Review: Rock of Ages

Maybe the most fun I’ve had at a movie theater, ever.

If you’re of a certain age, the music alone should have been enticing enough to catch this flick. Add in the massive cast, all dressed in their best 80’s garb, and ACTUALLY singing the songs, and you can’t give me a reason not to see this.

Based on the hit Broadway play, Rock of Ages, set in 1987, is about a small town girl who runs to Hollywood to chase her singing dreams. There she meets a guy with similar dreams, all while being enthralled in the 80’s rock era, headlined by the one and only Stacee Jaxx.

I get it, once the word musical is given as a label to a film, play or what-have-you instantly (mostly males) will tune out and pay it no mind. But I’m telling you the story, the jokes, and most of all the music will have you in a state of euphoria for all 123 minutes.

Julianne Hough stars as Sherrie, a girl from Oklahoma who hops on a bus and heads to Tinseltown to try and make it as a singer. She gets a job as a waitress at the “it” spot for rockers The Bourbon Room where she encounters Dennis Dupree, the owner of the bar played by Alec Baldwin and Lonny, on of the managers of the bar, played by Russel Brand.

As Sherrie is getting comfortable at her job, she strikes up a relationship with aspiring rocker Drew Boley, played by Diego Boneta.

The Bourbon Room plays a major part in the film and is essentially a character in and of itself. It’s the place for all major acts to go and perform at. With rock God Stacee Jaxx set to perform his last show with his band Arsenal, The Bourbon Room is the place to be. Girls are ready to fall all over themselves in order to get a glimpse of Jaxx, and as he tells Dennis, he is going to metaphorically burn the place [The Bourbon Room] to the ground.

There are several [musically fueled] side stories like a protesting group led by Patricia Whitmore, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. trying to do whatever she can to end Rock music for good as it is poisoning the world in her opinion. We have the interesting relationship between Dennis and Lonny, Stacee Jaxx’s crazy manager Paul Gill, played by Paul Giamatti being a hilarious sleaze ball, strippers, and more.

I have to give big time props to Tom Cruise who absolutely sold the part of legendary rocker, 100% believable. From the demeanor, to the hat/bandana/glasses/mink coat ensemble, to the drinking, and most importantly the singing. This guy can ROCK. He has great stage presence, and has the pipes, belting out classic song after classic song. Sure it’s a movie and they are acting, and this is what they are suppose to be doing, but it’s whole other ball game to add singing, while acting. And it’s him actually singing, I can’t stress that enough, this isn’t dubbed, and it makes this movie THAT much better.

Tom Cruise is and was Stacee Jaxx, you want to party with him, you want to see him perform live, and it’s already one of my top three favorite individual performances of the year.

Aside from Sherrie and Drew trying to make it the other major story line is Stacee Jaxx’s final performance with his band, and starting a solo career. With this drastic career change, people are hungry for information. Jaxx does an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Malin Akerman plays reporter Constance Sack, who has to resist temptation, and calls Jaxx on his BS and asks him to let everyone know what it’s REALLY like to be the infamous Stacee Jaxx.

This is simply a fun film.

I don’t understand how people can hate this movie, what were they expecting? How can you not be smiling throughout the film and singing along to every song?

Rock of Ages is a powerful, emotional, fun-filled roller coaster ride accompanied by some of the most iconic songs of all time.  If you’re not taping your feet, and or rushed with the urge to start air guitaring or play the air drums in your seat, you have no pulse and should get that checked.

Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, and Diego Boneta steal the show on a very memorable note, while Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, and Paul Giamatti provide tons of comedic relief while adding to the tunes as well.

I can’t imagine having a better time from start to finish inside of a movie theater for the rest of the year.

Rating: 9/10