Rock of Ages is so much better as a stage show. I loved seeing the live production. It had the decadence of 80s tunes, the energy, the nastiness, the sleaze, and naughty bits. Sadly the Hollywood film version is cleaned up and maybe a tad boring.
Great tunes - I love 80s metal hair bands, the pop, and any Journey. Julianne Hough is so damn cute as our heroine. She's pretty - can sing and can dance. The hero - Diego B. is okay - fairly forgettable. Alex Baldwin and Russell Brand as the bar owner and manager are brilliant - truly they are scene stealers. Russell Brand just looks the part. Truly fab. Mary J.Blige can sing her heart out - she's good as the madame of the Venus Club.
Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, the super duper rock-wasted star - is very good, yet he's Tom Cruise. To me he looked too buff. The stage show had a great Stacee - a bit too skinny wastedness. Tom was a tad too old for this role. He looked great - maybe too great. He has a pleasant voice and did a decent job, yet I always knew it was Tom Cruise on screen. Trying too hard.
Paul Giamatti is genius as the sleazoid agent. He's just such a creative actor, often overlooked for his genius Catherine Zeta-Jones annoyed me immensely in her role. They changed up a bunch in this area from the stage show, as to who was evil. I liked Catherine in Chicago - she can sing and dance, I'll give her that. Here - she was miscast and really annoying.
The problem with this movie version was the energy level. The stage show kept accelerating. The movie had a lot of lapses - yawn city. I found myself checking my watch - not a good sign.
Rock of Ages - okay for rental and I predict it'll be there soon. Not a screen success. Don't Stop Believing...........that's the key to 80s music. This movie didn't totally deliver. Wait for rental. Enjoy some bad wigs and then sing along.
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