Rock of Ages
For reasons that remain a mystery to me, the film has been completely altered almost top to bottom from the stage production. The plot has been changed and greatly watered down, certain characters have had their roles changed, some have been removed completely, new characters and plot points have been added (but don't bring anything useful), and even the song list is different, with some songs being used in a different context, and some from the original missing. And apparently someone involved with this film did not do their homework, as this homage to 80s music includes a song that came out in...gasp...1990!! What's most mysterious is that the play's original writer, Chris D'Arienzo, is credited as one of the three screenwriters. Why he wanted to completely change what worked so well is beyond me. Maybe he thought the new material was an improvement. All I know is that the number of changes is bound to disappoint fans of the original, leaving me to wonder why they were made in the first place.
As in the play, Rock of Ages tells the simple story of Drew (Diego Boneta) and Sherrie (Julianne Hough), two starry-eyed kids with big dreams of making it in the Hollywood rock music scene in 1987. The difference is how the story is told. In the original, characters constantly broke the fourth wall, reminding us that we weren't supposed to be taking this stuff seriously, and having fun with its own cliches. Here, the movie treats its cliched plot as if it's something we're supposed to care about. The two meet literally as Sherrie steps off the bus from her small town in Oklahoma, and Drew helps her get a job right away as a waitress at the Bourbon Room, a struggling night club run by the aging Dennis (Alec Baldwin), and his right-hand man, Lonny (Russell Brand). Both Drew and Sherrie have big dreams of singing professionally, and see the Bourbon Room as their best bet, as some great music acts were born here.
Unfortunately, the Bourbon Room has its share of troubles. Its drowning in debt, and the city's sleazy mayor (Bryan Cranston) is using his preachy, do-gooder wife (Catherine Zeta Jones) in his re-election campaign, having her speak out against sin and corruption in the city, and using the night club as the source of it all. With attendance dwindling, and religious protestors showing up outside the door, it seems that the only hope is the promise of the arrival of Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), a loopy and drugged out Axel Rose-like rocker who is the lead singer of one of the biggest rock bands out there, Arsenal. Stacee is on the verge of a solo career (mainly because his bandmates can't stand him, or his bizarre behavior anymore), and is planning to give one last concert with his band at the Bourbon Room, which just might save the joint.
In terms of casting, Tom Cruise gives a comically inspired performance as the eternally out of it Stacee Jaxx. Usually seen in the company of many beautiful women and a baboon whom he refers to as "Hey Man", Cruise's performance takes the satirical route that the rest of the film should have taken. Much like his performance a few years ago in Tropic Thunder, he's playing completely against type, and is obviously having a ball. It's a great character and performance, but unfortunately, the movie doesn't use it well. Jaxx's role has been changed and somewhat reduced from the original version. So, we get a great comedic performance looking for its rightful place in the film. Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand also get some good moments here, and have to be admired for their bravery, considering where the screenplay asks them to go in their relationship by the end of the film. You get the sense that these are the characters the movie should have been focusing on.
Instead, we focus on the two bland lovers, who have lost their satirical edge from the original, and come across as being as bland as the kids from the High School Musical films here. As Drew, Diego Boneta probably tries the hardest - He's likable, and can sing well. As for Julianne Hough as Sherrie, well, she doesn't create much confidence. She's a relative newcomer (her only major work so far has been in last year's Footloose remake), so maybe she'll get better over time, but here, she sometimes seems lost on screen, and her singing voice just isn't that powerful, especially when she's around people like Mary J. Blige. It certainly doesn't help that the two lack chemistry, and their scenes together fail to get us wrapped into their conventional love story. I found myself more interested in the characters around them, and wishing the camera would move away from them, and linger on Baldwin, Cruise, or Brand more.
I wish I could say that the musical numbers helped save the day, or at least add a spark of energy to the film, but they strangely don't. There's music from bands like Poison, Journey, Def Leopard, and Twisted Sister, and it's all sung well enough by the actors, but it just lacks that "blow the roof off" energy that you would expect in a film like this. Likewise, the choreography and the way these sequences are shot come off as flat. Maybe in this day and age of TV's Glee and singing competition shows, the novelty of old songs being covered today just doesn't stand out anymore. I was never bored, I just wasn't as impressed as I felt I should be.
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