If you are a child of the 80's, run out and grab a copy of ROCK OF AGES (2012) starring Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, and Diego Boneto. You won't be able to stop yourself from singing along to the music of Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, and so many others circa 1987. But if you don't have fond memories of 'hair-bands' blasting their rock ballads through pick-up trucks at your local bush party, you might not find much else in this movie to entertain you.
The old story of a small town girl meeting a big city boy feels like little more than filler between musical numbers. Looking back at the history of successful stage musicals translated into big screen duds, we can obviously follow the trend. Chicago and Rent were both highly profitable and critically acclaimed on Broadway. On the silver screen, they just did not translate.
It must be noted that Tom Cruise really can belt out a song, and his stage performance of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' is on par, if not better, than the original Def Leppard track. Nice to know Cruise can always go on tour with the Rolling Stones after he retires from acting. Check out the DVD bonus features. The interviews with the original rock stars are definitely worth your time.
I dare you to find one person between the ages of 20 to 60 who doesn't recognize at least one track off Def Leppard's Pyromania CD. Love it or hate it, the 80's left its mark. Directed by Adam Shankman, PG, 123 mins, Comedy, Drama, Musical, *** 3 stars out of five.
