Rock Star
In many ways a loving recreation and tribute to the 80s heyday of heavy metal arena rock, director Stephen Herek certainly gets the look right: the screaming crowds, the pyrotechnics, and the blow-dried pretty boy singers evoke that musical phenomenon at its height. As Chris Cole, leader of a tribute band to his favorite group, Wahlberg brings a touch of the cocky young man persona he brought to Boogie Nights. He’s likable despite being arrogant. Aniston doesn’t come off as well: She seems reluctant to cut loose in her role and be a true wild rocker chick, since she probably still needed to maintain her reserved image. Once Wahlberg gets the call from the band he worships, Steel Dragon, to replace their lead singer the film becomes sort of like a heavy metal Rocky. It feels absurd to see one of the most popular bands in the world recruit someone who’s never recorded anything in his life to be their new frontman, plus Wahlberg’s fresh-faced youthfulness seems a bizarre contrast to the aging veteran members of the band. Even worse, the band members are all poorly written ciphers, and only Timothy Spall’s road manager stands out as a character of any significance. Then there’s the music: All the Steel Dragon songs are originals written for the movie and intended to evoke the feel of the era, but by the standards of the genre they’re actually jaw-droppingly average or mundane. This becomes very noticeable when the soundtrack pulls up an actual rock anthem from the era on its soundtrack, which includes Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and others. THAT is what 80s metal is all about, and the fictional Steel Dragon doesn’t quite measure up. At times the film even comes to resemble a straight-faced Spinal Tap. However, the heart is there, and the effort is made, and Wahlberg (a former hip-hop star) should be applauded for doing his own singing and adapting to the attitude of this singular style. In the end, the film’s notion that sex, drugs, and rock and roll is kind of shallow and not as grand as it seems in the brochure is a noble one, even if many viewers with similiar dreams may not agree…
7/10