‘The Rocker’ Movie Review
“The Rocker” opened in theatres this week starring Rainn Wilson (The Office). He plays Robert Fishman a 41 year old man who still acts and tries to dress like a teenage rocker. Twenty years before Fishman was in a hair metal band called Vesuvius until the band traded him for the nephew of a label record executive and eventually signed a contract.
Fired from his dead-end boring desk job, Fishman has no alternative but to move in the attic of his sister’s (Jane Lynch) house. Living with his judgmental sister and her more sympathetic husband (Jeff Garlin) and their disapproving nerdy son, Matt (Josh Gad) is no consolation. That is until one day Matt asks him for a favor: to immediately replace the drummer of a rock band to which he belongs, as the group is to perform at the high school prom.
Fish reluctantly joins the band, funnily titled A.D.D. There he finds lead singer, frontman and heartthrob Curtis (played by real-life singer Teddy Geiger), quasi-punk bassist Amelia (“Superbad’s” Emma Stone) and of course, Matt. Their union delivers a not so impressive performance on the big night; however, Fish promises them the star and the moon, meaning a real club gig and they stick together.
Fishman can’t resist letting go of the old habit of the golden heavy metal days, like the pocket full of puke as a lucky charm or rehearsing completely naked. So, we have the band rehearsing via Webcam and Fishman drumming without any cloths on, and the video of him leaks to YouTube, obviously. Even though this stunt was meant to bring him embarrassment, “the naked drummer” wakes up with a manager eager to rep him, (Jason Sudeikis) and a proposal from the same record label Vesuvius signed their contract, so A.D.D.’s popularity takes off.
The main flaw of the movie represents the music A.D.D. plays. It is the same superficial, non-impressive thing we hear on the radio. Even Geiger confessed that he had trouble getting accustomed to singing that kind of music. Overall, “The Rocker” is entertaining, unpredictable and funny enough to chill and cheer a summer evening.