Using similar storylines and characters found in other music-related films such as "That Thing You Do!" and "School of Rock," "The Rocker" is not for those interested in a fresh take on the rags-to-riches rock star tale.
Circa 1988, Robert "Fish" Fishman (Rainn Wilson) is living the rock 'n' roll dream as the talented drummer for popular hair metal band, Vesuvius. Just before the band's eruption to mega-stardom, however, Fish is kicked out, released back into the waters of the "boring" real world.
Fast-forward 20 years. The members of Vesuvius have become rock legends and Fish has hit rock bottom. Jobless and homeless, he is forced to move in with his sister's family.
Fish, however, is given a second chance at fame when he reluctantly stands in for his nephew's drummer-less garage band, A.D.D. With a little help from YouTube, the band skyrockets to the top of the charts.
Sound familiar? It probably does considering the plot is almost identical to that of Tom Hanks' 1996 Beatles-esque flick, "That Thing You Do!"
Furthermore, A.D.D. bassist Amelia (Emma Stone) describes Fish as "sloppy," "stupid" and "full of life." Ring any bells? This character sounds very similar to the one Jack Black portrayed in the 2003 film "School of Rock."
Despite its unoriginality, "The Rocker" did have its fair share of shining moments. Sidesplitting cracks at The Beatles and Fish's awkwardly hysterical nephew Matt (Josh Gad) generated considerable laughs from the audience.
Fans of "The Office" will enjoy Wilson's rocker, as many of Dwight Schrute's idiosyncrasies make it through to his performance.
By and large, "The Rocker" is entertaining and engaging, even though moviegoers might feel as though they have seen it before.
Ian Bostick can be reached at bostick.21@osu.edu.
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