Rainn Wilson’s new rock ’n’ roll underdog story is strictly a B-side affair
The Rocker is a B-side rock movie filled with B-list actors. It’s the old story of the misfits getting their day in the sun thanks to the help of a slovenly but morally stalwart tutor. Since the film falls into the subcategory of rock movie lead actor Rainn Wilson is in this case a poor man’s Jack Black from School of Rock himself a re-imagining of the late Chris Farley’s manic rotund persona. Re-gifted fat guys and sullen teeny-boppers brought to life by the magic of frenzied shrieking adulation are the backbone of a movie consisting of reasonably talented alternate versions of more famous and successful niche players. Wilson himself is always good for a laugh in supporting parts — take his role as the consummate sidekick Dwight in the widely praised series The Office — but he is not made up of the same parts that comprise a lead actor. His frequent attempts at physical humour fail to go the distance falling short of the true fatness of his comedic ancestors and sagging into the admittedly amusing limbo between pudgy and doughy.
Wilson plays Robert “Fish” Fishman drummer for an ’80s hair band called Vesuvius whose other members cut Fish as a condition of signing their first big record contract. Twenty years of workaday drudgery later Fish finds himself jobless and living with his sister; a twist of fate leads him to pick up his sticks again to fill a vacancy in his nephew’s garage band A.D.D. A senior prom gig turns into small-time shows at bars and clubs but the band’s talent and enthusiasm begins to attract a significant following. Their rise in popularity leads to an inevitable showdown with Vesuvius as Fish faces the galactic popularity that was once within his grasp.
Josh Gad plays Fish’s nephew and the band’s chubby keyboardist-slash-virginal sad-sack. He has a likable screen presence but in keeping with the theme of identifying A-list counterparts he will only get cast when Jonah Hill is busy. Hill’s Superbad co-star Emma Stone plays A.D.D.’s sexy punkish bassist. Stone has the potential to be a staple of hit comedies for years to come although the kind of toothless comedies won’t give her the big-league credibility she needs. The often charming Christina Applegate gets the role of Wilson’s love interest but is sadly underused.
The Rocker succeeds only as far as it serves the expectations of its audience. The jokes don’t always hit and they land softly when they do but the energy of a cast that is mostly capable of better makes for a moderately enjoyable watch. The movie isn’t a rock anthem so much as a jingle or a ditty pleasant and earnest enough to avoid falling short of the modest requirements of its genre.