Rock of Ages

Direct from Broadway, this raucous, shameless rock musical adaptation serves up a seriously silly riff on Hollywood's famed Sunset Strip club life, circa 1987. After naïve Sherrie (Julianne Hough) hops off the bus from Tulsa—believing she's landed in paradise, until her suitcase is stolen—she's rescued by wannabe rocker Drew (Diego Boneta), who helps her snag a waitress job at the famed Bourbon Room, owned by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and run by Dupree's devoted technician, Lonny (Russell Brand). The Bourbon Room is where legendary, debauched rock god/Arsenal front man Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) is scheduled to play his last gig before going solo. Of course, the manic, dissolute, hard-rockin' lifestyle ain't easy, particularly when the mayor's pious wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) vows to close the club; Jaxx's sleazy manager (Paul Giamatti) manipulates the money; and a hard-hitting Rolling Stone reporter (Malin Akerman) turns a sex-driven interview with Jaxx into an exposé. A contrived satirical jukebox musical that is slickly directed by Adam Shankman, the nostalgic central story—about ambition, fame, and fortune—surfaces only briefly between frenzied, ear-shredding energy blasts from the musical numbers. While Hough and Boneta work to evoke star-struck young love, it's bare-chested, heavily tattooed, hard-bodied Cruise who steals the show, while belting Foreigner's “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” Joan Jett's “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and Bon Jovi's “Wanted Dead or Alive.”. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes segment “If You Build It, They Will Rock It” on Sunset Strip clubs in the 80s, Def Leppard performing live at the film's premiere, and an “Any Way You Want It” music featurette with costars Julianne Hough, Constantine Maroulis, and Mary J. Blige. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are an extended cut of the film, a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes on “Defining a Decade” (36 min.), “Rock of Ages: Legends of the Sunset Strip” (30 min.), and “The Stories We Sing” with members of Def Leppard, Journey, Night Ranger, Poison, and REO Speedwagon (13 min.), and a musical selection guide, as well as bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)