Directed by: Peter Cattaneo
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Emma Stone, Teddy Geiger, Josh Gad, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Jane Lynch, Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Fred Armisen, Howard Hesseman, Jane Krakowski
For Robert "Fish" Fishman (Wilson), the last twenty years sucked. Two decades ago, he was unceremoniously booted as the drummer of the rock band Vesuvius shortly before they broke big, mostly due to backstage politics. The remaining members had no qualms about this, so poor Fish is stuck trying to piece his life together again in his native Cleveland. He recently lost his job and is forced to move in to his sister's attic. But then, Fish's nerdy nephew Matt (Gad) plays with a band called A.D.D. that was booked to play the prom, but need a drummer. Fish, who is twenty years or so older than the three other members of A.D.D., fills in on drums and he now has his chance to become a rock star at long last.
Despite the fact the movie relies a bit too heavily on Wilson, and a little of him goes a long way, The Rocker maintains a certain sweetness and a lack of cynicism which is appealing. It is a rags-to-riches (sort of) story which for Fish was twenty years in the making. Things don't start promisingly for A.D.D. Fish's ego takes over midway through the band's set at the prom and he goes off on an unplanned drum solo where one wasn't needed. He is nearly kicked out of A.D.D., but during a practice session he records himself drumming naked and posts on YouTube. A million hits later, a sleazy, two-faced record producer (Sudeikis) is banging at the door with promises of a record, a tour, and fame. A.D.D. is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, which is both good and bad.
Fish finally has the chance at rock stardom and more importantly, behaving like a rock star, which involves heavy partying and throwing a TV out a hotel window. This leads to the band being arrested and the angry parents of the still teen band members coming down on the immature Fish. The lead singer and guitarist's (Geiger) mother (Applegate) accompanies the band for the rest of the tour, which leads to a hint of romance between she and Fish if he ever gets his act together and grows up.
The Rocker earns no points for originality. It unfolds more or less as expected, including a face-to-face meeting between Fish and the now aged Vesuvius, in which the older rockers inexplicably sport British accents even though they hail from Cleveland. If you think this is insane, you haven't seen Madonna or Johnny Depp interviews recently. The Rocker is the second film in Emma Stone's career, and even then, the camera loved her and she earns laughs at the ultra-serious bassist who never smiles. "Smiling is for the weak," she tells Fish, but when she finally does smile, it is a sweet and touching moment.
The Rocker contains inspired supporting performances and a kind of innocence about it. Yes, there is one gross-out scene early on, but the movie thankfully doesn't rely on that. The Rocker instead relies on a charming tone and our fond hope that Fish can finally pull it together and be the rock star he was always meant to be. Now I know how Pete Best must've felt and maybe even still feels. For those who don't know, Best was The Beatles' drummer who was kicked out of the band just before they hit it big and achieved musical immortality. Think of Fish's plight times one thousand or one million and you have Pete Best.
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