Movie Description
Slovenly drummer Robert "Fish" Fishman (THE OFFICE's Rainn Wilson) is booted out of his 1980s hair metal band, Vesuvius, right as they're signed to a big label, crushing his dreams and leading to a 20-year stretch of office park employment. A second chance comes in the form of his overweight teenage keyboardist nephew (Josh Gad) who needs an emergency drummer for his band's gig at the prom. It's an odd match--an '80s metal guy in a teen emo-lite band (their name is A.D.D.)--but he's soon offering fatherly counsel to fatherless boy singer Curtis (Teddy Geiger), giving hair gel tips to the foxy bassist (Emma Stone), and working to get the band a club gig. Soon A.D.D. is signed to the same label as Vesuvius, poised for major MTV-stardom, all leading to a big arena spot as the opening band for the dreaded Vesuvius. Fish needs to overcome his tantrum-throwing ways and step up to the kit, if he wants to impress Curtis's hot mom (Christina Applegate) and outrock his former colleagues. A cross between rock star fantasia à la SCHOOL OF ROCK and the Will Ferrell School of man-child comedy, THE ROCKER benefits from tight editing and pretty decent songs. Real-life musician Geiger saves some rough stretches with his easygoing charisma, while Peter Best (the drummer dropped from the Beatles and hence the quintessential "dumped drummer") makes a cameo. It's directed by Peter Cattaneo of THE FULL MONTY
| Credits | | Producer: | Shawn Levy | | Cast: | Fred Armisen, Jeff Garlin, Josh Gad, Lonny Ross, Teddy Geiger, Will Arnett |
| Details | | Edition: | 2-Disc Set; Digital Copy; Checkpoint, Sensormatic |
Editorial Reviews
"The movie carries off the trick of conjuring nostalgia for the bad old days when bands trashed hotel rooms and drank themselves into oblivion while making such behavior appear pathetic."
New York Times - Stephen Holden (08/20/2008)
"[T]here's something pleasantly old-fashioned about the movie's leisurely pace....Wilson is at his most animated when demonstrating what aficionados know as 'drum face,' his mouth stretched wide in a primal yell."
Los Angeles Times - Sam Adams (08/20/2008)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] a game cast and a boisterous lead from Wilson....FULL MONTY director Cattaneo thumps out the tantrums-and-triumphs storybeats with ease....Likable..."
Empire - Simon Crook (09/01/2008)
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