Rock of Ages

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Rock of Ages began as an off Broadway show starring Chris Hardwicke and Tenacious D member Kyle Gass. It was a raunchy little musical that  featured dialogue as segways to rock.

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After a successful Broadway run the little show that rocked hit the big screen with a huge cast and mixed results. It is an odd mixture of bland fun, cheeky raunch and a monkey named Hey Man.  I legitimately thought it was about to end then realized 40 minutes were left. Rock of Ages is overly long with too many actors but features some laughs and a bonkers all-in performance from Tom Cruise.  His character Stacee Jaxx is a washed up arena rocker who has consumed so much scotch his blood has been turned into Glenlivet. His duet with Malin Akerman is a highlight of the film and makes you wish the film had more rock/raunch/silly moments.

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The film centers around a naive yet sweet singer played by Julianne Hough who gets a job at the famous rock club The Bourbon Room. She meets another good looking person and together they meet cute, fall in love, break up, become a stripper or join a boy band then reunite and sing some Journey.

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The film also features Alec Baldwin and Russel Brand as two very confused club owners. Alec Baldwin rocks his wig with aplomb while Brand is Brand (which isn’t a bad thing).

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There are about 134 other featured actors who are clearly relishing their roles in this big musical. The problem is there is nothing distinguishing about their characters. They are stereotypes who occasionally sing well. The most memorable character trait is the mustache that Paul Giamatti rocks. It is a miracle of girth and length.

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There is fun to be had with Rock of Ages. However, the two hour running time spreads the funny out so it might be a chore finding the laughs. If you like Tom Cruise, angry baboons and mustaches that inspire nightmares you will love Rock of Ages