Rock of Ages
Director: Adam Shankman
By Alex Watson
Musicals in Hollywood these days are hot property and whenever they are brought to our screens, the crowd sings along and stars are born. But this week we turn to a very different kind of musical, Rock of Ages has been a hit in London’s West End for some years now with its selection of 80’s nostalgia songs by Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and White Snake among others. When a Hollywood version was announced some have merely dismissed it as a celebrity sing-a-long. In wake of the success of hit musical television show Glee, can Hairspray director Adam Shankman repeat the success of the stage?
Rock of Ages is set in 1987 Los Angeles, can era where rock is king and the crowds go wild. Small town girl Sherrie (Julianne Hough) arrives in LA with her heart set on fame, on her first night she meets fellow fame hunter Drew (Diego Boneta) who works as a barman at the notorious The Bourbon Room. The venue is having financial difficulties and the owner Dennis (Alec Baldwin) wishes that his love of rock and roll could keep it alive. Things aren’t helped by the mayor’s conservative wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) wanted to close it down! Meanwhile rock idol Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) has stop writing songs and now his crazy persona has grown out of control, but his last gig holds the hopes of club!
The charm of Rock of Ages is undeniable and the impressive ensemble blends together magnificently. Some might dismisses this as another conveyor belt hit where originality has long departed, but the collection of old hits captures every possible feeling and as we watch Tom Cruise belt out ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ by Bon Jovi you will have to fight to stop your head nodding to the beat. It is to the credit of director Adam Shankman for keeping this film so fresh rather than giving us a 1980’s musical.
Although the plot has been done to death before (small town girl finds fellow fame seeker, one goes big and other doesn’t- soon problems are had!), the central romance makes the screen sparkle and the characters of Sherrie and Drew have enough to them to make us wanted to see them through. But the descent of the central characters is a point of intrigue; Drew’s rock dream stagnates to the point where he reluctantly joins a boy band! While Sherrie’s demise forces to seek another extreme side of entertainment. But its story of Stacee Jaxx that holds the main attention.
Through Shankman, we are shown a fallen idol that is truly lost in a haze of booze and groupies! The magic of the music has been lost to him and through his oily manager (Paul Giamatti) he merely gets by through being outrageous. It’s only when journalist Constance (Malin Akerman) hits him with some home truths that he is forced to take another look at his idol status. Though he is a thin veiled take on Guns N Roses singer Axl Rose, Jaxx provides Rock of Ages with some its key comic moments.
Boneta and Hough make a lovely central pairing and their vocal duets elevate the movie above normal, their star status has been noted and time will tell how they go from here. Alec Baldwin is entertaining as weary club owner Dennis and his scenes with his partner in crime Lonny (Russell Brand) gives a very un-likely romance as the film progresses. But its Cruise that brings the screen alive the infamous Jaxx, from the very moment he was cast, critics were questioning his singing ability- well it seems little Tommy sure can sing! His character is the kind of rocker of you will kill to party with, especially as he has a servant monkey called Hey Man. This role brings another side to Cruise’s star status and I hope he revisits this genre in the future.
I am going to put my masculinity on the line here and admit that Rock of Ages is one of my favourite films of the year so far! It might seem like a glorified mega star karaoke but it has a heart that is undeniable and will guarantee that you like the cinema with a grin to rival the Cheshire Cat. As the tag-line suggests its ‘Nothin but a Good Time’.
Closer to the Edge 