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Film Review

A Smell of Wine and Cheap Perfume

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By Manohla Dargis

• June 14, 2012

“Rock of Ages,” a jukebox musical turned junky big-screen attraction about making it in the music biz back when it still existed, is just entertaining enough to keep you from dark thoughts about the state of Hollywood. The movie is too insipid for such hand wringing, in any event, and the attention-grabbing turns by Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand and especially Tom Cruise as a rock-star crazy help enliven its overlong two hours. All singing, some dancing, the movie brings to mind “Glee,” but its truer, superior progenitor is that 1933 Cinderella story, “42nd Street,” the one in which the producer tells the chorine, “You’re going out a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star!”

The chorines this time around are Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) and Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough), who early on meet cute on the Sunset Strip, that asphalt ribbon distinguished by its clubs, eateries, high hopes, low prospects and celebrity deaths that winds through West Hollywood. She’s a little bit country, newly arrived from Flyover, U.S.A.; he’s a little bit hair-metal, with a menial gig at the Bourbon Room and dreams of guitar-rock divinity. The make-believe Bourbon sits next to the Whisky a Go Go although in reality it and the rest of the conspicuously faked Strip were shot in a tricked-out neighborhood in Miami. Mostly, though, the whole thing rests on a, er, bedrock of clichés from Hollywood’s favorite genre: movies about itself.

“Rock of Ages,” directed by the former dancer and choreographer Adam Shankman, is based on a musical — nicely described by Lina Lecaro, a Los Angeles scenester, as a “headbangin’-to-the-oldies revue” — that originated in a Hollywood club in 2005 and eventually migrated to Broadway, where it continues to pull in fans at the Helen Hayes. (Mr. Shankman directed the 2007 movie “Hairspray,” which was based on the Broadway musical that was, in another testament to entertainment industry self-cannibalization, based on the 1988 John Waters film.) Like the musical, the movie “Rock of Ages” is set in 1987, the year that “Appetite for Destruction,” the first album from Guns N’ Roses , and Tipper Gore’s book “Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society,” both hit the cultural fray.

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Written by Justin Theroux, Chris D’Arienzo (who wrote the original show) and Allan Loeb, the movie resurrects these two forgotten events through a pair of opponents: an Axl Rose-like rocker, Stacee Jaxx, played with uncharacteristic heat and an undulating bare torso by Mr. Cruise, and a crusading neo-Puritan, Patricia Whitmore, energetically embodied by an underused Catherine Zeta-Jones. Whitmore has vowed, as part of the campaign to have her husband, Mike (Bryan Cranston), elected mayor, to clean up the Strip. In actuality it was Prince’s album “Purple Rain” that triggered Ms. Gore’s outrage over rock ’n’ raunch, an indignation that led to the Parents Music Resource Center, Senate hearings about dirty minds and government regulation, and eventually her wider pop-cultural attacks. Bringing in Prince would have made the movie listenable, but it would have complicated its white-bread world.

That’s less a reference to the picture’s homogeneous racial and ethnic makeup, which debatably reflects that of the music milieu it seeks to replicate. (Mary J. Blige, as Justice, the owner of a strip club, and the character actor Angelo Donato Valderrama, as a club busboy named Chico, are among the movie’s few tokens of diversity.) Rather, this Wonder Bread banality comes from how thoroughly Mr. Shankman has vacuumed his rock-scene simulacrum of anything recognizably rock, including the lust, juice, heat, bad behavior and excesses that characterize its real-life analogue. There isn’t any grit to these people or their art, not a speck of dirt anywhere. It looks like Disneyland and sounds, well, like a bad Broadway musical, with all the power belting and jazz-hand choreography that implies.

To put it another way, there’s way too much Journey on the soundtrack, and Foreigner. There’s also an REO Speedwagon ditty, a few from Twisted Sister, Def Leppard and Poison, and at least two hits that were released after 1987 (“More Than Words” and “I Remember You”). All the songs are sung, mostly without shame or distinction, by the actors themselves, who slide into the warbling as if into a conversation. A grizzled, bewigged Mr. Baldwin enunciates through his songs, in the Rex Harrison mold, to play a rock survivor, Dennis Dupree, who runs the Bourbon with his sidekick, Lonny (Mr. Brand). They make their stale buddy routine and romance amusing and, as with the rest of the adults, make the movie bearable. A whispering and writhing Mr. Cruise makes it watchable.

“Rock of Ages” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). No sex, few drugs, some rock ’n’ roll.

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Rock of Ages

A small-town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. A small-town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. A small-town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.

