MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Rock of Ages’ far from rocks

The only thing that rocks about “Rock of Ages” is the music.

Tom Cruise stars as rocker Stacee Jaxx in the rock musical "Rock of Ages."

Many members of the audience will find themselves singing along to hits by Journey, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses and other classic ’80s rock bands. The songs are performed by what is, on paper, a great cast with the likes of Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand and Catherine Zeta-Jones, none of which do a poor job with the vocals.

Unfortunately, the positives pretty much stop there.

The film revolves around Sherrie (Julianne Hough), a small-town girl from Oklahoma, and Drew (Diego Boneta), an aspiring musician who works in L.A.’s famous Bourbon Room bar and concert venue. Both are looking to achieve their goals of becoming a rock ’n’ roll star, but obstacles lie in their path. Along the way, they meet the quintessential rock star in Stacee Jaxx (Cruise), who is everything that is right and wrong with the music industry at the time.

 

"rock of Ages,” originally a musical performed on Broadway, has come to the big screen but probably should have stayed on the stage. The music keeps the film interesting, but the acting is less than what you would expect from the talented cast, and the plot takes too many unnecessary detours.

The best example of a detour would be Patricia Whitmore (Zeta-Jones), who is the mayor’s wife in the film, and her feeble attempts to shut down the Bourbon Room and prove that rock ’n’ roll is the devils music. The main reason for having this element of the film is to provide some opposition to rock ’n’ roll, but way too many scenes are devoted to it.

In contrast, more of Cruise’s character is needed; two of the songs he performs, “Wanted Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi and “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard are two of the best in the film, but after Stacee’s original appearance at the Bourbon Room at the beginning, far too little is seen of him.

Because it is a musical, there is always going to be some focus on the vocals of the characters. Finding out that Baldwin and Cruise can sing a bit was actually a pleasant surprise. I assure you, the vocal talent of actors who do not normally sing is not the issue in the film, but more the acting that goes on outside of singing. Although musicals are known more for the songs and voices rather than pure acting, the fact is that this is a Hollywood movie with actors who have good reputations as actors.

Boneta and Hough have decent singing voices, but as far as I could tell can’t act a lick. Even Zeta-Jones, who is normally known for her good performances, comes up short. Anyone who saw her in “Chicago” would think that she would fit right in with this film, but that is not the case.

Another fatal flaw in this film is that it does not seem to know if it’s trying to be serious or funny. There are scenes in which it starts to get the audience to buy in, but then something weird or a quick plot jump will happen, leaving the viewer confused and a bit irritated. Also, the only characters the audience really gets to know are Sherrie and Drew; everyone else, including Stacee Jaxx, is left without a clear explanation of what they want or who they really are.