The moments don't add up to much, though, and the dramatic arc ends up feeling even narrower than it usually is in this kind of story.
Comment
10/18/08
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.
Theatrical Release:17-10-2008
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
As a movie, it may not rock, but it rolls along nicely enough.
10/17/08
Top CriticAmiable enough yet unadventurous and uneven, this may coax the odd big smile from viewers but it never rocks the house.
10/17/08
Top CriticThere are occasionally amusing moments, but the writing lacks the warmth that made School of Rock such a hit.
10/17/08
Top CriticIt all looks good and there's a decent cast but nothing really takes off.
10/17/08
Top CriticEssentially covering the same playlist as Jack Black’s School of Rock, The Rocker is a good-natured, live-the-dream lark in which the one-liners score hits but the slapstick continually misses.
10/17/08
Worth your hard earned money if you’re looking for some entertaining light entertainment.
10/17/08
Just the feelgood movie that everyone needs at the moment.
10/17/08
The film is untidy, cheery, sometimes amiable. If only it were funny too.
10/17/08
Director Peter Cattaneo will probably never repeat his Full Monty success, but even in its mediocre patches one senses a renewed eagerness to entertain.
10/17/08
The Rocker is certainly not This Is Spinal Tap, but it is fair to moderate entertainment and Rainn Wilson holds it all together energetically.
10/17/08
Essentially a Will Ferrell Lite movie, this toothless comedy has a likeable central performance from Rainn Wilson and several hilariously spiky side characters. But it never quite hits its comical stride.
10/17/08
One of the problems of Peter Cattaneo's film is not knowing who it's aimed at. Kids won't identify with a bitter old rocker and the middle-aged will be hoping for more satirical Spinal Tap.
10/16/08
Likeable, if predictable comedy, enlivened by strong comic performances from Rainn Wilson and a talented supporting cast.
10/16/08
Lightweight but likable.
08/18/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
02/27/09
Just because one is a scene stealer on TV does not mean he or she is big screen material, period, much less a movie star.
02/12/09
...an agreeable, sporadically hilarious comedy that benefits substantially from the almost uniformly strong performances.
02/06/09
All premise and no purpose.
01/29/09
A whacked-out, superannuated, would-be rock star might seem to be too easy a comic target, but Wilson gives this sad sack so many fresh twists that he never wears out his welcome.
11/21/08
Latest News for The Rocker
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In this week's roster of UK cinema releases we have the latest addition to the Coen canon in the CIA comedy caper, Burn After Reading, Shia LeBeouf stakes a further claim to the... More...
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August 20, 2008:
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This week, The Rocker hits theaters, telling the tale of a drummer who joins a teenage band years after getting kicked out of a monster rock group. With that in mind, we thought... More...
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