The Office's Rainn Wilson takes top billing in this so-so comedy about a mediocre drummer who lands a second chance at rock stardom. In the late ‘80s, Robert “Fish” Fishman was a member of the hair band Vesuvius, living the rock-n-roll dream until being unceremoniously dumped for his excesses. Twenty years later, his rock star fantasies long gone, Fish learns that his nephew's high-school band, A.D.D., needs a new drummer. Reluctantly, the teenage musicians give the nerdy old guy a chance, and the band winds up becoming (rather improbably) successful, offering the kids a taste of fame and Fish another opportunity to screw things up. While there are some tart lines and a few hilarious sight gags, one is left with the impression that director Peter Cattaneo's The Rocker was greenlit even before the script was finished (the plot could have used more fleshing out). Wilson, who does “annoying” better than almost anybody in Hollywood today, is a natural here, and he's ably supported by such comic notables as Arrested Development's Will Arnett, 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski, and SNL's Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen (best of all, Christina Applegate is on hand as Fish's old girlfriend). Still, despite the solid cast, The Rocker is middling entertainment, at best. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (one with director Peter Cattaneo and star Rainn Wilson; the other with costars Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone, and Jason Sudeikis), 16 minutes of deleted scenes, four podcasts (11 min.), a 10-minute gag reel, an interview with Pete Best (7 min.), “Rock Tales” cast and crew interviews (7 min.), an MTV panel segment (6 min.), “Vesuvius Gags” outtakes (4 min.), a “Rainn Wilson: Office Rocker” featurette (4 min.), a “Behind the Band: Vesuvius” featurette (3 min.), “Matt Gags” outtakes (3 min.), “Rock Beat with Fish Fishman” with Wilson (3 min.), the Fox Movie Channel presentation “In Character with The Rocker” (3 min.), brief PSAs, the music video for the soundtrack song “I'm Not Bitter” and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so comedy.] (E. Hulse)
The Rocker
Fox, 102 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.99, Jan. 27 Volume 24, Issue 1
The Rocker
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: