RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / The Rocker
The Rocker

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Rocker (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
39 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for drug and sexual references, nudity and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Comedies

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... 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 20-year stretch of office park employment. A second chance comes in the form of his overweight teenage keyboardist nephew (Josh Gad) who needs an emergency drummer for his band's gig at the prom. It's an odd match--an '80s metal guy in a teen emo-lite band (their name is A.D.D.)--but he's soon offering fatherly counsel to fatherless boy singer Curtis (Teddy Geiger), giving hair gel tips to the foxy bassist (Emma Stone), and working to get the band a club gig. Soon A.D.D. is signed to the same label as Vesuvius, poised for major MTV-stardom, all leading to a big arena spot as the opening band for the dreaded Vesuvius. Fish needs to overcome his tantrum-throwing ways and step up to the kit, if he wants to impress Curtis's hot mom (Christina Applegate) and outrock his former colleagues. A cross between rock star fantasia à la SCHOOL OF ROCK and the Will Ferrell School of man-child comedy, THE ROCKER benefits from tight editing and pretty decent songs. Real-life musician Geiger saves some rough stretches with his easygoing charisma, while Peter Best (the drummer dropped from the Beatles and hence the quintessential "dumped drummer") makes a cameo. It's directed by Peter Cattaneo of THE FULL MONTY [More]

Starring: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Teddy Geiger

Starring: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone, Josh Gad, Jane Lynch, Jason Sudeikis, Howard Hesseman, Bradley Cooper, Lonny Ross, Will Arnett, Fred Armisen

Director: Peter Cattaneo, Anthony B. Richmond

Director: Peter Cattaneo
Screenwriter: Maya Forbes, Wally Wolodarsky
Story: Ryan Jaffe
Producer: Shawn Levy, Tom McNulty
Director: Anthony B. Richmond
Composer: Chad Fischer
Studio: Fox Atomic

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    The Naked Drummer
    >
    Rainn Wilson
    >
    Emma Stone & Teddy Geiger
    >
1 - 4 of 4

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for The Rocker

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/18/08
John Hazelton
John Hazelton
Screen International

As a movie, it may not rock, but it rolls along nicely enough.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/17/08
Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Amiable enough yet unadventurous and uneven, this may coax the odd big smile from viewers but it never rocks the house.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/17/08
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There are occasionally amusing moments, but the writing lacks the warmth that made School of Rock such a hit.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
10/17/08
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It all looks good and there's a decent cast but nothing really takes off.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/17/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Essentially 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.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
10/17/08
Elliott Noble
Elliott Noble
Sky Movies

Worth your hard earned money if you’re looking for some entertaining light entertainment.

Full Review Source: Heart 106.2 | comment 1 Comment
10/17/08
Heart 106.2

Just the feelgood movie that everyone needs at the moment.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
10/17/08
Sun Online

The film is untidy, cheery, sometimes amiable. If only it were funny too.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
10/17/08
Nigel Andrews
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times

Director Peter Cattaneo will probably never repeat his Full Monty success, but even in its mediocre patches one senses a renewed eagerness to entertain.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
10/17/08
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

The Rocker is certainly not This Is Spinal Tap, but it is fair to moderate entertainment and Rainn Wilson holds it all together energetically.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
10/17/08
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

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.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/17/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

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.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
10/16/08
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

Likeable, if predictable comedy, enlivened by strong comic performances from Rainn Wilson and a talented supporting cast.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/16/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Lightweight but likable.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/18/08
Simon Crook
Simon Crook
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
02/27/09
Chris Bumbray
Chris Bumbray
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

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.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
02/12/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

...an agreeable, sporadically hilarious comedy that benefits substantially from the almost uniformly strong performances.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
02/06/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

All premise and no purpose.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
01/29/09
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
DVDTalk.com

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.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment 1 Comment
11/21/08
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Rocker

October 17, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Is Burn After Reading A Coens Classic? Does Eagle Eye Have Enough Action, Man?
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...

September 01, 2008: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Tropic Thunder Triumphantly closes Summer
Labor day weekend saw a host of new films; few of them showing any signs of box office msucle. More...

August 21, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Death Race Shoots for Pole Position
The ancient studio ritual of dumping weak product into the late August box office has begun. Four new releases, most about failures trying to redeem themselves, hit the... More...

August 20, 2008: Total Recall: Tomatopalooza -- Cinema's Greatest Fake Bands
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...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…
19% 19% Transformers: Revenge …
55% 55% Orphan

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
98% 98% Up
88% 88% Ballast
67% 67% The Merry Gentleman

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Rachel McAdams Rumored for Spider-Man 4 Source: Mania.com
142
  • Danny Elfman Leaves The Wolfman Source: Cinemusic.net
25
  • Oldboy Remake Rumored Dead Source: Latino Review
19
  • Francis Lawrence Directing a Futuristic Sgt. Rock Source: Hollywood Reporter
3
  • Can Avatar Make Money? Source: New York Times
117
  • Robert Pattinson Says Breaking Dawn Could Roll in Fall 2010 Source: Collider.com
36
  • Joe Johnston Talks The Wolfman Source: Ain't It Cool News
8
  • Jason Schwartzman Talks Scott Pilgrim Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
102
  • J.J. Abrams Producing Micronauts Movie? Source: Wall Street Journal
11
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: John Cusack's Best Movies
66
  • Five Favorite Films with Roland Emmerich
54
  • Critics Consensus: A Christmas Carol Dazzles But Disappoints
43
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
34
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Christmas Carol Tops, Precious Rocks
32
  • Friday Harvest: Prince of Persia, The Road, and more!
26
  • 10 Movies That Changed The (End Of The) World
8
  • RT's Holiday Movie Preview -- Find Out What's Hot This Season!
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
15
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
40
  • Michael Moore: The RT Interview
139
  • Andrea Arnold talks Fish Tank - RT Interview
4
  • Neill Blomkamp talks District 9 - RT Interview
51
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Rocker at Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Rocker at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.