FIlm Review: Rock of Ages
11th June 2012
Share This Article:
It starts with 1987 and Guns and Roses' Paradise City, and this is how we meet our naive protagonist Sherrie (Julianne Hough) -on a bus to Hollywood where she plans to ‘make it’. It goes slightly downhill from here.
Within five minutes of arriving in L.A, our protagonist gets robbed, meets the boy of her dreams, Drew, (Diego Boneta) and gets a job at The Bourbon Room: an oasis of sin that glorifies the god of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, which is run by hardcore rock fanatics Dennis (Alec Baldwin), and Lonny (Russell Brand).
Directed by choreographer turned director Adam Shankman (Hairspray), and choreographed by Mia Michaels (So You Think You Can Dance?), Rock of Ages is one epic soundtrack into glam rock and 80s rock n’ roll, ruined by exaggerated close ups and not enough Tom Cruise.
The plot is predictable as hell -like, really predictable. Boy meets girl, girl can sing, so can boy, boy and girl want to be rock stars blah, blah, blah. For the first half hour, you’re left wondering why the film was even made. Then it starts to pick up. But only slightly.
Catherine Zeta-Jones plays villain Patricia Whitman, the mayor’s wife, a religious conservative whose mission is to close the doors of hell -a.k.a The Bourbon Room.
The isn’t Jones' best role to date; her portrayal is slightly stiff and melodramatic which is disappointing when considering that her brilliant performance in Chicago won her an Oscar for ‘best supporting actress’. Still, Jones gives it a good go and her presence helps to detract away from the nauseating ‘will they... won’t they...’ thing that Sherrie and Drew have going on.

- Article continues below...
- More stories you may like...
- 10 films made by a female director for your next girl’s night
- 'A Girl from Mogadishu' director on the power of testimony
- Trailer: Anna Paquin stars in melancholy drama 'Tell It To The Bees', set in a town too small for secrets
You might also like...
People who read this also read...
TRENDING
TRENDING CHANNELS
CONTRIBUTOR OF THE MONTH