|
|
 |
 |
|
'THE ROCKER' MOVIE REVIEW
Category:
Movie Reviews
Posted:
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
 Director: Peter Cattaneo
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Will Arnet, Emma Stone, Josh Gad, Jason Sudeikis
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 102 minutes
MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for drug and sexual references, nudity and language.
Tagline: Opportunity Rocks
The Rocker = Rock Star x (School of Rock - The Rock)
|
 |
 Cleveland, Ohio is America's official home of rock 'n' roll. This fact of life has been cemented into the earth with the creation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Whether or not you agree with the notion that Cleveland gave birth to the first rock 'n' roll concert in U.S. history, or that the Forest City just happened to offer the best financial package, Cleveland stands as the nation's rock 'n' roll Capital, and at least these days, the birthplace of some seriously crappy music. Although The Rocker manages to deliver some pretty funny moments from its cast of talented actors, the music... ug... the music will pepper your ears with the popular sounds of radio-safe mediocrity.
 The Rocker's soundtrack revolves around the music of Teddy Geiger, another young aspiring pop tart whose songs are sure to divert young ears into decades of bad music choices. This is where the "rock" portion of The Rocker comes into serious question. It's hard to determine whether the Midwest has really bad taste in what rock 'n' roll has evolved into, or if it's due to the mediocre sounds that come from Geiger himself. When listening to some of his songs from his myspace page (which was a major promoter of this film), the term "rock" doesn't even come to mind. According to his bio, he gets plenty of airplay on nationwide radio stations, tons of coverage from publications like Seventeen magazine, and was nominated for "Best Love Song" for the 2006 Teen Choice Awards - all of which state a clear message to all fans of rock 'n' roll to remain out of earshot. When I think of rock 'n' roll, I think of bands like Led Zepplin, The Cramps, hell, even Billy Joel. Geiger's music is nothing short of the same boring music that has been fueling the big 5 for at least the past 15 years. I don't want to seem too hard on the guy, and I definitely don't want to discredit his talent, because he certainly has plenty of it. But to me, rock 'n' roll is sacred ground, and if you're going to put the term "Rock" in a title, you'd damn well better deliver.
*steps down from podium*
 That being said, although the music completely failed to "rock" my expectations, the acting completely made up for it. Rainn Wilson is a one-man show-stopper as Robert "Fish" Fishman, an aging patriot of the '80s hair-metal era, looks like a cross between Rick Allen of Def Leppard and Angus Young of AC/DC. Wilson is simply hilarious whether he's dousing himself with Jack Daniels while riding a tricycle into a community swimming pool, or playing the drums wearing only the sweat that beads from his pores, he doesn't skip a beat. Newcomer Josh Gad plays Matt, Fish's young nephew, and an aspiring keyboard player for his band A.D.D., rivals the token comedic fat-kid character of Superbad's Jonah Hill. Gad's method of comedy is as natural as it is unscripted. He has the kind of comedic delivery that can't be directed, and works perfectly with Wilson's goofiness. Emma Stone plays the mainstream-safe riot-gurrl role as Amelia, the band's bass player who has the hots for frontman Curtis (Geiger) and is too-cool to crack a smile about it.
 The story is nothing new, and can certainly be compared to that of Mark Wahlberg's 2001 flop Rock Star. Fishman (Wilson) is the drummer for the immensely popular Vesuvius, but is kicked out moments following their signing to a major record label. Fishman, riddled with failure, turns to a life of telemarketing. With no future, and no money, sets up his home in his sister's family's cramped attic. Ironically, Fishman's nephew, Matt (Gad), is struggling trying to find a talented drummer for their new band, A.D.D. Who could they possibly find to fill these shoes? Sparing the spoilers, I'm sure you can see where the story goes from there. The plot, by no means, is the guts of what makes this movie a decent laugh. It's the chemistry of the actors and their comedic talents that make The Rocker worthy of your purchase.
 This movie seemed to have a rough takeoff long before the Aug. 20 release date. It was originally scheduled to hit theaters in the middle of July, but due to the orgasmic success of The Dark Knight, I think Fox figured it best to hold off for a month and wait out the storm. The Rocker jumped on the viral bandwagon when Wilson created a Website called freejennanow.com, where in a myspace blog he claims to have kidnapped fellow The Office co-star Jenna Fischer, placed her in the trunk of his Firebird for two weeks, and refuses to release her until you spend $10.50 to see The Rocker. Along with a handful of celebrities playing along with the viral campaign, Wilson claims that until his demands are met, and The Rocker reaches 18.7 million bucks by midnight the following Sunday, she will continue her struggle to survie living only on small squirts of water, tartar sauce, and Pert Plus.
The Rocker is definitely a fun comedy, and worth the price of admission. Aside from the fact that the music was anything but rockin', its comedic storyline supplies plenty of bursting moments of spontaneous laughter, and enough fun to keep you entertained for an hour and a half.
- Micah E.
Bonus: I interviewed Emma Stone about her role in The Rocker. Go read it now and find out super important things you're dying to know about her!
 Double Bonus: Here is the hostage footage of Wilson in an Eddie Murphy mask, explaining his demands, because after all, nothing gets your point across better than cue cards and a piece of cardboard on your face.
|
|
|
|