Rock of Ages (2012)

I admit to not expecting greatness with this one. A friend told me it was an entertaining movie, and I ignored my better judgement and decided to watch it. See, this particular friend once recommended Zombie Strippers, and I just can't think of anything other than that when he makes a recommendation.

I'd call this a kind of rock opera. I remember being told that Billy Joel's songs were strung into a musical, and I'd seen Across the Universe, so I'm familiar with the genre. Then, I saw that Tom Cruise is in it, and I was more worried. I wasn't sure that he could pull it off.

Well, they didn't call on him too much, and they basically used it as a showcase for this blonde chick and young guy, as they sang most of the songs. Catherine Zeta-Jones jumped in with some singing, and even Paul Giamatti got to sing a bit. Russell Brand jumped in with some decent singing, and Alec Baldwin stunk up the screen with some singing as well. Of particular note was that they had to drop one song's chorus an octave so he could sing it.

Now,I not one to complain about such things but A) the rest of the song was sung in the correct key and B) it was supposed to be an 80's heavy metal ballad that was screeched by a big-haired lead singer.

The unnatural way they segued into songs was distracting. However, I really liked most of the songs that they picked. It made me yearn for the originals. I'm not even sure I have any Twisted Sister in my music collection. But, I guess that's my loss.

The storyline is pretty run of the mill, and it only exists so as to permit the songs to fit together as best it can. On the plus side, there is dialogue, so it's not like they try to string together the songs in some kind of blend like they do in Les Misérables.

3.25/5