The melody of The Rocker feels predictable but the beat is refreshingly off-kilter.
Comment
08/22/08
The Rocker (2008)
39
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:117
Fresh:46
Rotten:71
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: With a predictable and lightweight story, the earnest efforts of the cast are squandered by The Rocker's bland script.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $6,339,401
Synopsis: Slovenly drummer Robert "Fish" Fishman (THE OFFICE's Rainn Wilson) is booted out of his 1980s hair metal band, Vesuvius, right as they're signed to a big label, crushing his dreams and leading to a... [More]
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Teddy Geiger
Director: Peter Cattaneo, Anthony B. Richmond
Reviews for The Rocker
Sadly, The Rocker is so rife with formula that a pre-school could wet nurse on it indefinitely and still never go hungry.
08/21/08
...a shameless rip of "School of Rock."
08/21/08
Some laughs, but this is no School of Rock.
08/21/08
If you have marginal talent as a filmmaker, this is the kind of a film you make.
08/21/08
"The Rocker" is a likeable but sometimes awkward comedy about a likeable, awkward musician.
08/21/08
Sharp dialogue, knowing jabs at the music business, and a satisfying pay-off make this a late-summer pleasure that reminds us of what rocking out should be.
08/21/08
I felt nothing for the characters, and worse, I didn’t care if Fish confronted his old band members and got even.
08/21/08
Is it possible for a movie to actually kill rock n' roll?
08/21/08
When the humor doesn't involve sweaty armpits or vomit, it's alternately dry, silly, and profane -- a mixed bag that will serve as a nice antidote to viewers maxed out on Apatow blue.
08/20/08
Breezily directed by The Full Monty's Peter Cattaneo, this amiable comedy features a solid supporting cast and the original songs, written by Chad Fischer of 'Superman' fame, are surprisingly good in a hooky, power-pop sort of way.
08/20/08
School of Rock, Tenacious D and about million comedies of prolonged adolescence have stripped most of the bigger nuggets from this particular seam.
08/20/08
I'm a drummer. Drummers aren't dorky. They are the heart and soul of a band, solid, dependable. Drummers aren't clueless or socially awkward. Guitarists on the other hand ...
08/20/08
The film equivalent of an inoffensive throwaway track, what we used to call a B-side, back in the days of Vesuvius.
08/20/08
Top CriticThe conflicts that arise are highly predictable. But there are plenty of funny moments, as well as a sweet subplot involving the unkempt drummer and the guitarist's no-nonsense mom.
08/20/08
It's a film that sometimes wants to be School of Rock, sometimes wants to be This Is Spinal Tap, but ends up more like an uninspired episode of The Partridge Family.
08/20/08
A grubby little redemption comedy that in every way feels like a consignment-shop Jack Black vehicle.
08/20/08
Unfortunately, The Rocker, Wilson’s first lead role in a feature film, emphasizes the wrong quirks.
08/20/08
If only the movie had some bite, some edge, some anger, some insight. Instead it's generic, staying far away from the darker temptations of the rock scene.
08/20/08
Top CriticThe Rocker is an amiable comedy, so efficiently constructed that you can practically see the computer software on how to write comedy screenplays at work. Nonetheless it is an enjoyable construction.
08/20/08
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