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Alphabet Killer, The
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Rocker, The
20th Century Fox
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for drug and sexual references, nudity and language
Starring
Rainn Wilson,
Christina Applegate,
Josh Gad,
Teddy Geiger,
Jane Lynch,
Emma Stone,
Jason Sudeikis,
and
Howard Hesseman
The Rocker, aka Robert "Fish" Fishman, was the drummer for an eighties hair band. He was living the rock 'n' roll dream... until he was kicked out of the group. Twenty years later, the desperate rocker joins his nephew's band, "A.D.D.," finally reclaiming the rock-god throne he's always thought he deserved -- while taking his much younger bandmates along for the ride of their lives. (20th Century Fox)
GENRE(S): |
Comedy
|
WRITTEN BY: |
Ryan Jaffe
Wallace Wolodarsky
Maya Forbes
|
DIRECTED BY: |
Peter Cattaneo
|
RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: January 27, 2009
Theatrical: August 20, 2008
|
RUNNING TIME: |
102 minutes, Color |
ORIGIN: |
USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
83
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Wilson is pretty much the whole show. With nobody else around to steal from, he ends up stealing scenes from himself.
75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Andy Spletzer
The most surprising thing about The Rocker is how enjoyable it is.
75
TV Guide
Ken Fox
The movie's is really good, clean fun that's fine for slightly older kids and a lot of fun for adults.
75
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
It's a lot of fun. Its spirit is genuine and, even with the odd vomit gag, fundamentally sweet.
75
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
This familiar scenario works because of well-written and acted characters. The disciplined direction is by Peter Cattaneo, who tackled somewhat similar material in "The Full Monty" a decade ago.
70
The Hollywood Reporter
Frank Scheck
Overcomes its essential familiarity thanks to a frequently witty script, grounded direction (by Peter Cattaneo, of "Full Monty" fame) and an engaging turn by its star that proves him more than capable of carrying a comedy feature.
70
Variety
Peter Debruge
Wilson makes the most of it in this well-crafted, feel-good satire.
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
The Rocker can be amusingly dopey, with its "Spinal Tap"-ish lampooning of rock idioms - and idiots.
63
Boston Globe
Wesley Morris
A grubby little redemption comedy that in every way feels like a consignment-shop Jack Black vehicle.
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Liam Lacey
Silly, and unashamedly second-hand, the movie is essentially a Jack Black movie without Jack Black, which is, arguably, an improvement.
60
Wall Street Journal
Joanne Kaufman
The Rocker has the requisite vomit, the view of some very unfortunate hind quarters and the suds. It's also got a vein of sweetness and charm.
60
Chicago Reader
J.R. Jones
There are plenty of funny moments, as well as a sweet subplot involving the unkempt drummer and the guitarist's no-nonsense mom (Christina Applegate).
60
Empire
Simon Crook
Lightweight but likable.
58
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Scott Tobias
Wilson and a loaded supporting cast are never as funny as they should be.
58
Baltimore Sun
Chris Kaltenbach
Too bad it shortchanges the music and fails to provide much evidence for Wilson's appeal.
50
Washington Post
Stephen Hunter
The movie is so tepid and inoffensive: It reminded me of a '70s Disney live-action product, with clean-scrubbed "hippies" like Johnny Whitaker chafing harmlessly under the wise ministrations of Suzanne Pleshette, whose job was to keep the kids in hand.
50
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Most disappointingly, the music is tepid, mediocre pop pastiche.
50
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
The Rocker is more disappointing than it is outright bad. One expects something a little fresher from Wilson.
50
Salon.com
James Hannaham
A pleasant but unimpressive experience.
50
San Francisco Chronicle
David Wiegand
You want to like almost everyone in this film, but they're all undone by a weak script.
50
Los Angeles Times
Sam Adams
For the most part, The Rocker is content to simply keep the beat, marking time as the summer movie season moves on.
50
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Wilson works overtime to hold Peter Cattaneo's flimsy comedy together.
50
New York Magazine
David Edelstein
It's depressing when the best thing you can say about a comedy is that its second-rateness is pleasantly in sync with its unmagnetic hero.
42
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
The only brazen thing about the film is how shamelessly it rips off "School of Rock."
40
Film Threat
Don R. Lewis
Not terribly original or funny.
40
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Wilson is buoyed by a sporadically witty script, and while there are no surprises whatsoever in the story, his goofy, puppylike charm renders what could have been a disaster merely an unfortunate event.
40
Village Voice
Robert Wilonsky
This is sugary-sweet stuff--pop instead of rock.
38
USA Today
Claudia Puig
If you're a Rainn Wilson fan, catch a rerun of "The Office."
The average user rating for this movie is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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