80's High School Musical

Musical movies are always a rough business to go into. Not only does the producer have to take into account the musical numbers, but he also has to incorporate a good story line. Rock of Ages is a good example why the clash of these two concepts doesn't always work.

The film takes place during the late 80's and early 90's in LA. The story follows Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough); a typical small-town girl with a dream of making it in the music business. After getting her suitcase stolen, Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) approaches her and offers to help get her a job at The Bourbon. The club is run by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and is known to host the biggest Rock n' Roll stars of the decade. But now, the club will go bankrupt if it doesn't pull out enough money to preserve the "Holy Grail of Rock."

Dennis decides to book none other than the most famous group of the 80's. Arsenal is led by rock star Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). A concert and a scam artist later, The Bourbon is still in a hole. Meanwhile, Sherrie is still struggling to hit it big and Drew may have gotten the career he hoped for. Oh but wait, there's more. A puritan driven group is threatening to shut down The Bourbon.

Since I have sisters, it was painful for me to sit and watch all three High School Musicals in a row. So naturally, I dove into Rock of Ages with a little skepticism. And guess what? I was right! The plot isn't developed far enough making everything seem rushed and out of place. The actors played really cheesy roles expect for a few. Such as the strip club owner Justice (Mary J. Blige) or rocker assistant manager Lonny (Russell Brand) who did a good job executing their roles. Lonny was actually pretty funny.

The only thing that saved this movie was the amazing soundtrack that tagged along throughout the movie. I do have to applaud Tom Cruise for doing a pretty good job of playing a drugged up horny rocker. Kudos to you man. Alec Baldwin had a terrible performance. It just didn't fit him. I recommend you stick to your Capital One commercials cause your acting days are over.

When looking at the film as whole, the movie isn't all that bad. But when playing close attention to the dialogue in each scene, it ruins it. It's just another lame musical that fails to deliver a well thought out story line. If you're into musical movies, I say you watch it. It might play well for you. But for me, Rock of Ages is going to have to be a 6/10.