# "Rock of Ages" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659 "2012-05-31T15:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/21 "2012-06-13T01:25:18Z")
Weird premise. It sounds like something that would star finalists of American Idol ala From Justin to Kelly. Odd that Cruise or Baldwin would even be involved. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/22 "2012-06-13T01:38:05Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Weird premise. It sounds like something that would star finalists of American Idol ala From Justin to Kelly. Odd that Cruise or Baldwin would even be involved. I can’t help but think that MAMMA MIA has something to do with this. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/23 "2012-06-13T01:41:32Z")
I’ll probably see it for the cast, and the fact that some of the band were graduates of the School of Rock. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/24 "2012-06-13T02:57:22Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > My impression, first, was that they were not understanding how bad the music they picked for the movie really is. Then I thought they didn’t seem to understand that what they’re stated goal is (a musical that guys will want to see and bring their girlfriends to) was stupid. > > When they started in on the whole “mashup” thing, that’s when it all really started to fall apart for me. You aren’t going to make Poison and Europe any better by doing a mashup of their songs. Or Dokken and Winger. Or whoever. > > I guess my biggest beef is that they picked, IMO, the worst possible music to use in a transparent effort to appeal to someone’s nostalgia, except they seem to not have noticed that the time period their using was more than 25 years ago, and so their target demographic is a very small number of males who are now 40-55 years old. Most anyone younger than that either didn’t listen to hair metal and/or actively disliked it. Most anyone older than that prolly didn’t listen to it in the first place. And let’s face it, many people who did listen to it at the time now slap themselves trying to figure out what in hell they were thinking back then. > > This movie strikes me as a product of the same type of flawed decision making process that led to [_Cop Rock_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098772/). Are they approaching the music ironically with a wink and a nod? I get that impression from the movie’s ads. I never liked the vast majority of 80s metal and I think the only people who still take that music seriously are like [Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Brutananadilewski) ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/25 "2012-06-13T03:18:03Z")
I think it sounds like a hoot and something that is not taking itself seriously. I don’t like Tom Cruise as a rule, but I will go and see this! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/26 "2012-06-13T11:17:07Z")
My girls saw it on Broadway and liked it. (The Wife and I went to see something else that day - perhaps “The 39 Steps.”) It looks fun, and I am certainly in the proposed age-range demographic. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/27 "2012-06-13T13:57:50Z")
It started as a “jukebox musical” - i.e., like Mamma Mia, or the one featuring Billy Joel’s songs, or ones that featured Cole Porter’s hits, etc. Jukebox musicals have a paper-thin plot designed to segue from one hit song to the next in a fun way. Classic tourist draw on Broadway. In terms of a transition to a movie - who knows? As a rule, men who really like rock don’t want to see it associated with Broadway. But even more guys enjoyed those party songs without being serious rock geeks and/or have no problem seeing this movie if their wives/families want to see it. I have no interest - no surprise, I am a rock geek. But it will be interesting to see how Tom Cruise does - they’ve been cute with feeding teasers of his performance but really trying to build it up - “hey, he can really pull off Paradise City!” - okay, then. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/28 "2012-06-13T15:18:57Z")
You will be thrilled to know that the stage version of [Rock Of Ages will be coming to Las Vega](http://www.playbill.com/news/article/166785-Rock-of-Ages-Will-Play-Las-Vegas)s, at the Venetian, for a long-term run starting in December this year. The long running Phantom of the Opera will be leaving Venetian in September, in case anyone wished to see that version before it leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/29 "2012-06-13T15:23:29Z")
I’d like to see scenes that take place at the Hollywood sign, because that was filmed on a fake sign then made on a big smelly landfill in Pompano Beach, Florida that I pass everyday on my commute. So when you see this scene, realize that the actors are working in a the stink of massive pile of garbage that has been growing and baked daily by the Florida sun for nearly 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/30 "2012-06-13T16:00:01Z")
I saw the show on Broadway, with Constantine from \*\*\*American Idol \*\*\*in the lead role. Now, the story was paper-thin, and the songs selected weren’t all classics (I LIKED a lot of Eighties hair metal, but would have picked a number of better tunes, if I’d been in charge), but somehow, the show was still a lot of fun. Sure, there was the nostalgia angle, but in addition, every audience member was given a little “cigarette lighter” (really a tiny flashlight made to look like a Bic lighter), and we’d ALL wave the lighters during the cheesy power ballads. It wasn’t a GREAT show, but almost everyone present was laughing a lot and singing along, and I think almost everyone had a good time. But… I have a hard time seeing how a movie could achieve the same result. I can’t picture a movie audience developing the kind of brief camaraderie the theater audience developed. I just don’t see movie audiences singing along or waving Bics as one. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/31 "2012-06-13T16:18:50Z")
