Julianne plays Sherrie, an Okie whose grandmother advised her that if she ever wanted to make her mark she'd have to leave her home state. Sherrie has at least two things going for her: drop dead gorgeous looks and a voice that can hit all the right notes. The story, at its core, is a boy-meets-girl affair, so of course Sherrie meets handsome Drew (Diego Boneta) within thirty-three seconds after she has stepped off the bus in LA. She bats her big eyelashes at Drew, telling him she's down to her last few bucks. Naturally he gets her a job at The Bourbon Room, the place where he works as a barback. The Bourbon Room is a huge bar that features live rock music. It is owned by Dennis (Alec Baldwin), whose right hand man is Lonny (Russell Brand). With Baldwin and Brand in the cast, you just know that there'll be plenty of laughs. For example, at some point those two guys end up singing REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" to each other. Is this a bromance, a drunken bender, something more or something less?
Things get complicated when Lonny books rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) to play The Bourbon. Stacee has been known to be a no-show at several of his gigs, and it's all his manager, Paul (Paul Giamotti), can do to keep him halfway sober and get him to care enough to show up. Dennis needs a big gate from Stacee's concert to keep The Bourbon financially afloat. The first sign of trouble is when Dennis and Lonny have to scramble at the last minute to find a warm-up band for the big show. Good thing Drew, the barback, is ready with his electric guitar and bandmates to fill in.
This is a movie that does not take itself seriously. The set-up for the first encounter of Sherrie and Drew is so bogus it's laughable. As in any film romance, the boy is at some point going to lose the girl, but in "Rock Of Ages" the misunderstanding which causes the breakup is equally bogus. There is also a pretty blonde reporter (Malin Akerman) from Rolling Stone Magazine who shows up at The Bourbon to interview Stacee. She's wearing oversize glasses, and you know it's just a matter of time before she falls for Stacee, letting down her hair and shedding her glasses (and articles of clothing) in the process. Additional comic scenes are provided by Catherine Zeta-Jones playing the mayor's wife. She is outraged by the decadence in evidence at The Bourbon Room, and goes on the offensive to shut it down. (Notice how this endeavor reminds us of Julianne Hough's other major film, "Footloose"?) My favorite scene in the movie takes place in a small church, where Zeta-Jones leads a group of women in a spirited rendition of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" while the church organist provides musical accompaniment. I did not want that scene to end. If you're not convinced that all these things are ludicrous, consider this: A key component of the plot is that one of the biggest classic rock anthems of all time, "Don't Stop Believin'," was penned by Drew!
The soundtrack for this movie is hard to beat. There are large doses from the classic rock era, including songs made famous by Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Journey, to name a few. The actors appear to be singing themselves, or else they are doing a very credible job of lip synching. I exited the theater with a worn out ankle. My foot had been tapping for two solid hours.
Things get complicated when Lonny books rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) to play The Bourbon. Stacee has been known to be a no-show at several of his gigs, and it's all his manager, Paul (Paul Giamotti), can do to keep him halfway sober and get him to care enough to show up. Dennis needs a big gate from Stacee's concert to keep The Bourbon financially afloat. The first sign of trouble is when Dennis and Lonny have to scramble at the last minute to find a warm-up band for the big show. Good thing Drew, the barback, is ready with his electric guitar and bandmates to fill in.
This is a movie that does not take itself seriously. The set-up for the first encounter of Sherrie and Drew is so bogus it's laughable. As in any film romance, the boy is at some point going to lose the girl, but in "Rock Of Ages" the misunderstanding which causes the breakup is equally bogus. There is also a pretty blonde reporter (Malin Akerman) from Rolling Stone Magazine who shows up at The Bourbon to interview Stacee. She's wearing oversize glasses, and you know it's just a matter of time before she falls for Stacee, letting down her hair and shedding her glasses (and articles of clothing) in the process. Additional comic scenes are provided by Catherine Zeta-Jones playing the mayor's wife. She is outraged by the decadence in evidence at The Bourbon Room, and goes on the offensive to shut it down. (Notice how this endeavor reminds us of Julianne Hough's other major film, "Footloose"?) My favorite scene in the movie takes place in a small church, where Zeta-Jones leads a group of women in a spirited rendition of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" while the church organist provides musical accompaniment. I did not want that scene to end. If you're not convinced that all these things are ludicrous, consider this: A key component of the plot is that one of the biggest classic rock anthems of all time, "Don't Stop Believin'," was penned by Drew!
The soundtrack for this movie is hard to beat. There are large doses from the classic rock era, including songs made famous by Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Journey, to name a few. The actors appear to be singing themselves, or else they are doing a very credible job of lip synching. I exited the theater with a worn out ankle. My foot had been tapping for two solid hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment