Saturday, June 16, 2012

NOTHIN' BUT A MEH TIME:  So, Rock of Ages.  I haven't seen the stage production, but the movie is kind of a mess.  Yes, the songs are fun, but they're so mashed-up with one another and cut down you really don't get a chance to appreciate them.  Also, we have three major plot threads, with dramatically different tones:
  • Two young naive kids come to the city to pursue fame and fall in love--this is played fairly straight, and is arguably the a-story (the actors in it have top billing).  It's also hurt by the fact that Diego Boneta is a charisma vacuum, and the script doesn't give Julianne Hough a chance to show the sass she got to show in the Footloose remake.
  • The Mayor of LA and his wife embark on a campaign to "clean up the streets" by shutting down the rock clubs.  This plot can't figure out its tone--it's too winking to be played straight, and played too straight to be parody.  The performers also don't have much to do.
  • Rock star Stacee Jaxx faces a crisis of confidence/conscience triggered by his manager and a comely Rolling Stone reporter.  This is the most overtly comic plotline, though it's a bit unclear how much Tom Cruise is in on the self-parody rather than just playing a strung-out rock star.
It's not great, but if you've got nostalgia for the songs and era, there are worse ways to spend 2 hours this weekend in air conditioning.