The After hours review: Rock of Ages

Film: Rock of Ages
Director: Adam Shankman
Cast: Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Cranston, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta
Ratings: ***1/2

If you consider yourself a hardcore rocker and take your choice of music a little too seriously — firstly, chill! — and secondly, you should probably give this movie a miss. Not because you won’t like it but because you might just spoil the actually ‘fun’ movie experience for the rest of the theatre, who by the way, came to watch a musical!

Rock Of Ages is everything it was sold to be — it’s fun, it’s wacky and a wonderful introduction to the rock era of ’80s and ’90s — for those of you who needed an introduction to that era, that is.

Don’t slap yourself too hard for comparing the movie to the High School Musical franchise, we did too. Instead, stick around and let the characters grow on you. The good part is that more interesting characters enter the plot later and then you’re in for a joyride you’ll surely love!

Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) is originally from Tulsa and moves to Los Angeles for a new life. That’s how the movie opens, in the quintessential Greyhound bus that always seems to be present in this genre of movies. Her voice is frightfully reminiscent of Britney Spears and while I know you’re already raising eyebrows, she does a pretty good job in parts. Moving on, she reaches LA and meets Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) and after at least two whole song and choreography sequences, you know love is meant to blossom. Drew is one of those boys who looks better with shorter hair and essays his role really well, and what a voice! Believe us when we say we know the young singer has an amazing future.

Anyway, the movie centres on The Bourbon Room, a temple dedicated to rock on the Sunset Strip. Owned by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and his slightly eccentric but totally adorable side-kick, Lonny (Russell Brand), the club has seen some of the best live performances in the history of rock, but is now in deep financial trouble. Enter Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta Jones), the wife of a huge congress candidate, who seems bent on closing down The Bourbon Room and making the Sunset Trip more ‘family friendly’. She also possesses an illogical hatred for the King of Rock Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) and lobbies against him; representing him and the rock music he stands for, as the amalgamation of all evil. She, however, has a secret and you need to stick around to find that out.

The movie also follows the life of Stacee Jaxx, now an ex-member of super-huge rock band Arsenal, at a stage of his life where he plans to go solo, motivated obviously by a seedy and slimy manager only interested in monetary gains, Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti). Stacee Jaxx’s lack of interest in his new career path and his current disillusionment is furthered by the critical Rolling Stones reporter, Constance Sack, played by Malin Akerman.

With the tale mostly revolving around the love story of Sherrie and Drew, these other characters lend quite of bit of meat to the eventual storyline, with lots of rock hits choreographed wonderfully, peppering the in-betweens. Add to this great cast, Mary J Blige, as Justice Charlier, the owner of a strip club, Bryan Cranston as Mike Whitmore and Will Forte (from SNL) as Mitch Miley and you have a movie worth watching for its performances.

Watch out for amazing renditions of Hit Me With Your Best Shot; a wonderful mash-up of Juke Box Hero and I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll; a really raunchy rendition of I Want To Know What Love Is; and a memorable version of Pour Some Sugar on Me; among many other huge hits that the musical relives. We were particularly tickled by a gay take on I Can’t Fight This Feeling, but we’ll leave that as a surprise, and the unforgettable — believe us, this one will remain with you even after you leave — Every Rose Has Its Thorn sung by the adorable Drew.

Rock Of Ages is the perfect movie for that friend outing, where all of you will have fun as long as you don’t take the movie too seriously and sing-along gleefully. Also, lookout for Catherine Zeta Jones like you’ve never seen her before and loads and loads of raunchy sexiness (the PG-R variety)!