• Adam Shankman
• Justin Theroux
• Chris D'Arienzo
• Julianne Hough
• Diego Boneta
• 469 User reviews
• 358 Critic reviews
• 47 Metascore
• 2 wins & 8 nominations

• Sherrie Christian

• Stacee Jaxx

• Dennis Dupree
• Little Girl on Bus

• Rocker Thief
• (as Anthony Bellissimo)

• Bartender Jimmy
• (as Alan Shane Hartline)

• Doug Flintlock

• Mike Whitmore

• Patricia Whitmore
• Mayor's Secretary

• (as Angelo Donato Valderrama)

• Tour Manager - Stacee
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Tom Cruise based his performance of Stacee Jaxx mostly on Jim Morrison and Axl Rose.
• Goofs The record store has an Edward Van Halen "Wolfgang" guitar from the early 1990s.

Sherrie Christian : I'm a stripper at the Venus Club.

Drew Boley : I'm in a boy band.

[long pause]

Sherrie Christian : You win.

• Alternate versions The R-Rated Extended Cut runs ~13 minutes longer than the Theatrical release.
• Connections Featured in American Idol: Top 4 Perform (2012)
• Soundtracks Paradise City Written by Steven Adler , Slash (as Saul Hudson), Duff McKagan (as Duff Rose McKagan), Axl Rose (as W. Axl Rose) and Izzy Stradlin Performed by Tom Cruise

User reviews 469

• ethanbresnett
• May 13, 2021
• How long is Rock of Ages? Powered by Alexa
• Is this film based on a book?
• What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Extended Cut?
• June 15, 2012 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Kỷ Nguyên Rock
• Miami, Florida, USA
• New Line Cinema
• Corner Store Entertainment
• Material Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $75,000,000 (estimated)
• $38,518,613
• $14,437,269
• Jun 17, 2012
• $59,418,613

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 3 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Tom Cruise Makes Broadway Musical Debut at Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Disney’s ‘The Lion King’

Last night Tom Cruise made his Broadway musical debut at the Hollywood Pantages Theater. He joined James Corden for a very special one-night-only cameo at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Disney’s The Lion King. The performance was made for The Last Last Late Late Show  primetime special, which will air ahead of his final showing of the final The Late Late Show with James Corden on April 27, 2023.

The Last Last Late Late Show  will air Thursday April 27 at 10:00 PM, ahead of the final episode of  The Late Late Show with James Corden  at 12:37 AM.

Disney and The Late Late Show shared an image from this very memorable night. Here is what was posted:

Here’s to finding the Pumbaa to your Timon. And to one last sketch with  @tomcruise  before we turn out the lights on the  #LateLateShow . Catch James and Tom’s  @thelionking  performance on “The Last Last Late Late Show” Primetime Special airing Thursday, April 27th on  @cbstv  and  @paramountplus !  📸:  @terencepatrick The Late Late Show

Will you be watching The Last Last Late Late Show ahead of the final airing of The Late Late Show on April 27, 2023? Are you excited to see this segment? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

Book your next Disney Cruise Line adventure with Mouseways Travel, the official travel partner of Daps Magic. They focus on the details so you can focus on the fun!

Mr. Daps is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Daps Magic! Find Mr. Daps regularly at Disneyland with his trilby and bow tie taking pictures and simply enjoying the Happiest Place on Earth. He is the weekly host of GEEKS CORNER and your reporter for all that Disney And Positive Stuff. Find videos of all of that one the Daps Magic  YouTube channel.   Mr. Daps is also a Brand Ambassador with Her Universe ! Find Mr. Daps on Twitter,   Instagram, and Threads ! If you see Mr. Daps in the parks, be sure and say hi!

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Lily james’ bumble movie confirmed for hulu launch as 20th unveils first look photo , peter bart: after ‘top gun: maverick’s setbacks and delays, its star is back in cruise control.

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It was an intimate cocktail party. Tom Cruise wore a cheerful smile so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to test it. “For someone who’s just been fired, you look very happy,” I said. “Sumner Redstone figured you would be angry by the press release.”

“I’m not really fire-able, if that’s even a word,” Cruise replied, his smile intact. “Besides, prods from CEOs never anger me.”

’Top Gun: Maverick’ From Cannes To Theaters – Deadline’s Complete Coverage

The media briefly fed on the studio press release, but as it turned out, Redstone and Paramount went into retreat mode within a week. Paramount’s long-standing deal with Cruise’s production company had elapsed a month earlier, but the CEO forgot to check his facts before issuing his statement, so Cruise looked smart in ignoring the Hollywood rhetoric (details below).

