Rock of Ages -
(June 15th, 2012): PG-13
Distributor: Warner
Bros. Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#3 with $14,437,269
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $29,376,840
Gross Revenue: $33,476,840
Production Budget:
$75 million
Directors: Adam Shankman
When you look at the success of
films like Moulin Rouge!, Hairspray, Mamma Mia!, there is no denying that there is a definite audience
for musical films, but none of these have ever been classified as a summer
blockbuster with mass appeal. Yet, when Rock of Ages was first introduced, it
looked like there would finally be a musical that females wouldn’t have to drag
their significant others to, as no one questions the masculinity of classic
rock. Beyond my own classic rock fandom,
I also had some pretty high expectations for Tom Cruise, because even though he
may not be the first name that jumps to mind when you think “musical,” he has
demonstrated unparalleled talent in portraying unconventional characters…remember
how entertaining Cruise was as Les Grossman in 2008’s Tropic Thunder? Now, while
the original Broadway musical may not be top-of-mind with most households,
Warner Bros.’ marketing efforts were primed to raise mass awareness, whether
that involved the trailers identifying the numerous classical bands that would
be featured, or the theater standees that encouraged patrons to Tweet photos and
videos of themselves rocking-out with a guitar replica and have their efforts
go viral. Different from anything that
has been featured in theaters for quite some time, Rock of Ages at least looked like it would be a fun experience at
the theater, and hopes were definitely riding high.
Set in 1987, Rock of Ages follows ambitious singer Sherrie Christian (Julianne
Hough) as she moves to Los Angeles and finds work at the popular nightclub “The
Bourbon Room,” with the help of barback Drew Boley (Diego Boneta), a struggling
singer himself; uniting with their shared passion, the two quickly build a
relationship. Though the club itself is
a haven for rock and roll purists, owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and
manager Lonny Barnett (Russell Brand) are struggling to pay the bills and
desperately trying to find a way to increase revenue. Salvation comes when the two business
partners are able to book legendary rocker Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), who will
give one last performance with his band before he and his manager, Paul Gill
(Paul Giamatti), embark on a solo career.
However, things begin to unravel as The Bourbon Room comes under attack
from a conservative religious group led by Patricia Whitmore (Catherine
Zeta-Jones), Jaxx’s credibility is damaged by a scathing article written by Rolling Stone journalist Constance Sack
(Malin Åkerman), and Sherrie and Drew’s relationship is damaged by an
unfortunate misunderstanding. Even
though several environmental factors threaten to permanently separate these
colorful characters, it is the mutual love of rock and roll that will unite
everyone to overcome any obstacle.
As I mentioned in the “Short and
Sweet” review, there aren’t exactly numerous accolades within Rock of Ages, as most of the elements
that would be inherently worthy of praise were beaten to death and subjected to
overuse; if focus had shifted ever so slightly, the end product would have been
much, much stronger. There were a few
rock mash-ups within the story that were executed with creativity and were
genuinely enjoyable to watch (for instance, I loved “We’re Not Gonna Take It”/ “We
Built This City”), but the fact remains that this type of music just doesn’t
fit the musical genre. It was a noble
effort, but there is a huge difference between watching one of these classic
songs performed, and having multiple characters break randomly into song; the
latter is unnatural in this case and fell victim to outright erroneous song
choice. As for the characters
themselves, Tom Cruise’s Stacee Jaxx is the clear front-runner, but his
burnt-out persona is only funny for a few scenes and grows irritating quickly;
and as much as I initially enjoyed the bromance between Alec Baldwin and
Russell Brand, a last-minute plot twist ruins that chemistry. If the film had chosen to feature more of the
songs as standalone performances within the narrative, and some of the
character personalities had been toned down, Rock of Ages would have been a far stronger and more enjoyable
musical film.
Now, as hard as it may be for you
to believe, the misfires I identified earlier are actually not the worst part
of Rock of Ages…that distinction goes
to the story itself, which is saturated with clichéd plot elements, throwaway
characters, and utterly useless story arcs.
The fact that The Bourbon Room is struggling to pay bills, that Sherrie
and Drew fall apart over a lack of communication, or that Jaxx commits a
selfless act to save a day, are all plot elements that have been seen hundreds
of times…I understand that this is an adaptation of a classic musical, but that
doesn’t mean that all creativity automatically goes out the door and that no
attempt be made to update certain elements of the story. As for the characters themselves, Bryan
Cranston and Mary J. Blige appear in roles that amount to little more than
cameos, but my biggest gripe involves Catherine Zeta-Jones herself, who,
through no fault of her own, delivers a downright embarrassing performance, one
that squanders the musical talent that she has showcased repeatedly in the past
(case-in-point: 2002’s Chicago). And, I hinted at this point earlier, but the
film should have focused exclusively on The Bourbon Room and the performances
the club featured, a fact that makes the overplayed romantic angle between
Sherrie and Drew completely useless and altogether distracting. So, in case I haven’t driven the point home
quite enough, the narrative of Rock of
Ages is horrendous, even by musical standards, and that fact is damning to
overall quality.
Early in this review, I commented
on my concern that Rock of Ages’ focus
on classic rock music may have unintentionally aged the project, and based on
the numbers, it looks like the unconventional musical’s efforts to move beyond
a traditional demographic were largely wasted.
A third place opening with under $15 million is one of the last things
you want to experience during the Summer Movie Season, especially in light of
the star-studded cast; and beating-out Adam Sandler’s latest cinematic suicide
is nothing to warrant a pat on the back.
Now, a sub-par opening doesn’t always spell demise for a film, but
lukewarm critical response, a near non-existent international presence, and
massive box office competition, doesn’t exactly make it easy to recover a $75
million production budget. With new
entries like Brave, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
splitting audiences, there is no real surprise that this newest musical slipped
to sixth place in its second week. In
the end, despite a few bright points that prevent the film from being a
complete disaster, Rock of Ages
remains a disappointment that cannot earn the classification of a must-see
without a few necessary tweaks.
Overall Recommendation: Low
