"Rock of Ages" (2012 US)

[pkristen]

Summary: Taking place in '87 L.A., an excuse to showcase the music and fashions of the time with a thin, traditional storylines about the music industry.

Review: Obviously required viewing for the show queen in me, however, I always had a 6th sense about not wanting to see a live version of the show despite many opportunities. And news of Tom Cruise didn’t help since I’m completely uninterested in him as an actor. It wasn’t until I saw the preview featuring the director of the “Hairspray” movie and Catherine Z-J that I became genuinely interested.

But now that I’ve seen it, my 6th sense was completely right. While it features the music of my youth (taking place in ’87, the year after I graduated high school), it’s not an overall music genre I was ever truly interested in – except the women rockers, of course. It does feature a couple of amusing moments and interesting numbers, but it’s not a movie for feminists. It did nothing for me emotionally or intellectually, and Tom Cruise was just plain annoying.

Spoiler:
As for the realized romance between two male characters, this was clearly a storyline played for laughs, but then the rest of the movie isn't high-intellectual caliber either so it fits right in.