I was a bit trepidatious going in to see “Rock of Ages,” the new film about a guy, a girl, and a band set in 1987. The story in the film is quite a simple one, however, “Rock of Ages” is not about the story, so the more comfortable you are knowing that going into the film, the better off you will be as far as your enjoyment of the film is concerned.
Julianne Hough, who I admit, I knew nothing about, which is probably best, plays Sherrie Christian, a girl from Oklahoma who travels to Hollywood to find fame and fortune. Diego Boneta, who I know equally as little about as Julianne Hough, plays Drew Boley, a young man who works at a music club owned and operated by Dennis Dupress (Alec Baldwin). Here is a big surprise---Drew has his own band and also wants to become famous. “Rock of Ages” takes place in a two day time frame, which is a very good idea as far as structuring goes. The film is not interested in character development. Usually, this is not wise, however, “Rock of Ages” is not about character development or profound storytelling. It is about the music and the fun of seeing people like Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Bryan Cranston, and even Paul Giamatti sing 80’s songs.
The film, as mentioned, takes place in 1987. It is based on a musical by Adam Shankman. Shankman also directs this film version of his show. What works best in the film is the placement of the 1980’s songs. None of the musical numbers, which are all popular songs from the 80’s, are forced or seem shoehorned into the action. This, I believe, would be a very difficult thing to achieve, that is, directing a movie musical and being able to place the musical numbers at just the right time in the film. The same perfect placement of songs into a musical can be seen in the film versions of “Grease,” “Hair,” “Chicago,” and the fantastic 1972 film, “1776.” In these films, the songs and music flow seamlessly into the action of the film. “Rock of Ages” is not of the caliber of these other four films, however, it is one of the better musicals I have seen. The musical numbers are full of positive energy and they move the plot along, as songs in a musical are supposed to do. It appears that the entire cast enjoys their chance to sing onscreen. We have seen some of the cast members sing in films before. Catherine Zeta-Jones was very good in “Chicago.” Tom Cruise sang in “Magnolia.” Remember that great scene in “Magnolia,” in which the entire cast is shown, one at a time, singing the Aimee Mann song, “Wise Up?” That was a great scene in a wonderful film.
Another great thing about “Rock of Ages” is it’s flawless attention to detail. I almost always notice any imperfection in a period film, especially when a film made in 2012 is set in 1975 or 1985, etc. Usually, there will be a line of dialogue which will not match the time period. For instance, a character in a film set in 1975 will say he or she waited “online” for tickets to a movie. Regardless of time period, this is a horrible misuse of that word, but the idea of anything being “online” has become prevalent only in the last twenty years. Anyway, enough of my rattling on about the English language, a once proud system of communication, which is dying a horrible death as we speak. Every set, outdoor scene, costume, looked authentic, true to the year in which the film was based. Only one thing bugged me, however, my attention to music began to wane around the late 1980’s so this thing that bothered me may be correct after all. The character of Drew (Diego Boneta), near the end of the film, joins a boy band, a new and alarming phenomenon that, we all rememeber, began at that time. In one of the closing numbers in the film, Drew is wearing one of those ridiculous over the ear microphones that always make singers look like they are taking phone orders from somebody. Since my music awareness waned in the late 80’s, due to the quality of popular music badly dwindling around that time, I may have not noticed that these silly over the ear microphones may have begun being used around this time. Madonna was the first artist I remember using these. That was in the early 90’s, I think. Anyway, that is not a big issue. I did enjoy the film’s attitude towards the intrusion of the boy band into the popular music scene. The film basically gives this entire notion the finger, a feeling for which I am in complete agreement. I think the film understands and, I know I understand, that music does evolve, however, in that evolution must come quality, not the lazy sameness that has plagued the music industry for the last twenty years. Obviously, there are some exceptions, however, there are not that many exceptions.
Anyway, back to “Rock of Ages.” The entire cast seems to be having a great time. The two leads, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, are very good in their roles. Neither seem to be suffering from a lack of talent, which is refreshing. One minor concern is the continued underuse of Bryan Cranston. I am 100 percent certain that anyone who watches the first few episodes of his tv series, “Breaking Bad,” will have know doubt that he is one of the most talented actors working in the film/tv industry today. As shows like “Breaking Bad,” “Dexter,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Six Feet Under,” have shown us, there is some wonderful writing and acting going on on television these days, some which is as good as anything you would discover in a movie. Cranston’s talent is on display on every episode of “Breaking Bad,” and it astonishes me that his talent is not used more often in films. He was underused in the 2011 film, “Drive,” as well.
Despite this, “Rock of Ages” is a good film. All of the performances are great and not forced. There is no overreaching for some extra bit of goofiness by any of the performers in the film. I believe it is understood that the humor in the film is in the premise of the film. It is a musical set in 1987 with all 1980’s songs used. That is why it is fun. It is not profound and thought-provoking. It does not try to be so and that’s ok. It’s just fun watching Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, and Paul Giamatti sing. The best musical number is one performed by Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand. You will know why. Malin Ackerman's hair is perfect in this film. She and Tom Cruise share another memorable scene which worked quite well for it's intention. See “Rock of Ages.” It is not overbearing and it does not overstay it's welcome. It's just a lot of fun.