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The incident took place 15 years ago, but I was reminded of it this week as Cruise was again winning some important battles on his latest, much delayed, movie. Top Gun: Maverick would be destined to “own” Memorial Day weekend with a guaranteed, much extended theatrical run pre-streaming. In addition, two further Mission: Impossible sequels were positioned for lavish takeoffs.

With the New York Times christening him “The Last Movie Star,” Cruise’s four-day opening in North America may reach $100 million in 4,732 locations and perhaps hit $200 million internationally.

So that cheerful smile was still implanted on Cruise’s youthful 59-year-old face last week as he skillfully leveraged his simultaneous publicity blast-offs, one from the zealously self-protective Cannes Film Festival, the other from the British Royal Family. This was an historic PR coup: With war jitters raging, the startling image of eight fighter jets streaming red, white and blue across the Euro sky seemed at once defiant and disturbing.

Cruise’s promotional perils over the years have been matched by the physical stunts that he has orchestrated in defining his past films; his death-defying mountain climbs in M:I – 2 likely worried his studio and insurance carriers more than his feats on Top Gun: Maverick . All represented well-calculated adventures in Cruise Control, designed to nurture his continuum of pre-ordained tentpoles.

Also reflected in Cruise’s pursuit of peril has been his idiosyncratic choice of roles, both starring and supporting: Tropic Thunder, Magnolia, Born on the Fourth of July, Rain Man , etc. “His filmmaking friends understand that Cruise gets more excited about playing assholes than heroes,” says a director who has worked with him but doesn’t want to be quoted. “No other star has the guts to satirize both studio chiefs and porn freaks.”

Once he has signed on, Cruise is dauntless about seeing them through, he adds.

On Rain Man , Cruise remained committed to a challenging script even though filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Sidney Pollack and Martin Brest had all committed then backed out. Barry Levinson finally directed the award-winning film, in which Cruise played the younger brother of a severely autistic Dustin Hoffman, linked together on an emotional cross-country journey. In Jerry Maguire , Cruise was cast as a ruthless hustler who was unrelentingly chasing the big bucks, but Cruise turned him into an empathetic figure.

There were also failed ventures, such as Cocktail, Vanilla Sky or The Mummy .

A decade ago, when Cruise and his long-term manager Paula Wagner took control of United Artists, they had the option of pursuing the tentpole route or a more demanding slate. They took the latter path, marshalling a political thriller titled Lions For Lambs . with Robert Redford directing Cruise and Meryl Streep. The ill-fated project ran into a recession, a writers’ strike and financing setbacks for MGM, UA’s parent company. After a succession of disappointments, Cruise seemed grateful to return to the Mission franchise.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Review: Tom Cruise Is Back Soaring In What May Be The Role Of His Career

What will be his future scenario? The Top Gun: Maverick launch demonstrated anew his skill at commanding the younger movie audience — the Mission films alone have totaled $3.6 billion in global box office. But the present challenges are real: The army of teenagers who liked Top Gun are pushing 50 now, a difficult demo to conquer.

Surveys indicate that more than half of the 45-and-over crowd haven’t been to a movie in over a year compared with 20% of the 18-24 demo. Cruise’s battle to gain a 45-day-plus window for theatrical release thus will likely prove pivotal — the older audience waits for reviews and word-of-mouth.

So will Cruise ever, in fact, be “fired”? There were conflicting reports 15 years ago over what precipitated Sumner Redstone’s outburst. One of his top aides confided to me that his boss had become grumpy about first-dollar gross deals in general. Why should select stars have major paydays before the studio had recouped?

I finally asked Redstone directly two or three weeks later, when we were dining at Dan Tana’s restaurant. “Why did you aim your rant at Cruise?” I asked. “Under his deal he took no money up front. Not even scale?”

“I understand all that,” the CEO snapped. “I’m closing a new deal with him next week. Same terms.”

“Good. Then you’re biting the bullet, right?”

Redstone grunted. “He is still overpaid. And I can still fire him.”

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Video: James Corden and Tom Cruise Join the Cast of THE LION KING

'The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden Carpool Karaoke Special' celebrated the final night of James Corden’s late-night series.

Disney's The Lion King was featured in "The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden Carpool Karaoke Special," a primetime special celebrating the final night of James Corden 's late-night series. Corden reunited with global superstar Tom Cruise for an epic musical performance in the international award-winning phenomenon.

After skydiving and flying in a fighter jet together, James is ready for a different kind of adventure with Tom Cruise and invites him to the historic Pantages Theater in Los Angeles to join the cast of "The Lion King" live on stage for one night. Tom may be the biggest action movie star in the world, but is he ready for "Hakunah Matata" on the boards?

