His motivations are thin, compared to Cruise's more traditional dramatic work, but watching Jaxx's journey play out is still pretty satisfying. Jaxx, a caricature mix of rock icons like Axl Rose and Jim Morrison, is also the only character in the entire production that's given a genuine narrative arc worth its onscreen time investment.
While many filmgoers were skeptical that Cruise would be able to pull off his singer/dancer act in Rock of Ages, the A-lister is (without question) the best part of the proceedings - and surprisingly, a pretty talented singer (depending on how much post-production work was applied to his recorded vocals). Again, this isn't a dismissal of the talent involved (nearly all of the musical performances are surprisingly sharp) but Rock of Ages is unapologetic about its goofy approach as a rock musical film mashup - evidenced by a slick rendition of Quarterflash's "Harden My Heart" taking place in an upscale strip club.įortunately, Cruise's Stacee Jaxx succeeds as the movie's only memorable addition - and one of 2012's most entertaining characters. the moment that Sherrie first starts belting out Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" while seated on a Greyhound bus).
JULIANNE HOUGHSEXY DANCE IN ROCK OF AGES MOVIE MOVIE
The focus works to the film's advantage, but anyone who isn't onboard with the camp factor will instantly be sucked out of the movie within the first two minutes (i.e.
Much of the onscreen action is intentionally tongue-in-cheek - prioritizing over-the-top choreography instead of grounded character drama. Nearly all of the actors give entertaining performances however, for filmgoers looking for "deep" characters or "believable" performances, Rock of Ages will no doubt leave a lot to be desired. Of course, the Jaxx concert doesn't go entirely as planned, and the characters are thrown into a number of compromising situations over the subsequent weeks - with only a love of Rock & Roll left to help them find their way back to musical (and personal) nirvana.Īs previously mentioned, Rock of Ages is a pretty campy affair that should appeal to fans of the musical genre. Despite the success of the concert hall, the Bourbon Room is on the verge of financial collapse - not to mention pressure from Mayor Whitmore (Bryan Cranston) and his wife, Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who ran on an anti-Rock & Roll platform - and must look to increasingly eccentric "Rock God," Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), to help save the club. Drew introduces Sherrie to the Bourbon Room's manager and owner, Lonny Barnett (Russell Brand) and Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) respectively, who reluctantly agree to hire the Los Angeles newcomer as a waitress. Moments after stepping off the bus, she gets mugged, and is quickly "saved" by busboy (and wannabe singer), Drew Boley (Diego Boneta), who works at the iconic Bourbon Room music venue. The final film is an awkward blend of comedy, drama, and musical mashups that, without taking the proceedings too seriously, does have a lot to offer - but is still difficult to recommend to moviegoers across the board.įor anyone unfamiliar with the Broadway show, the Rock of Ages film adaptation follows wannabe singer, Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) after she ditches her Oklahoma roots and arrives in 1987 Los Angeles - to become a rock and roll star. Despite thinly drawn (and overly familiar) narrative threads, some stilted performances and an overly long runtime, Rock of Ages is saved by a number of slick song and dance numbers as well as an especially entertaining performance by Tom Cruise as eccentric "Rock God" Stacee Jaxx. On the one hand, Rock of Ages has a lot to offer musical enthusiasts (as well as fans of the original Broadway show), but unfortunately, the film also has a lot of problems - problems that will definitely alienate outsiders to the genre. Juxtaposing entertaining song and dance numbers with equally satisfying character development and narrative payoff is especially tricky these days so does Rock of Ages ultimately deliver an engaging film experience for fans of the musical genre as well as enough core entertainment value to draw in less fervent newcomers?
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