Rock'n Roll (2017) Poster

(2017)

User Reviews

Review this title
18 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
6/10
great piece of self-irony
salomeabesadze11 August 2017
the movie "Rock'n Roll" shot by Guillaume Canet is quite entertaining yet disclosing film of what it's like to be an actor in modern day. characters have their real names, action happens on a daily basis and that gives movie documentary esthetic. Marion Cotillard plays her role in an extremely good way as always.the movie is full of funny scenes.All in all it show how over-commercialized is film industry and how it destroys your identity and the way of living.
13 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Tres amusant
jdrennan1317 March 2018
I went into this film in Sydney with very little in the way of expectations. I found it extremely funny, and Canet is extremely self depreciating throughout the film as he looks as his life as an elder statesman of French cinema. The film is very funny, and excels in revealing the nuances of French cinema through Canet and his wife Marion Cotillard. I felt that it definitely could have been about half an hour shorter, so could have done with tighter editing perhaps. However, if you want a feel-good film look no further. Allez Canet.
7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Funny and sad at the same time...
Thanos_Alfie16 November 2021
"Rock'n Roll" is a Comedy - Drama movie in which we watch a middle-age man finding out that he grew up and he cannot get some younger parts in movies by a co-star of his. He changes his lifestyle and his habits along with some other changes in order to prove everyone wrong.

I liked this movie because it had a simple but very interesting plot, consisted of both funny and sad scenes that kept the balance of the movie. The direction which was made by Guillaume Canet was very good and he presented very well and very carefully some important social and sensitive topics. The interpretations of both Guillaume Canet who played as Guillaume and Marion Cotillard who played as Marion were very good and their combination worked very well. Finally, I have to say that "Rock'n Roll" is a nice comedy movie and I highly recommend everyone to watch it.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
I won't watch it again
H_Depppppp4 April 2020
The first half of the movie is a good midlife crisis, but the second half is unnecessary.
6 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
nice
Kirpianuscus12 March 2023
Ironic perspective about middle age crisis, great French actors - and not only french, humor, lovely Marillon Cotillard and Guillaume Canet as a mix of Ken and hulk, large zones of parody, pure satire about cinema industry and men or women feeling not so...rock.

The fun is basic purpose . And the nice acting gives, scene by scene, new prooves for this.

A good point - the meeting between Ben Fosse and Guillaume Canet.

Bizarre , maybe awful, the transformation ( sure , you know to be a question of prosthetics but... ).

In short, easy comedy in essence, with few good sparkles about immaturity, love, family and exces to save apparences - career.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
It's okay
stephenvider9 July 2020
I believe the last 30 mins is the best where I actually laugh. Marion a brilliant actress saves this movie. Her character could have had more depth but it's a comedy.
1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
The trailer got me
jlmalingrey13 August 2020
The trailer was fun and engaging, I was really keen to see this film. It started well, there was a good and fun concept behind it, the actors were great (and French royalty!). And then, it went to "n'importe quoi" (rubbish). I'm not sure where the direction or moral the story was trying to go, but it became hard to watch. I expected a good laugh, an enjoyable movie, and instead it disappointed me. A shame.
1 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
A 43 year old man going on 17.
krzysiektom28 May 2022
The main character is shallow, vain and stupid. Irritating and not realistic, very few middle aged men are so dumb, especially when they have children.
0 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
an inside joke?
anxiousgayhorseonketamine2 September 2018
This film although funny in parts sounds more like an inside joke than anything else. Two ace actors seemingly playing at acting and around the craft of acting; like watching Jimi Hendrix playing before a gig; warming up. The storyline is pitiful and could only resonate with 40-something actors. I am a huge fan of both actors here and rate Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne) as one of the best movies of the last 20 years; but this here I shall say it again seems like an inside joke; something you dreamt up and or thought of doing but should probably not have allowed to get a real airing ... At times you seriously question the sanity of the endeavour. Maybe therapeutic :) Shame. Still: watch it if you like Canet and Cotillard.
5 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Entertaining, with some definite highlights, but rather uneven
I_Ailurophile14 July 2023
Countless are those movies that have been made about people staring down middle age, getting older, and worrying about losing their youth, charm, and relevance. It's effectively a genre unto itself, and with it we know generally what to expect: the awkwardness of someone older trying to be hip and rejuvenate themselves; the awkwardness of those younger thinking that their antics are cool; probably some toilet or gross-out humor to one extent or another; heart-warming introspection; cartoonish masculinity; and so on. Most of that holds true here, and to that list one can surely add a bit of ham-handedness in how the movie is written or directed. None of this means a new rendition can't be enjoyable, or worthwhile on its own merits; sure enough, while 'Rock'n roll' mostly fits neatly into a broad formula, it's mostly just as delightful as one would hope - and often as cringe-worthy as one would assume. Guillaume Canet has more than proven himself elsewhere as a writer and director in addition to his work as an actor, and while this title itself may not be anything super special or noteworthy, it's overall a good time and a credit to those involved as they kick back and let loose. It's also much less than perfect, though, and while I suppose something is to be said for how Canet bucks the common trend of such titles, I'm not sure the final product entirely makes the grade.

