Rock of Ages (2012)
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A young man with stagefright and a woman with big dreams navigate the high-stakes world of 1980s rock music in Los Angeles.
The story
In 1987 Los Angeles, Sherrie Christian arrives from Oklahoma with dreams of becoming a singer. After her suitcase is stolen, she finds work as a waitress at the Bourbon Room. The club's owner, Dennis Dupree, is desperate to save the venue from tax debt and books a detached rock star, Stacee Jaxx, for a final gig. Meanwhile, the club's barback, Drew Boley, harbors his own secret dreams of becoming a rock star but suffers from severe stagefright. As a protest group organizes against the concert, Drew and Sherrie begin a complicated relationship while the club faces potential closure.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1987 Los Angeles, Sherrie Christian arrives from Oklahoma with dreams of becoming a singer. After her suitcase is stolen, she finds work as a waitress at the Bourbon Room. The club's owner, Dennis Dupree, and his right-hand man, Lonny Barnett, book the self-indulgent rock star Stacee Jaxx for his final gig with his band, Arsenal. Drew Boley, the barback, reveals his own rock star dreams to Sherrie but admits he has stagefright. While a protest is organized against the concert, Drew and Sherrie begin dating. When Arsenal's opening act cancels, Sherrie convinces Dennis to use Drew's band, Wolfgang Von Colt. However, a series of misunderstandings occurs when Drew believes Sherrie had an affair with Stacee, leading to a breakup. Drew eventually lands a record deal with a hip-hop boy band, while Sherrie becomes a dancer at a strip club. After a period of separation, Drew finds Sherrie's stolen albums and returns them, rekindling their love. Stacee, realizing his feelings for a reporter named Constance Sack, returns to the Bourbon Room to confront the protesters and fire his manager. Finally, Drew and Sherrie reunite on stage with Wolfgang Von Colt, performing a song for a massive crowd at Dodger Stadium, where Stacee also joins them for a final performance.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Adam Shankman
- Writers
- Chris D'Arienzo · screenplay; Allan Loeb · screenplay; Justin Theroux · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Julianne Hough · Sherrie Christian; Diego Boneta · Drew Boley; Russell Brand · Lonny Barnett; Paul Giamatti · Paul Gill; Catherine Zeta-Jones · Patricia Whitmore; Malin Åkerman · Constance Sack; Mary J. Blige · Justice Charlier; Alec Baldwin · Dennis Dupree; Tom Cruise · Stacee Jaxx; Bryan Cranston · Mayor Mike Whitmore
- Genres
- musical comedy; comedy; musical
- Themes
- Ambition; Love; Rock and Roll Culture; Identity
- Tone and mood
- Exuberant; Silly; Fun
- Setting
- Los Angeles, 1987
- Premise and plot tags
- Jukebox Musical; Rock Music; Coming-of-Age; LGBTQ-related
- Source material / true-story basis
- Broadway musical Rock of Ages by Chris D'Arienzo
- Content notes
- Sexual Content
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative critical reviews and was a box-office bomb, though Tom Cruise's performance was praised.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 43% · scale: 100% · review count: 227; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 42
- Production trivia
- Tom Cruise sang five hours a day to prepare for his role as Stacee Jaxx.; The film features a cameo by Constantine Maroulis, who played Drew in the original Broadway cast.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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