Julianne Hough, who I admit, I knew nothing about, which is probably best, plays Sherrie Christian, a girl from Oklahoma who travels to Hollywood to find fame and fortune. Diego Boneta, who I know equally as little about as Julianne Hough, plays Drew Boley, a young man who works at a music club owned and operated by Dennis Dupress (Alec Baldwin). Here is a big surprise---Drew has his own band and also wants to become famous. “Rock of Ages” takes place in a two day time frame, which is a very good idea as far as structuring goes. The film is not interested in character development. Usually, this is not wise, however, “Rock of Ages” is not about character development or profound storytelling. It is about the music and the fun of seeing people like Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Bryan Cranston, and even Paul Giamatti sing 80’s songs.
The film, as mentioned, takes place in 1987. It is based on a musical by Adam Shankman. Shankman also directs this film version of his show. What works best in the film is the placement of the 1980’s songs. None of the musical numbers, which are all popular songs from the 80’s, are forced or seem shoehorned into the action. This, I believe, would be a very difficult thing to achieve, that is, directing a movie musical and being able to place the musical numbers at just the right time in the film. The same perfect placement of songs into a musical can be seen in the film versions of “Grease,” “Hair,” “Chicago,” and the fantastic 1972 film, “1776.” In these films, the songs and music flow seamlessly into the action of the film. “Rock of Ages” is not of the caliber of these other four films, however, it is one of the better musicals I have seen. The musical numbers are full of positive energy and they move the plot along, as songs in a musical are supposed to do. It appears that the entire cast enjoys their chance to sing onscreen. We have seen some of the cast members sing in films before. Catherine Zeta-Jones was very good in “Chicago.” Tom Cruise sang in “Magnolia.” Remember that great scene in “Magnolia,” in which the entire cast is shown, one at a time, singing the Aimee Mann song, “Wise Up?” That was a great scene in a wonderful film.
Another great thing about “Rock of Ages” is it’s flawless attention to detail. I almost always notice any imperfection in a period film, especially when a film made in 2012 is set in 1975 or 1985, etc. Usually, there will be a line of dialogue which will not match the time period. For instance, a character in a film set in 1975 will say he or she waited “online” for tickets to a movie. Regardless of time period, this is a horrible misuse of that word, but the idea of anything being “online” has become prevalent only in the last twenty years. Anyway, enough of my rattling on about the English language, a once proud system of communication, which is dying a horrible death as we speak. Every set, outdoor scene, costume, looked authentic, true to the year in which the film was based. Only one thing bugged me, however, my attention to music began to wane around the late 1980’s so this thing that bothered me may be correct after all. The character of Drew (Diego Boneta), near the end of the film, joins a boy band, a new and alarming phenomenon that, we all rememeber, began at that time. In one of the closing numbers in the film, Drew is wearing one of those ridiculous over the ear microphones that always make singers look like they are taking phone orders from somebody. Since my music awareness waned in the late 80’s, due to the quality of popular music badly dwindling around that time, I may have not noticed that these silly over the ear microphones may have begun being used around this time. Madonna was the first artist I remember using these. That was in the early 90’s, I think. Anyway, that is not a big issue. I did enjoy the film’s attitude towards the intrusion of the boy band into the popular music scene. The film basically gives this entire notion the finger, a feeling for which I am in complete agreement. I think the film understands and, I know I understand, that music does evolve, however, in that evolution must come quality, not the lazy sameness that has plagued the music industry for the last twenty years. Obviously, there are some exceptions, however, there are not that many exceptions.
Anyway, back to “Rock of Ages.” The entire cast seems to be having a great time. The two leads, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, are very good in their roles. Neither seem to be suffering from a lack of talent, which is refreshing. One minor concern is the continued underuse of Bryan Cranston. I am 100 percent certain that anyone who watches the first few episodes of his tv series, “Breaking Bad,” will have know doubt that he is one of the most talented actors working in the film/tv industry today. As shows like “Breaking Bad,” “Dexter,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Six Feet Under,” have shown us, there is some wonderful writing and acting going on on television these days, some which is as good as anything you would discover in a movie. Cranston’s talent is on display on every episode of “Breaking Bad,” and it astonishes me that his talent is not used more often in films. He was underused in the 2011 film, “Drive,” as well.
Despite this, “Rock of Ages” is a good film. All of the performances are great and not forced. There is no overreaching for some extra bit of goofiness by any of the performers in the film. I believe it is understood that the humor in the film is in the premise of the film. It is a musical set in 1987 with all 1980’s songs used. That is why it is fun. It is not profound and thought-provoking. It does not try to be so and that’s ok. It’s just fun watching Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, and Paul Giamatti sing. The best musical number is one performed by Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand. You will know why. Malin Ackerman's hair is perfect in this film. She and Tom Cruise share another memorable scene which worked quite well for it's intention. See “Rock of Ages.” It is not overbearing and it does not overstay it's welcome. It's just a lot of fun.
I agree Brand/Baldwin were great and Tom Cruise totally goes for broke. But this movie is not rock n roll. It physically pained me to endure the two young leads and the watering down of already watered down psuedo-rock didnt help. The humor was hit and miss. Some good moments but some cringe-worthy ones as well.
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