Review of Rock Star (2001) by Stephen S — 23 Dec 2010

Very entertaining, though predictable. Rock Star follows that set pattern that movies of this type often do, involving a small town guy who follows his dreams and makes it big, then alienates everyone he loves by adapting to the new lifestyle; then, realizing that he has messed up, the protagonist leaves the high life behind and returns to his roots a wiser individual at the film's end.

I just summed up the entire storyline for Rock Star, but you should still see it...just don't expect much more than the standard rags-to-riches story. The only problem with this film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be: it's incredibly crude at comedic points (it makes Knocked Up look like a family film).

These moments are hit-or-miss--some are really funny, some fail badly. So, it tries to be a mock documentary and a comedy at times, but there are also times when it tries to be almost an oscar-caliber drama.

Some moments are downright poignant (like the scene in the Seattle hotel, and when Chris and Emily are talking during the rainstorm in their car), where you can really feel the genuine emotions of the characters, and even the actors themselves, which is truly a rare experience.

It's just that I don't know what this movie wants to be, so it consequently feels like it's all over the place at times, which is why it gets 4 stars from me, which is highly respectable; however, this film could've been a definite 5 star film if it had focused more on the drama side.

..something that Rock Star was surprisingly great at.