The Rocker

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed 'The Rocker.'  Plenty of critics are going to compare it to overrated and over-hyped fare like 'Tropic Thunder' or the other comedies of the summer, but take it for what it is: a goofy little comedy with a surprising degree of sweetness.  I'm not a fan of Rainn Wilson either and have always felt he would work better as a supporting actor than the lead, but he actually does quite a decent job here and even managed to make me somewhat sympathetic towards him.  As former heavy metal drummer Robert 'Fish' Fishman, Wilson saw his dreams flushed down the toilet twenty years ago when members of Vesuvius, the 80's long-haired rock band he co-founded, kicked him out at the suggestion of their new manager.  That doesn't sound so bad except that the band subsequently reached legendary success of 'Aerosmith' proportions.  Recently fired from his boring desk job for attacking a co-worker (who listened to Vesuvius music), Fish is forced to move in with his angry sister Lisa (Jane Lynch) and her ecstatic husband Stan (Jeff Garlin) who nearly worships him because he's secretly desired to be part of a rock band.

Though he should be searching for a new job, Fish spends his days and nights being grouchy and depressed while living in his sister's attic.  As it turns out nephew Matt (Josh Gad) has followed in his artistic footsteps and is in the middle of his own crisis with his band at school.  They need a replacement drummer for their prom performance and though Fish is an unlikely (and at first unwilling) candidate, he's actual a pretty skilled percussionist.  The band, A.D.D. (which Fish foolishly thinks means just the word 'add') is furious when Fish nearly blows the gig, by showboating and acting like he's still 21.  Lead singer Curtis (Teddy Geiger) and guitarist Amelia (Emma Stone) think Will is crazy for wanting to keep his uncle on, but Fish manages to convince the kids that he can land them some professional gigs despite the fact that he likes to practice in the nude.  Naturally he fails on that promise, but through divine intervention the group's video taped practice sessions become an overnight sensation when someone posts them on you tube.

Fish not only becomes known nationwide as the naked drummer, but the band catches the eye of recording studio execs and pretty soon they're going on tour.  Will, who looks nothing like a rock star, suddenly has groupies interested in him, while Curtis and Amelia start to notice each other in ways they didn't before.  But with success and temptation come over-inflated egos and as the old man and odd man out of the group Fish finds himself in a position similar to twenty years ago.

There are inevitably going to be comparisons with this film to 'School of Rock' and not only is that unfair, but both films are nothing alike.  Wilson thankfully doesn't give a  wild-eyed performance like Jack Black, but works in the realm of dead pan while making you identify with his sense of loss and failure.  Though the picture centers around Fish and his relationship with his teen band-mates, Wilson has some rather unique chemistry with Curtis' mother Kim played by Christina Applegate.  Though best known as an airhead on TV's 'Married With Children', Applegate is not only sensible, but sympathetic to the kids' aspirations as well as Fish's lost dreams, having once been in a band herself.

The storyline does get more than a tad generic and predictable with familiar conflicts and reunions, but there's more to enjoy than Wilson's comedic performance.  Wilson and Geiger share a nice story arc where believe it or not he becomes almost a father figure to the kid, while Stone (who has a sultry voice beyond her years and may be remembered from last year's 'Superbad') has a pretty good handle on playing a rock chick with teen angst.  All three teen leads are believable as a functioning band (with Geiger actually doing the singing), Garlin's fascination with Wilson's lifestyle is a hoot in itself and SNL regular Jason Sudeikis has obnoxious appeal as the band's studio appointed agent who just can't keep sleazy comments from coming out of his mouth as he tries to please them.  Things even manage to come full circle when Fish (who gets furious at even the mentioning of his old band) finally comes face to face with Vesuvius and discover his old pals (Will Arnett, Fred Armisen and Bradley Cooper) are now putting on fake British accents.

'The Rocker' isn't the funniest film I've seen this year, but it has a leg up on most comedies, because of its good intentions and the fact that it doesn't try too hard to be funny.  There were plenty of opportunities where the filmmakers could have weighed the picture down with lame gags or attempts to squeeze a few more laughs, but in service of the story and the characters they've simplifying things and managed to turn out a goofy and sweet film.