Rock of Ages
Published October 21, 2012
Film info
- Title Rock of Ages
- Director Adam Shankman
- Year 2012
- Run time 2hrs 3m
- Genres Drama, Music, Comedy, Romance
- Tagline Nothin' but a good time
In 1987 Los Angeles at the height of glam rock, infamous and outrageous rock star Stacee Jaxx performs at Hollywood's legendary Bourbon Room club as it faces its final countdown. Meanwhile, an aspiring musician and a small town girl meet pursuing their dreams of music fame. The story unfolds through high energy dancing and heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake and more.
Live Blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 0:38 | I get they are being rock and roll, but I cannot read that text! |
| 1:42 | Even in modern musicals, you can see a song coming a mile off. |
| 3:49 | She sounds like Britney. |
| 9:21 | That’s Alec Baldwin. In a role that is suspiciously like Pop. |
| 9:38 | We are trying to figure out whether Brand’s accent is meant to be Brummie or Liverpool. |
| 12:50 | I really thought he was going to introduce her as Catherine Zeta-Jones, hearing her character name was a surprise. |
| 15:55 | Things you never thought you’d see, Brand and Baldwin chest bumping. |
| 18:40 | Someone wants to stop the music? This is all so very familiar! |
| 19:45 | It’s officially the worst accent ever, comes and goes, but we think Liverpool. |
| 26:45 | Oh, backcombing. Painful. |
| 31:51 | You can’t do this one, Glee co-opted it already. |
| 40:29 | You shouldn’t meet your heroes, I guess! |
| 45:00 | He tells time like Mr C does. |
| 48:00 | There is far too much of Tom Cruise’s chest in this. |
| 52:45 | “Another rocker, asleep at the wheel, singing the same songs you did ten years ago.” That’s what the people want! |
| 1:00:05 | The accent changes by the word. |
| 1:01:28 | I don’t know if you can get the Rage in a musical? |
| 1:13:24 | Mary J with Williams sisters hair! |
| 1:23:32 | This is a bit more than a chest bump. Things you really never thought you’d see! |
| 1:25:42 | “Rock is dead but the pop thing is hot.” Wooo, can’t wait for the sequel then! |
| 1:29:40 | I like decision-making based on the flip of a coin. |
| 1:32:44 | “I wish that the true part were falser.” |
| 1:37:07 | A stripper and a boyband are not on the same level! |
| 1:41:41 | It’s the cutest! I’d marry him on the spot. |
| 1:54:09 | The Glee song ruins it. Otherwise I am totally on board. |
Conclusions
I had mostly forgotten about this musical - I think I wrote it off as cashing in on We Will Rock You’s fame, and never gave it a second thought. I was curious about the film, because I like anything that brings musicals more attention, but the idea of Tom Cruise strutting around as an aging rock star was a little off-putting.
It’s good! Well, no, that’s not true. It was terrible, dreadful, corny, silly, but totally brilliant at the same time. I really think Russell Brand’s accent was unfortunate, and it got to the point where every time he opened his mouth, we cringed. Post-film research proved it was meant to be Birmingham, like Ozzie Osbourne.
It’s hard to know what else to say. The singing was quite processed, but not overly-done Glee style. There were some surprises, some laughs, but it was quite predictable as musicals are. Overall, we really enjoyed it, for all it’s glorious rubbish-ness.
**Rating: **4/5
Rating: 4 / 5