Rock of Ages (2012) * * *

Directed by:  Adam Shankman

Starring:  Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston


I love 80's music.    No coincidence I was a teenager in the 80's and the music brings back fond and not-so-fond memories.    I'm not always a big fan of musicals.    In some cases, if the songs aren't working for me, I zone them out until the characters begin speaking dialogue again.    What's fun about Rock Of Ages is that I know all of the songs by heart and the actors have fun singing them.    The story won't win any points for originality, but it's interesting enough.    The plot is merely an excuse to hang the songs on anyway.

The film opens at a seedy LA nightclub, circa 1987, run by Dennis (Baldwin) and his right-hand-man Lonnie (Brand).    The drinks flow, the music rocks, and the place packs them in.    Despite this, Dennis hasn't paid taxes in a year and is counting on a show by the band Arsenal to bail him out.    Arsenal is fronted by Stacie Jaxx (Cruise), who is jaded, perpetually drunk, and bored.    He also pals around with a monkey named "Hey Man", who seems to know exactly what drink Stacie needs when he asks for it.    Jaxx's manager is played by Paul Giamatti as an oily slickster who doesn't have any issue with keeping his star boozed up and breaking promises by the dozen.  

As the club prepares for the big show, a Midwest girl (of course) named Sherrie (Hough) is on a bus bound for LA.    She wants to hit the big time as a singer and finds her way to the club via a barkeep named Drew (Boneta).    He wants to be a singer and fronts a band, but suffers from stage fright.     No points for guessing that the two fall in love, hang out at the Hollywood sign, and the two break up as Drew becomes a fledgling rock god.     And why are these girls always coming from the Midwest?   I'm certain girls from all of the other 49 states come to LA all the time too, each equally wide-eyed and naive.    I'm guessing the filmmakers believe the Midwest has the market cornered on naivete.     But Sherrie is enthuasiastic, singing David Lee Roth's "Just Like Paradise" before her belongings are stolen.     Both Hough and Boneta are pretty good singers and handle themselves with aplomb.  

Most of the actors (except Zeta-Jones, who won an Oscar for her singing role in Chicago) aren't known for their vocal prowess, but they sing well.    I especially liked Mary J. Blige's version of Any Way You Want It (sung in a strip club) and Baldwin and Brand's duet of "Can't Fight This Feeling".   Blige is a singer by trade, but Baldwin and Brand bring some heartfelt stuff to their song.     And if you're thinking that Baldwin and Brand's characters have a thing for each other, well, you wouldn't be wrong.     Many of the songs are performed in different keys than the original, which adds a new dimension to them while ensuring their performers don't embarrass themselves.     I never thought I'd see the day Tom Cruise played a preening rock god, but he manages to stay just this side of caricature.  

Rock of Ages has a good feel for time and place.    It's not original but everything works out well in the end for those that deserve it.     If you're expecting a fun, over-the-top romp, you've come to the right movie.    If you're expecting something deeper, you've come to the wrong movie.