The picture as we see it is imbalanced as it careens between moods, and this is reflected to some extent even in how characters are written. Sure, at large this is within the bounds of how the genre operates in the first place, but we swing from one type of comedy to another, to more dramatic beats, to some scenes that are all but abjectly horrifying for the far-flung extremes Fictional Guillaume goes to, from gauche kitsch to welcome sincerity, and back again. Even from beginning to end there's a considerable shift from lighter humor to flavors so dour and serious - or just plain outrageous - that we're one step away from watching a Charlie Kaufman film. There comes a point where the feature feels more than a little self-indulgent, and it would have benefited from Canet reining in his impulses so the end result was more centered; emphasizing the point, the length of two hours is simply excessive. Moreover, these issues persist all the way through to the very end, where 'Rock'n roll' makes its biggest leap of (in my opinion misplaced) faith, and of turning away from the formula: by not having Fictional Guillaume realize the value of the life he has, but instead completely leaning into his astonishingly garish self-reinvention. All this is done for laughs, yes, but the greater and weirder the extremes are that this goes to, the more it loses its heart, and its core strength - and the laughs become fewer along the way. One might also say that as the length goes on the movie just embraces outright satire, but then we have a problem of significant tonal inconsistency.

All this is unfortunate, for the underlying strength is undeniable, and Canet knows perfectly well what he's doing. Though the writing is uneven and troubled, there are a lot of splendid ideas all throughout in the characters, dialogue, and especially the scene writing as our wayward protagonist stumbles ever further down the rabbit hole of desperation. The man's direction is never in doubt. There was unmistakably so much skill, intelligence, and wit that went into this at its best, and no small amount of of this is thanks to those behind the scenes. The screenplay penned between Canet, co-star Philippe Lefebvre, and Rodolphe Lauga gives opportunity for the hair and makeup artists to let their proverbial "freak flag" fly in ways that most titles don't; the costume design, and even production design and art direction, really get into the game a bit, too. It turns out that an actor making a movie about his fictional self having a mid-life crisis is a swell opportunity to let one's imagination just run wild. And the cast is obviously having a terrific time, too: not just Canet, but Yvan and Alain Attal, Camille Rowe, Lefebvre, and more. And if we're being completely honest, I don't think there's much questioning that Marion Cotillard quite steals the show as her own fictionalized self. I think Cotillard actually benefits from the best writing of the film, for that matter, and it's not that often that I've seen actors clearly having as much fun as she is, especially when it comes to Fictional Marion totally going overboard with the "language" she's trying to learn.

I do, genuinely, like 'Rock'n roll.' I think it's entertaining, and well made, and it illustrates in varying capacities the skills of all on hand. I just think the screenplay has issues, wobbling back and forth too much as the story advances and straying from what it does best, and while I don't think the ending is bad, it's not exactly great, either. This doesn't specifically change my opinion of Canet or anyone else involved, mind you; I just think it's a bit of a regrettable misstep. I still think it earns a very soft recommendation, but it's surely suggest above all for those who are diehard fans of one person or another who participated. Temper your expectations here, as far as I'm concerned, and don't go out of your way for it, but it's a decent enough way to spend one's time all the same.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Very bad movie
cedric-nussbaumer9 July 2017
Guillaume Canet had shown us films much more interesting.

This one is really bad. Neither the scenario, nor the image, nor the sound are good.

What is the meaning of this film? Making Money Easily by Taking Guillaume Canet and Marion Cottilard in the casting.

