find out that what they really needed all the time was each other) Hough and Boneta do an adequate job. They both look nice on the screen and they sing the songs well. What they don’t have though are the chops or the chemistry to stand out in the middle of a big, loud production with a star studded cast and make you really care about what happens to them. We are far more interested in what the next song is going to be. They are drowned out by the likes of Alec Baldwin playing worldly wise and financially stressed club owner Dennis Dupree, his sidekick Lonny played by Russell Brand. Katherine Zeta Jones is a vengeful rock and roll hating crusader assisted by Bryan Cranston her mayor husband (who once more indulges in his penchant for appearing on screen in his tighty whiteys). Paul Giamatti is great as usual as a slimy talent manager while Malin Akerman plays a bespectacled yet simmering reporter. All have their moments to shine and when called upon to sing do so with gusto and, most likely with the help of autotune, on pitch.
The key performance though is that of Tom Cruise as aging and possibly fading rock god Stacee Jaxx. The only time I can remember hearing Cruise sing in a movie was his destruction of You Lost that Loving Feeling in Top Gun so I was not overly confident in his ability to crank out some of the 80’s most iconic tunes in a convincing manner. I wouldn’t call his performance over the top but he brings an intensity to it that won’t diffuse any notions that he is possibly a bit unhinged. He commits to the role and he makes us believe in it too. He also carries off the singing very well. I’m not sure how much help he got from the boys in the sound editing room in post-production but I don’t think fans of Guns and Roses and the other bands covered by his performance are going to take to the streets in protest. I can honestly say I can’t think of any other actor who could have carried this part and with it the weight of the movie as well as Cruise did.
As for the music itself, I don’t have any real complaints. There are plenty of sing along moments and even some standout performances. I particularly liked Katherine Zeta Jones and her church ladies’searing rendition of Hit Me With Your Best Shot and the Greyhound bus occupants spontaneously combusting into Night Ranger’s Sister Christian. Also you won’t be able to forget Baldwin and Brand’s interpretation of I Can’t Fight This Feeling (though they may have ruined the song for me forever). What I never got though was a goose bump inducing moment that one would expect to get from this kind of movie. At times I felt like there was so much going on during the musical numbers that the music got a little lost. I have never seen the play but something tells me that over all this would work better in a live performance. So while the songs were fun I didn’t find myself totally engaged.
If you’re looking to be totally blown away then Rock of Ages is going to be a disappointment. But, if you can keep your expectations to a reasonable level there isn’t any reason why it can’t be a fun night at the movies. Rock on!
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