Rock of Ages
I think the easiest way for me to explain my thoughts on this movie is to just go down a list of “likes” and “don’t likes.”
1) I LOVE the music that Chris D’Arienzo, who wrote the original Broadway music this is based on, chose for his characters to break out into song with. “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Paradise City,” “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” “Here I Go Again,” “I Love Rock and Roll,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” and many more. Whether I listened to it growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, or have come to appreciate it greater in adulthood, this is some truly, kick-ass music. Why can’t more music nowadays be this powerful?
2) Despite my affection for the tunes, culling from existing music, rather than creating an original songbook for his tale of dreamers and decadence in 1987 Hollywood, D’Arienzo (who co-wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Allan Loeb) almost assured that his 2005 musical, when brought to the screen, would feel less like a Broadway phenomenon come to life on screen (as happened with director Adam Shankman’s 2007 adaptation of “Hairspray”) and more like “Rock Band: The Movie.” Seriously, guys: this movie looks less like it was art directed based on 1980s LA, and more like the sets and costume designs were lifted from the hit video game franchise. Tsk tsk tsk…
3) The cast is committed to the film’s cause, though, and they give it their vocal all in going through the karaoke motions. As the small town girl, following her dreams to the big city, Julianne Hough is sweet and sexy as Sherrie Christian, who loves the music, and before long finds herself waitressing at the legendary Bourbon Room on Sunset Strip, where the owner (Alec Baldwin) is drowning in debt; the sound guy (Russell Brand) is enthralled by the sanctity of rock history; and the bartender (Diego Boneta), who also carries his own dreams of rock stardom, quickly becomes her soulmate. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Sherrie and co. is Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones, in her most lively and entertaining role since “Chicago”), the hard-line conservative wife of the mayor who preaches the gospel of positive family values, and would like nothing more than to see rock and roll sent to the fires of Hell itself.
The object of these character’s deepest affection, or loathing, is Stacee Jaxx, the rock God singer of the band Arsenal who is hitting the Bourbon Room for his last show before embarking on a solo career. This is one of Tom Cruise’s most bizarre, and kind of brilliant, performances, on par with his whacked-out work in “Tropic Thunder” and his galvanizing, Oscar-nominated work in “Magnolia.” For this life-long Guns-N-Roses fan, it was a particular pleasure to realize that Cruise’s Jaxx, especially in his spaced-out introductory scenes, is basically a fictionalized version of GNR’s notoriously difficult lead singer, Axl Rose, and that insular, insecure wild man characterization drives Jaxx throughout the rest of the film, even after we see a more conventional arc come into focus when Jaxx, having been goaded on by a perky-but-tough Rolling Stone reporter (Malin Akerman), realizes he’s lost sight of the beauty of rock and roll, and the power it can have to inspire. Cruise is phenomenal on all accounts in a fearless, wickedly funny performance. Why, exactly, does he not have an Oscar yet?
4) Ultimately speaking, “Rock of Ages” is like many other films before it, in that it gets right to the heart and soul, not to mention the absurdity, of what makes rock and roll such a potent force for people. In that way, it compares favorably to everything from “School of Rock” and “Almost Famous” to “High Fidelity” and “This is Spinal Tap.” However, in its overly-simplistic narrative, and Saturday night Karaoke approach, to the material, Shankman’s film lacks the force and cathartic feeling that comes from those movies. Still, I wouldn’t mind putting this soundtrack on repeat, ’cause what can I say? Something about these silly, stupid songs still gets to me everytime.