It's really a movie to avoid. In the jargon: a turnip.
10 out of 46 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Super funny film!
jl-8626218 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I'm surprised that the rating isn't higher because this is one of the best French films I've watched! I'm Canadian and my husband is French and there are plenty of jokes that made me appreciate the film. You'll know what I'm talking about if you actually watch the film. I don't want to spoil it for the audience. Both Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard did a fabulous job poking fun at themselves and their careers. They kept the film light yet not cheesy. Well done!
18 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Exemplar of a One Joke Comedy!
spookyrat127 June 2020
Back in 2007 Guillaume Canat directed a brilliant adaption of Harlan Coben's fine literary thriller Tell No One. I say this, as I'm just wondering what possessed him to turn the cameras on to himself to make this 2 hour+ one joke vanity project. He really has demonstrated in the past he can do a lot better than making a quasi-documentary about an inherent aspect of the film industry, that historically anyway, has affected women far more than men and ironically, to a lesser extent in France.

Canat (and just about every one else) plays a stylised version of himself, who in a mid-life crisis suddenly begins to feel his age, working in an industry that generally places high value on youthful looks and appearances. Pretty much the whole movie lays out in minute detail, his reactions and responses to this mental mind-set and I personally found the downbeat ending in this low-brow, overlong satire, pretty depressing.

There are some bright spots. Many will find the real life cameos undoubtedly amusing. I found the Ben Foster segment, where he is casting for a young lead in his new (fictional) directing project, genuinely funny. The trouble is there are too many repeated variations on this theme, scattered throughout Rock'n Roll. The scenes involving Marion Cotillard (his real life partner) are good too. Cotillard gives a sincere performance that few would not appreciate. However, though the ostensible second lead, the focus of the movie is on Canat and unfortunately Cotillard disappears offscreen for long stretches.

The film plainly serves as a critique of the entertainment industry's ridiculous obsession with youth and good looks that lead many individuals to make drastic decisions about their physical appearance. But the direction and narrative of this feature hammers and belabours the point, instead of making it in a more subtle and witty fashion.
1 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Irritating movie of a truly French character
Chinesevil22 November 2021
This movie is an exaggeration in every aspect and it is very irritating because it wants to entertain but in reality it dramatically creates tension in deep aspect of human psychology. In the end negative values are amplified changing to be positive values. Totally wrong.
1 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
A look at the French film industry from an insider
jonathan_lippman23 February 2017
I had the good fortune of having a tiny speaking part in this movie, a first for me. The Director and Star of the movie, Mr Guillaume Canet, is a charming and very gracious person and made us all feel comfortable and welcome. The movie is about an actor who fears he is no longer at his peak at only the age of about 43 and all the drastic measures he takes to recreate himself in a younger image. I think all people at a certain age can relate to this, but especially film actors. His cast is made up of several famous French actors and actresses playing themselves, including the director's real life partner Marion Cottilard. This is a comedy and there are some really funny moments but it is also full of pathos as you see the man go through near hell to try to become physically younger and ruin his looks and nearly ruin his marriage. Great performance from Mr Canet who co-wrote the script. And he surrounded himself with actor friends and even a few family members to make the film even more personal. it was a marvelous experience for me and i think the film is a great way to spend 2 hours and enjoy seeing the inside of the French cinema world.
24 out of 32 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
still funny and pathetic the second time
peigne31 December 2018
Weldone to the all crew to have been able to kept a straight face for 2 hours. knowing the all story started from a real interview like at the start of the movie....so many inside joke i am surprised he didn t had more viewing. thanks,definitly part of my collection. and really good to see this couple in real life being so complice on the screen
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Extreme Midlife crisis comedy !
lucienm-6032125 March 2022
Great comedy Poor Guillaume, he just can't accept that he's in mid 40s !

Poor Marion, she has to put up with Guillaume becoming weirder and weirder !

Music is great !

French rock legend, late Johnny Hallyday cameo is wonderful !
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Hilarious
janiceforbes23 February 2024
This is one of the funniest films I've seen. It was so unexpected. I laughed out loud, exclaiming with sheer delight as the plot unfolded. I was completely surprised by the unexpected turn the film took. I was hoping the guy would redeem himself, but no. The outcome was far more hilarious than I could have imagined. The sad truth is that we see celebrities who make these kinds of choices in the media all the time. It is a film that needed to be made. It is something that needed to be said. To date, no other film maker has said it so eloquently and with such tremendous good humour and light hearted sense of fun.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed