watch Rock of Ages
A small town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip, while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.
Rock of Ages is a maniacal musical based on Chris D’Arienzo’s Broadway and West End hit and includes a star ensemble jettisoning their dignity to sing for their supper. It tells its slim tale through 80s rock songs. Dynamic and amusing, Rock of Ages is at best irresistibly idiotic and at worst brilliantly lousy.
1987 Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, Rock of Ages centers on two perky entertainers who fall in love while attempting to make it in the mad, bad music business. They’re Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and the Drew (Diego Boneta) who work at The Bourbon Room, a live music venue run by Dennis (Alec Baldwin) and his loyal sidekick Lonny (Russell Brand). It’s playing host to despondent rocker Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) followed by his sleazebag manager Paul (Paul Giamatti). Vowing to clean up the Strip is the Mayor’s uptight wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones).
Rock of Ages moves along but the screenplay is short of smarts and the requisite hits makes it often bizarre. While the kids are no better than alright, Zeta-Jones is aggressively terrible. At least Cruise seems to be channelling some authentic craziness – he’s more psycho-killer than sex god but it’s fascinating seeing this screen icon turn rock star. However it’s Baldwin and Brand who steal the show. Rock of Ages is as bouncy as a backcombed bouffant and as daft as the brush that styled it. watch new movies
