For the second time in recent history, Mark Wahlberg interacts onscreen with a legion of lesser-evolved, excessively hairy beings. This time, however, the odd-looking characters are not bloodthirsty chimps, but rock stars.
In the admittedly fun "Rock Star," Wahlberg plays Chris "Izzy" Cole, a Pittsburgh native who lives for covering Steel Dragon songs with his tribute band Blood Pollution. Much to the chagrin of his band mates, he is obsessively over-enthusiastic, making sure all guitar riffs, gyrations and vocal nuances match the stylings of his hero, lead singer Bobby Beers.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, fictional heavy metal sensation Steel Dragon is in turmoil. Beers' closeted homosexuality finally has thrown fellow band members over the edge - he gets booted. Luckily, two well-endowed groupies slip the Steel Dragon men a Blood Pollution bootleg. Virtually overnight, Chris goes from copy repairman to front man for the band he has idolized for years.
Hilarity ensues as Chris tries to fit in with the band - British accent, tough-guy pose and all. Wahlberg's starry-eyed act is infectious.
A real high point of the movie is the initial concert. Chris's absolute delight at the fulfillment of his wildest fantasy makes the viewer wistful as well; after all, who hasn't dreamt of leading the glamorous life of a favorite celebrity? Chris has it all: money, fame, music and a gorgeous girl (Jennifer Aniston). Such a chaotic lifestyle, however, soon spells trouble for Chris, and for the movie as a whole.
Never again does the film approach its early energy. Just as Chris becomes increasingly apathetic toward his surroundings, the film itself becomes more formulaic and mundane. Like a popular band, the high simply cannot last forever, and the audience tires of the act long before Chris does.
Such unevenness is more the fault of the script than the lead actor; early on, when characters chastise Chris for his pathetic aimlessness, the viewer is inclined to agree. Direction and screenplay alike seem to rely on humor and adrenaline before prematurely fizzling. For a film about the '80s rock and roll scene, this is a surprisingly unedgy picture. One would have liked to see screenwriter John Stockwell and director Stephen Herek ("Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure") try something new.
Mercifully, the script of "Rock Star" allows for some better acting than Wahlberg displayed in "Planet of the Apes." Wahlberg is actually quite convincing as both a regular guy and a successful star, a formula he has previously struck cinematic gold with in "Boogie Nights." Though not as much of Wahlberg's impressive hardware is on display in "Rock Star," costumes are revealing enough to drive home the plausibility of numerous sex-crazed groupies.
Wahlberg manages to bring a naive excitement to the first half of the film and transitions well into his "spoiled rocker" phase, but this makes it hard to place exactly when he becomes jaded. It is sad to see the initial magic end and routine set in, both for the character of Chris and the movie itself. At the same time, it is commendable that, considering Wahlberg's hip-hop past, the movie did not collapse into one bad joke. Still, one may get a feeling of deja vu - Wahlberg is recreating the very genre that alter ego Marky Mark helped to destroy. Such irony is not lost on the filmmakers, though - stay for the credits.
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Any fan of '80s metal may get a special kick out of the soundtrack, which includes tunes from Def Leppard, AC/DC and Bon Jovi, as well as some rock and roll originals. Real musicians like Bryan Vander Ark (The Verve Pipe), Stephan Jenkins (Third Eye Blind), Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne) and others make appearances, adding to the authenticity of the musical performances. Everyone looks to be having a good time. This includes Aniston, who is appropriately cute as obligatory arm-candy with great costumes and a surprisingly quick wit. She turns in a nice performance; often, her reactions reflect the only normality in an out of control world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
And what of Chris' fantastic switch from repairman to metal god? Well, perhaps it isn't too fantastic - consider the tale of Tim "Ripper" Owens, a salesman/tribute artist who was recruited in 1996 to be the new lead singer for Judas Priest. Though officially, "any relation to factual events is purely coincidental," it is obvious that inspiration was mined from this particular incident.
Watch "Rock Star" for its sheer excess, and for a rather endearing performance by Wahlberg, but don't expect anything new. If you want a truly unique tale of the rise and fall of a rock band, perhaps you should stay tuned to VH1.
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