Review: The Rocker


Plot: Back in the eighties, Robert “Fish” Fishman (Rainn Wilson) was the drummer for the hair metal band Vesuvius. Just before the band hit the big time, Fish got the boot- and twenty years later, he still dreams of one day becoming a rock star. Meanwhile, his nephew Matt (Josh Gad) has formed a high school band (called A.D.D) along with pals Amelia (Emma Stone) & Curtis (Teddy Geiger). When their drummer is unable to play prom, Fish steps in- and soon becomes a full fledged member of the band. When a video of the band practicing hits youtube, A.D.D becomes an internet phenomenon, and soon the band is signed to a record contract- and sent out on tour. After years of sitting on the sidelines, Fish finally gets his chance at stardom- but will soon discover that rock stardom may not be all it’s cracked up to be…

Review: Despite the fact that THE ROCKER is opening during the dreaded late August dumping grounds, this film is actually a pleasant surprise. Despite being a big Rainn Wilson fan, I didn’t really have high expectations for the movie. The trailer for the film made it look like an unfunny SCHOOL OF ROCK rip-off, and while it definitely has a few things in common with that film, it’s in no way a cheap knockoff.


The biggest difference between the two films is that the main character in this film actually IS a talented musician. Once he hooks up with A.D.D- the band actually becomes successful (which the trailers do not acknowledge at all- even though it happens very early in the film). If anything- THE ROCKER has more things in common with ALMOST FAMOUS than it does with SCHOOL OF ROCK (although admittedly- the film is no where near as good as ALMOST FAMOUS, which I think is Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece).

Obviously- the thing that makes THE ROCKER work as well as it does is Rainn Wilson’s performance. Wilson does a great job in his first solo big screen outing- and wisely does not portray a character that is too similar to Dwight from THE OFFICE. Granted- they’re both hair metal fans, and a tad on the odd side, but Fish is a much nicer guy than Dwight. One of the things I liked most about the film was Fish’s relationship with Curtis- A.D.D’s lead singer, whose angst ridden over the fact that his father abandoned him when he was a child. When he realizes how much pain Curtis is in, Fish tries to step up and become a type of father figure- which was nice to see. It’s nice that a little heart was injected into the film rather than make it an all out comedy. It’s directed by Peter Cattaneo who also directed THE FULL MONTY- and the film kind of has a similar vibe going. They also underplay his semi-romance with Curtis’s mom- played by Christina Applegate, which if not handled carefully might have made the film a little too saccharine.

While THE ROCKER is obviously Wilson’s show, the supporting cast is also pretty tight. I liked Emma Stone as the lone female member of the group, and Teddy Geiger does a good job as Curtis. As for Josh Gad as Wilson’s nephew- I was a bit taken aback by his uncanny resemblance to Jonah Hill, especially due to the fact that he delivers his lines exactly the same as Hill would. Perhaps this is just a coincidence- but in the future he should probably try to avoid being too similar to the more famous Hill- or people might think he’s doing an impersonation.

My favorite thing about the supporting cast is that they got Will Arnett, Fred Armisen & Bradley Cooper to play Fish’s old band mates. Arnett in particular nails the eighties hair metal band vibe- and I think it stands as the funniest thing he’s done since ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. The only problem with these guys is that after their first scene I kept waiting for them to re-appear, and was disappointed that they only get one more scene towards the end.

Considering the time of year, THE ROCKER is a nice little late summer sleeper. I hope it does well enough for Wilson to get more big-screen vehicles, as he’s a truly talented guy. While it’s not as side-splittingly funny as TROPIC THUNDER- it’s a very pleasant way to kill ninety minutes.

Grade: 7.5/10

Review: The Rocker

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Source: JoBlo.com

About the Author

Chris Bumbray began his career with JoBlo as the resident film critic (and James Bond expert) way back in 2007, and he has stuck around ever since, being named editor-in-chief in 2021. A voting member of the CCA and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, you can also catch Chris discussing pop culture regularly on CTV News Channel.