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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
Memo to Rainn Wilson: A shot of a paunchy middle-aged man in jockey shorts is not automatically funny. Okay, it kind of is. But The Rocker is as formulaic as a Whitesnake song without the virtue of a four-minute running time.
The melody of The Rocker feels predictable but the beat is refreshingly off-kilter.
Sadly, The Rocker is so rife with formula that a pre-school could wet nurse on it indefinitely and still never go hungry.
...a shameless rip of "School of Rock."
Some laughs, but this is no School of Rock.
If you have marginal talent as a filmmaker, this is the kind of a film you make.
"The Rocker" is a likeable but sometimes awkward comedy about a likeable, awkward musician.
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.
I felt nothing for the characters, and worse, I didn’t care if Fish confronted his old band members and got even.
Is it possible for a movie to actually kill rock n' roll?
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.
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.
School of Rock, Tenacious D and about million comedies of prolonged adolescence have stripped most of the bigger nuggets from this particular seam.
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 ...
The film equivalent of an inoffensive throwaway track, what we used to call a B-side, back in the days of Vesuvius.
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.
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.
A grubby little redemption comedy that in every way feels like a consignment-shop Jack Black vehicle.
Unfortunately, The Rocker, Wilson’s first lead role in a feature film, emphasizes the wrong quirks.
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.
October 17, 2008:
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September 01, 2008:
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Labor day weekend saw a host of new films; few of them showing any signs of box office msucle. More...
August 21, 2008:
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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...
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