Rock of Ages - The Movie Review

Barbara Parker, Director, Operations & Artistic Initiatives, saw a prescreening of the movie Rock of Ages and graciously agreed to give us all the inside scoop. Should we expect lots of leg warmers? What hit songs make it into the movie? Who are the cameos? Is this the best movie we will ever see? If these are your burning questions, Barbara's got you covered.

(http://rockofagesmovie.warnerbros.com)

When you think of the 80s, what immediately comes to mind? The announcement of the first female nominee for Vice-President? The fall of the Berlin Wall? Nah, me neither. When I think of the 80s the first things that come to mind are the fashion and the music.

In anticipation of our performance of the musical ROCK OF AGES on September 9, I caught a prescreening of the movie on Thursday night. My first words upon leaving the theatre: “Man, I want to sing karaoke now!”

(http://rockofagesmovie.warnerbros.com)

I think it’s fair to say that Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand, just to name a few, would not have all signed onto a movie they didn’t think was going to be awesome. Tom Cruise plays the perfect washed up rocker, Brett Michaels meets Tommy Lee. Catherine Zeta-Jones takes a turn as the mayor’s wife, determined to clean up the strip by killing rock and roll. Think Tipper Gore there. Alex Baldwin and Russell Brand are probably the funniest part of the movie. Of course, you may wonder- can they really sing? Eh, not so much. There are also a million and one cameos. I saw Debbie Gibson and Sebastian Bach in one scene together even though I’m fairly certain their paths didn’t often cross in the 80s.

The plot is thin. “Just a small town girl” moves to LA with dreams of being a singer and meets a boy. The backdrop is The Bourbon, a club that is a heavy-metal haven. The fashion is perfection- leg warmers, shoulder pads, jelly bracelets, and neon. The music is killer- Journey, REO Speedwagon, Poison, Guns and Roses and many, many more. My personal favorite thing about the movie- the choreography. There is a scene where the good church women pull off Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” music video move for move.

The best dialogue in the movie:

Sherrie: I’m a stripper.
Drew: I’m in a boy band.
Sherrie: You win.

If you’re looking for a deep, meaningful plot, best to skip this movie. However, if you want to rock and roll all night the Rock of Ages movie opens in theatres on June 15 and the musical plays Wolf Trap for one night only on Sunday, September 9.

This movie goes to show, even if you lived through the 80s, once is not enough.