LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Rock of Ages Hit Me With Your Best Shot?


Photo Warner Bros

Rock of Ages, based on the Broadway play, tells the story of two young adults, small town girl Sherrie played by Julianne Hough (Burlesque, Footloose) and city boy Drew portrayed by Diego Boneta (90210) who move to Hollywood to pursue their dreams of stardom. Unlike most musicals, their tale is told through the rock 'n' roll '80s "hair" bands such as Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Night Ranger, Poison, Twisted Sister, Journey, Whitesnake and so many more. If you grew up in the '80s you know these groups and their hit records. Not being a fan of musicals I really wanted to enjoy this film for nostalgic reasons.

Rock of Ages assembled an amazing cast that is like a fine-tuned guitar. It includes Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand, and the talented Paul Giamatti. Just because a movie has a lot of talent attached doesn't mean the film will translate on to the big screen, and Rock of Ages is a little off tune. Yes, there are some enjoyable scenes like Catherine Zeta-Jones's rendition of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and Tom Cruise belting out Bon Jovi's hit "Wanted." However, the movie just does not come together like a good rock band. Alec Baldwin as the club owner of the Bourbon Room located on Sunset Strip and Russell Brand as his side kick are very funny in the film and they help break up some of the awkward moments. Rock of Ages is directed by Alan Shankman, who also directed the 2007 remake of Hairspray, which also fell short of expectations.

If you are a fan of '80s rock music and can remove yourself from reality for two hours you will enjoy Rock of Ages. If you are thinking a quality musical like Grease or West Side Story you are expecting too much. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!

Derek Zemrak is a Film Critic, Film Producer and Founder of the California Independent Film Festival. You can follow Derek on Twitter @zemrak for the latest Hollywood news.