Rock Star (2001)

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writer (WGA):

John Stockwell (written by)

Release Date:

7 September 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Every guy wants to be you. Every girl wants to be with you.

Plot:

Lead singer of a tribute band becomes lead singer of the real band he idolizes.

Plot Keywords:

Tribute Band | Cover Band | Rock Star | Heavy Metal | 1980s

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mark Wahlberg	...	Chris 'Izzy' Cole
Jennifer Aniston	...	Emily Poule
Dominic West	...	Kirk Cuddy, Steel Dragon Guitarist
Jason Bonham	...	A.C., Steel Dragon Drummer
Jeff Pilson	...	Jorgen, Steel Dragon Bassist
Zakk Wylde	...	Ghode, Steel Dragon Guitarist
Timothy Spall	...	Mats, Steel Dragon Road Manager
Blas Elias	...	Donny Johnson, Blood Pollution Drummer
Nick Catanese	...	Xander Cummins, Blood Pollution Guitarist
Brian Vander Ark	...	Ricki Bell, Blood Pollution Bassist
Timothy Olyphant	...	Rob Malcolm, Blood Pollution Guitarist
Dagmara Dominczyk	...	Tania Asher, Steel Dragon Public Relations
Matthew Glave	...	Joe Cole
Michael Shamus Wiles	...	Mr. Cole
Beth Grant	...	Mrs. Cole

Also Known As:

Metal God (USA) (working title)
So You Wanna Be a Rock Star? (USA) (working title)
Untitled Stephen Herek Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexuality and some drug content.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Philippines:PG-13 | Finland:K-7 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | South Africa:13L | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #37887) | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

1st Ave & Pike Street, Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The entrance hall of Kirk Cuddy's mansion is the same set that was used for Chilton Academy on the TV show Gilmore Girls.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Chris asks Emily if she would like to have her nipples pierced as well, Emily audibly answers "maybe" while her lips visibly move to answer "yeah".

Quotes:

Joe: Isn't the rock star fantasy thing something you're supposed to grow out of... like around 14?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Rock Star (#8.12)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Rock Rock! (Till You Drop)

Music really saves it

As a huge fan of 80s Hard Rock, I was really looking forward to seeing Rock Star. As the movie started I was more than satisfied. A lot of the early scenes were funny and entertaining. The concert scenes made me feel like I was actually there. One major compliment I give this movie is that they made the songs from the fictional band STEEL DRAGON sound realistic for the time period the movie is in. If I didn't know better, I could've been fooled into thinking Steel Dragon was a real band, and all their songs actually were made in the mid 80s. The underdog portion of the story may not be original, but it still works none the less. And by the time Wahlberg's character was in his first concert with the band, I really thought Rock Star could be one of the coolest movies of the year.

But at about the halfway point, I was lost. The second half of this movie could've really used a lot of work on the script. I say that the second half of the script needed work, but what I should say is the second half of the movie actually could've used a script, period. The second half is held together by some predictable sequences, all telling the story of a guy indulging in the rock star life, which we've all heard and seen a thousand times. There were very few moments that actually were used to progress the story.

But I don't want to give the impression that Rock Star was no good. Although some of the movie didn't work, I still had a blast watching it. The music is what really holds it together. Both the original songs written for the film (Steel Dragon), and the background songs used. It's not often that you can hear bands like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Kiss, and Motley Crue used in a movie. And like I said before, the concert scenes are awesome.So for people who love great 80s Rock, this movie will be a lot of fun.

Rock Star is an average movie, with an above average soundtrack. Not a perfect film, but it provides enough entertainment for your money.