“Rock Star” – R – In Theaters Now!
What I didn’t expect when I walked in to see this film was that I would suddenly feel old! As I was watching the 30 plus crowd wander in to also see the movie, I aged tremendously! Was I really one of these people so excited to see a movie about 80’s rock n’ roll? Yes, Yes I was!
The Story:
The year is 1985. Chris Cole (MarkWahlberg) has been in a band with his friends for a long time. They are a tribute band to the heavy metal group “Steel Dragon.” Chris idolizes the lead singer, Bobby Beers, and imitates him perfectly on stage. When his friend, Rob (Timothy Olyphant) wants to start incorporating their original music into the band, Chris freaks out. He wants everything to be like “Steel Dragon.” The band kicks Chris out! A few days later Chris receives a phone call from Kirk Cuddy (Dominic West) from “Steel Dragon.” They are replacing the infamous Bobby Beers (Jason Flemyng) and want Chris to try out for the band. Chris gets the gig for doing just what he has been doing all these years, mimicking Bobby. Chris brings along his longtime girlfriend, Emily (Jennifer Aniston) on the road. She has been his manager and biggest supporter all along and realizes his star potential. But life on the road is not easy for either of them. Sex, Drugs, Rock n’ Roll and everything else Chris has heard about being on the road is now in his life. What will happen when this wanna-be rock star gets to be this huge heavy metal sensation?
The Movie:
John Stockwell wrote “Rock Star” and Stephan Herek directed. Five original songs were specially written for the band “Steel Dragon.” The musicians in the band are famous for their days with ‘Dokken, ’ ‘Ozzy Osbourne’ and ‘Black Sabbath.’ Although I am not, nor have ever been, a fan of heavy metal, the songs done for this movie were fantastic. Mark Wahlberg actually did about 30% the vocals. (He had previous music experience with ‘Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.’) There were also additional 80’s tunes by ‘Kiss, ’ ‘Bon Jovi, ’ ‘Motley Crue’ and many more. The soundtrack is well worth purchasing. Mark Wahlberg was sensational! He is, in my humble opinion, one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood today. His portrayal of the wanna-be rocker was extremely convincing and endearing. The character wasn’t just a bad rocker; it had substance. He had close family ties and real feelings and relationships that were expressed beautifully by Wahlberg. I was so impressed with him in this movie! Another great performer was Jennifer Aniston. She was given the task of making the audience love her and she succeeded. It was her first chance as the ultimate leading lady in a bigger budget film and she pulled it off. No matter how well the movie does, she will have the experience of this role under her belt. PLUS, if things don’t work out with Brad Pitt, she already has a back-up! Her on-screen chemistry with Wahlberg was breath taking.
Now about the movie itself, it could have been better. The story, even though very cliché, was great. The problem I found was that they spent TOO much time on the music and never really got around to telling the whole story. You see Chris’ rise to the top only by flashes of dates. You never learn how he handles the success or how he and Emily handle their relationship during it. You do get to watch a make shift concert with Wahlberg as the singer, but they forgot to incorporate all the aspects of the main character’s growth into the script. If I were rating this movie on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best), I would give it an average rating of a 3 . . . BUT because of the sensational job done by Mark Wahlberg, it is instantly bumped up to a 4! And Yes, I am recommending this movie. With one hot sex scene and all the memories of the 80’s, I thought that “Rock Star” was worth seeing! Enjoy!
©2001 KAC