Review: Rock of Ages

When "Hairspray" dropped into theaters in 2007,I thought it was a joke. On the cusp of "High School Musical", it felt like a cash grab to bank off of teeny boppers newly discovering a love of showtunes via Zach Efron's prepubescent sex appeal. I never understood the campy appeal of John Walter's original (rather, ANY of John Walter's work). Still, it became the sleeper hit of 2007, a critical and commercial darling. It also remains one of my favorite musical film adaptations.

So when I saw that Adam Shankman, director of Hairspray, was handling Broadway's cheeseball musical "Rock of Ages", I was actually quite excited. "Rock" is the staple tourist show of NYC, actively avoided by fans of competent theater. But for $10 on a friday night, I was game to succumb to the latest jukebox musical.

And it was just what I was hoping for: easily digestable summer fun to put a goofy smile on my face and a steady tap in my toe. The value of the matrial is about as substantial as the music at hand, but Shankman adds his refreshingly exaggerated glitz and glamour to help us feel the excitement of The Bourbon Room, the club the film is centered around. Like Hairspray before it, the film is definitely boosted by an able all-star ensemble who appear to be having a total blast in their respective roles. There's something exceptionally inviting about actors apparently enjoying the work- their enthusiasm is contagious. Newcomers Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough elude a naive optomism of young starlets embarking on making dreams come true. Not to mention their voices have a cotton candy appeal, sweet and instantly pleasing. Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand were phenomenal as always. Each equipped with a unique branded humor, they add a lot to the comedic rhythm of the film, including the most side-splitting scene of the feature. Zeta-Jones and Giamatti also hit the right note as the zany, over-the-top villians. Cruise, as the calculated Stacee Jaxx, surprises immensely by wowing the audience. Essentially every line he delivered elicited hearty laughs, and he commands the stage well as the rock band's frontman.

So to address the lack of box office success with "Rock of Ages", I blame those bastards at "Glee" and "Smash". With weekly karaoke programming available now, even if it is half-assed, the demand for a theatrical jukebox musical seems to have dropped exponentially. Despite being the first to do it, the novelty of "Don't Stop Believin'" karaoke faded the first three times we saw it on TV- it devalued the film's finale.

The movie is also lacking the scope of recent musical stunners like "Hairspray", "Chicago", and "Moulin Rouge". For a musical entirely based on songs meant to shatter arenas, the delivery is not quite as rousing. Most of the movie lacks the punch of a big ensemble choreography, with the exception of "Any Way You Want It". We've come to understand the difficulty of choreographing rock musicals through competitors "Rent" and "American Idiot", still, Shankman should have taken the time to considerably reimagine the grandiose nature of the musical. It holds the movie back from erupting.

The cliche storyline is negligable; the "been there, done that" mentality is erased with playful humor and nostalgia. No, I'm not a baby of the 80's, byt U was raised on the sticky and overheated General Admission pit of CT/NYC's punk scene. Thus, the passion of what's going on onscreen translates easily. What "Rock of Ages" lacks in the game-changing department it makes up for by being "Nothin' but a Good Time" for Summer 2012. (Yeah, I had to.)

Grade: B