I’ve been hearing/reading about the impending opening of this movie for what seems like years. In theory, I think it sounds fun. Not my favorite music but familiar enough for me to get a kick out of it. What’s been surprising to me is how awful Catherine Zeta Jones’s and Tom Cruise’s performances are, based on the clips I’ve seen. CZJ knocked my socks off in \*Chicago \* but her rendition of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” is borderline cringeworthy. As for Cruise, I’ve always enjoyed him and think he may be a lot of fun as Stacee Jaxx (or however you spell it) when he’s not singing. The “Pour Some Sugar on Me” performance was abyssmal. It’s as if he’s singing in earnest while doing his campy best at imitating the cheesey hair band shctick. If you’re gonna go all \*Spinal Tap \*, go all the way. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/32 "2012-06-14T19:50:59Z")
Haven’t seen it but one thing amuses me: they chose to use the [#1 worst song of the 80’s.](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-the-10-worst-songs-of-the-1980s-20111006/1-starship-we-built-this-city-0260875) I think I shall view this when it hits cable, at home with a bottle of wine and some friends who will help me mock it. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/33 "2012-06-14T21:04:07Z")
> [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > Haven’t seen it but one thing amuses me: they chose to use the [#1 worst song of the 80’s.](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-the-10-worst-songs-of-the-1980s-20111006/1-starship-we-built-this-city-0260875) > > I think I shall view this when it hits cable, at home with a bottle of wine and some friends who will help me mock it. Stupid surveys yiled stupid results. I don’t even like “We Built This City,” but just off the top of my head, I can think of 100 worse songs. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/34 "2012-06-14T21:14:17Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Stupid surveys yiled stupid results. > > I don’t even like “We Built This City,” but just off the top of my head, I can think of 100 worse songs. No need to hijack the thread in any big way, but **astorian** , I hear you - but I have no problem with \*that \*song being the “official” answer to “what is the worst song in rock during the 80’s?” The song is crap (“Marconi plays the mamba”? - ugh, it stinks of a non-rock writer trying to write something rocky and commerical), the production has a lot of bad 80’s artifacts - but most importantly, the band had started off trying to portray themselves as counter-culture, love-in hippies and this incarnation of Starship and that song just reeks of sellout. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/35 "2012-06-14T21:32:28Z")
As of today, it’s 45% on Rotten Tomatoes: [Rock of Ages - Rotten Tomatoes](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rock_of_ages_2012/) It’ll have to get a lot better review before I see it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/36 "2012-06-14T22:02:32Z")
I’d probably watch it on HBO, but I would not pay to see it. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/37 "2012-06-14T23:14:29Z")
It absolutely staggers me that it took 25+ years to bring Les Mis to the screen and less than 5 to bring Rock of Ages. Shoot me now. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/38 "2012-06-15T02:23:42Z")
Merged duplicate threads. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/39 "2012-06-15T10:32:57Z")
This thread needs some White Wizzard. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfnIBnz2_zw) That being said, I seem to recall that We Built This City was Grace Slick’s final straw. She really hated that song. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659/40 "2012-06-18T00:43:29Z")
Ok…I actually saw the movie today. Caveats: 1. Not a Cruise fan, though I enjoyed his bit in Tropic Thunder, as it showed he DOESNT always take himself so seriously, and I think he works great in roles like that. This is one of those roles. 1. I am not a musical fan. Sure, there are a couple I like, Sound of Music and Mama Mia being the only two I can think of off the top of my head, but in general…no, no, just…no thanks. 2. I am probably at the bottom of the demographic for this movie. I was wearing ripped up jeans and big boots and jean skirts during that time period, but I was more U2 than hair-band fan. So…Here are my general impressions, after having seen it. -It is TOTAL cheese. As cheesy as you expect, it is seriously 10 times worse. It borders on camp, except it seems to be missing something, not sure what. -Most of the songs you like from that time period you will never want to hear again after this. There ARE a couple-few good renditions, but…half the time I am mentally applauding the actors for being able to get through it at all, much less with a straight face. -Very few surprises, if any, and that doesn’t really make up for all the…just, DEAD SPACE that some of the interactions drag through. -I have never been ‘into’ Tom Cruise. Never been ‘into’ any hair-band guys. But…yeah. Um…he’s uncomfortably mesmerizing in this. Ahem. AND I DONT KNOW WHY! I am kind of embarassed to admit this. But yeah. Won’t be looking at HIM the same again. Too long ; didn’t read - When this hits DVD, I will rent it/borrow it/whatever just long enough to rip it to my hard drive. After that, I will take all the good parts and put them together. It will make an entertaining half-hour short. Maybe 40 minutes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-of-ages/623659.md?page=3)