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Rock Star
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Rock Star (2001) More at IMDbPro »

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Rock Star (2001) -- hv post
Rock Star (2001) -- 11-year-old Holly Cronin, daughter of REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin, was able to raise over a $1000 with the help of her 5th grade class for the citizens of Greensburg, Kans.
Rock Star (2001) -- A legend who pioneered the rock music industry during the 1950s, Bo Diddley has died at the age of 79.  As Karen Brown reports, Diddley was one of the first black musicians to cross racial boundaries.

Overview

User Rating:
5.8/10   13,455 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 26% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Stephen Herek
Writer (WGA):
John Stockwell (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Rock Star on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 September 2001 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Music more
Tagline:
Every guy wants to be you. Every girl wants to be with you. more
Plot:
Lead singer of a tribute band becomes lead singer of the real band he idolizes. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
We've seen this all before, but the film still captures an honest and insightful attitude. *** (out of four) more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

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)
more
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 more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film was inspired by the real-life story of Tim "Ripper" Owens, singer in a Judas Priest cover band who was chosen to replace singer Rob Halford when he left Judas Priest. more
Goofs:
Continuity: On the first interview with Izzy in the band, he has a English accent. During the first concert, he tells the crowd to follow their dreams but this time he has no English accent. more
Quotes:
Rob: Bradley's our new front man.
Chris: You've made your point... now, get him... out.
Rob: See this? This is the new PA he brought with him. Oh and that... that's the mixing board he brought with him too.
Chris: Have you heard the voice he's brought with him?
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "HBO First Look: Rock Star (#8.12)" (2001) more
Soundtrack:
Chateau Lefitte '59 Boogie more

FAQ

Does Mark Wahlberg do his own singing in this movie?
more
15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful:-
We've seen this all before, but the film still captures an honest and insightful attitude. *** (out of four), 12 September 2001
7/10

ROCK STAR / (2001) *** (out of four)

By Blake French:

"Rock Star" is the story of a nobody who becomes propelled into fame, only to realize living his dream is not the way he imagined it. We have seen all this before (in better movies), but this human story does capture the world of rock and roll with a brutally honest and insightful edge. It garners a recommendation because of its visualization of the atmosphere. The script, by "Crazy/Beautiful" director John Stockwell, portrays the hard-core universe with memorable images-it doesn't explain what it is about, it shows us.

"Rock Star," originally titled "Metal God," stars Mark Wahlberg as Chris "Izzy" Cole, a Pittsburgh office supplies salesperson who dreams of becoming Bobby Beers, the fiery lead singer for the heavy metal rock group, Steel Dragon. Although Chris already sings for his own tribute rock group called Blood Pollution, instead of writing his own songs, he insists on performing only those by Steel Dragon, and only in the exact way they perform them. His group becomes irritated with Chris' obsessions and gives him the boot.

This devastates Chris, as well as his supportive parents and faithful girlfriend, Emily (Jennifer Aniston from TV's "Friends"). He then receives a phone call. It's the Steel Dragon band. They have seen Chris' tapes and want him to replace the recently fired lead singer. In an instant, Chris rockets into the dizzying world of sudden stardom-from the biggest rock fan to the biggest rock star. Unfortunately, it's not as rewarding as he expected.

A true story inspired the "Rock Star" concept. An Ohio supply salesman, Tim "Ripper" Owens, really did replace Rob Halford, the lead singer in Judas Priest, after initially singing for a tribute band. The rest of the film is probably fiction, although most of what happens must represent the experiences of many other bands. The film details the various ordeals of being a rock star. It explores the aspects of touring, personality differences, the danger of drug abuse and violence, struggling relationships, sexual freedom, dishonesty, and the extreme measures of the producers all to please the fans and keep popularity high.

I have seen all of Mark Wahlberg's movies, and this is the first that has earned my affection. Wahlberg, a former singer/model, has made movies like "Fear," "Boogie Nights" "Three Kings," and most recently Tim Burton's lacking remake "Planet of the Apes." I am starting to admire the young actor more and more. Although he has not performed in many successful films, he has taken many chances, and done a variety of roles. "Rock Star" is his best film to date. I can't think of many actors who could have convincingly portrayed Chris Cole's struggles and aspirations. Wahlberg truly makes "Rock Star" rock.

Jennifer Aniston lights up the screen as well. She creates a chemistry-rich relationship with Chris that induces audience participation. It's tragic of what happens to their relationship. We care about these characters a great deal.

During the film concert scenes, director Stephen Herek (who also directed "Holy Man" and the live action version of "101 Dalmatians") creates a gripping atmosphere. He captures the scenes with an intense urgency, and a raw, unmistakable energy. The musical numbers provide the film with the best, most involving scenes.

Unfortunately Herek cannot sustain the energy and zest throughout. At the three-quarters mark, he looses the spark as the movie becomes dull and unpleasant. I understand where the story needs to go in order to portray the negative side of fame, but this movie loses everything it previously had going for it. In "Almost Famous," a much better film about rock and roll, there is a certain amount of interest and life in even the most sorrowful scenes. Here, it feels as if the filmmakers lose their passion.

The message comes a bit too late and suddenly in the story. The film turns into a morality tale that wants to provide us with a sappy destination. The filmmakers might as well stop everything, appear on screen and say: "now audience, the moral of the story is…" We understand the theme, but it's too instantaneous. The personal discovery for Chris' must be gradual.

Fortunately, all of this happens in the last twenty-five minutes of the film, hardly enough to completely destroy an entire eighty-five minutes of a reasonably good feature. "Rock Star" is not a great movie-see "Almost Famous" if you want a remarkable film about rock and roll-but for Marky Mark, it's a turning point in his career.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Rock Star (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
when Chris and Rob.. roxythecat
Worst ending in history, and totally unrealistic. obsolhei
Hot public relations girl is a guy!?! rubbish-16
Aniston's thong seen thru her dress. crash72
Think about it... rfanning08
Does any know... (contains spoiler) nanoc_elyod
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