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Rock Star 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Stephen Herek
R, 105 min. (language, sexuality, some drug content) |
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Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Flemyng, Timothy Olyphant, Timothy Spall
Producers: Toby Jaffe, Robert Lawrence
Screenplay: John Stockwell
Cinematography: Ueli Steiger
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Released: 9/7/01 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
The rock scene in the 1980's was, if anything else, a bit chaotic - lots of hair, makeup, and addictive tunes that spurred the
spirit of that generation. In revisiting that era, how better than to see it than through the eyes of an adorning fan and aspiring
musician looking for his first big break? That's where Rock Star comes in, and on many levels, it succeeds; however,
this film could have been much more, but unfortunately it seems that the editing process cut many potentially interesting scenes
out of the final cut, leaving us with a somewhat shallow finished product - albeit an entertaining one.
Mark Wahlberg plays Chris "Izzy" Coles, a office supplies salesman, who dreams of becoming the next big rock idol. His band,
"Blood Pollution" practices every day to perfect the sound of current rock kings "Steel Dragon". When his band becomes tired
of his near-psychotic demand for perfection in their music, they kick him out of the band. His girlfriend, Emily (Jennifer Aniston),
is there to console him, as she is also his manager. Suddenly Steel Dragon's lead singer has been expelled from the band and
Chris is flown to L.A. to audition for the part after one of the band members sees a tape of him. Of course, he makes the band
and is suddenly thrown into the spotlight. The film deals with how Chris handles fame, money, and general happiness in what he
does.
The strength of the film is the first half when Chris is struggling to find his identity and deals with rejection from his band. Once
he becomes a member of Steel Dragon, though, things turn suspiciously familiar to the cliches and turmoil you might see on
VH1's famous "Behind the Music" show. The final scene of the film is touching, but it seemed in such a rush to get there that it
overlooks many potentially important scenes that would have helped the film immeasurably. I also find it hard to believe that
anyone would walk off the stage during a show and never come back, especially considering the money they would be
forgoing.
The best performance of the film comes from Steel Dragon's manager, Timothy Spall, who tries to hold the band together
as they begin their descent into debauchery. His advice to Chris is to follow his heart, not his dreams, which foreshadows his
eventual decision to leave the band. Spall has been a good character actor in many films, and he doesn't disappoint here.
Rock Star can best be summed up as a half-hearted effort, which, as flawed as it is, is still enjoyable enough to sit through.
At the very least, some insight to the mid-80s rock scene can be re-examined - it's especially interesting for those who lived
during the era to see what it looks like now, 15 years later. And that, depending on your perspective, can either be embarassing
or enlightening.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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