The primetime special sketch was filmed at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.

Check out the full video!

The Lion King continues to celebrate 25 years on Broadway and, while two Broadway juggernauts have previously reached this milestone, The Lion King marks several historic firsts. Never before has a show in its 25th year been playing in so many productions around the world simultaneously and placed in the Top 5 grossing Broadway shows this long - nearly 1,300 consecutive weeks and counting. Currently, 115,000 people enjoy the show in eight productions on three continents every week. There have been 27 productions over the life of the show, seen by a staggering 112 million people. That is more than the combined populations of Canada, Greece, Sweden, Holland, Denmark and Australia.

The Lion King North American tour, which has played nearly 10,000 performances during 240 engagements in 92 cities to more than 23 million theatergoers, celebrates its 21st anniversary on Thursday, April 27. The record-breaking tour is currently playing a three-week return engagement at The Stranahan Theater in Toledo through May 7, 2023.

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Tom Cruise Marks 10 Years Since Edge of Tomorrow with 'Great Friend' Emily Blunt: 'Incredible Memories'

"I love her performance in this film. Her dedication. Her humor. Her vulnerability and power. She brought it all," he said

Charlotte Phillipp is a Weekend Writer-Reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024, and was previously an entertainment reporter at The Messenger.

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Tom Cruise is marking a decade since the release of Edge of Tomorrow and praising costar Emily Blunt .

On June 6, the actor, 61, shared a post on Instagram reflecting on the production and release of 2014's Edge of Tomorrow, including his fellow cast and crew, especially Blunt, 41.

"It's been 10 years since Edge of Tomorrow first hit theaters!" Cruise wrote. "I want to take the opportunity to thank Emily Blunt once again for being such a great friend and brilliant actress . I love her performance in this film. Her dedication. Her humor. Her vulnerability and power. She brought it all."

"This anniversary brings back incredible memories," he continued, before thanking the film's director, more of his costars, including late actor Bill Paxton.

Kobal/Shutterstock

"My first collaboration with Doug Liman. Rejoining the indomitable Brendan Gleeson. And my first time working alongside the great [Paxton]. His performance and the character he created left an indelible mark on this film."

Led by Cruise as a military public relations officer with little combat experience, Edge of Tomorrow is an apocalyptic sci-fi film that takes place after Europe has been occupied by aliens. Cruise's character is forced into combat against his will, and finds himself stuck in a time loop, fighting the same battles over and over again as Blunt trains him as a fighter.

"Hitting this kind of tone was no easy task," Cruise continued in his caption. "The writing and storytelling of Christopher McQuarrie made the movie work. Along with the dedication of our entire team who helped bring it to the screen — it was an absolute joy creating it with you all."

"To everyone who has enjoyed this film over the years, thank you for being a fan. And thank you to Warner Bros. for making this film," he added. "I can't wait to share more about the great movies we’re working on."

Blunt has also been candid about her time on the film, opening up in a 2022 interview on the  SmartLess  podcast, hosted by  Jason Bateman ,  Will Arnett  and  Sean Hayes , about the physical difficulties she had on the set.

"We had to wear these enormous suits, which I think would've been great if we had CGI'd them, but we wanted to do it in a tactile way," Blunt said during the podcast, noting "there was nothing cozy" about these 85-lb. suits.

"I was like, 'Tom, I'm not sure how I'm going to get through this shoot,' and just started to cry," Blunt continued, before revealing how Cruise got her to laugh and power through the production.

"I was like, 'I'm feeling a bit panicky about the whole shoot,' and he literally goes — he just stared at me for a long time, not knowing what to do, and he goes, ' Come on, stop being such a p----, okay ?'"

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now !

"And I did laugh, and then we got through it," Blunt added, though she noted that she ultimately did injure her ribs and collarbone during the shoot. "But the training was intense. It was like twice a day we trained for it."

While appearing at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles for a  moderated conversation  with filmmaker Rob Marshall last year, Blunt also spoke about working with Cruise on Edge of Tomorrow, sharing that he helps to "tighten the screws on everyone when it comes to what you think you're capable of."

"Because he can do everything and wants to do everything, it makes you want to meet him where he is at," she saide, adding, "He's so inspiring. Such a doll to me."

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‘Pitch Perfect’ and ‘Spring Awakening’ Star Skylar Astin to Host Tony Awards Simulcast (EXCLUSIVE)

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Actor and singer Skylar Astin will help theater lovers celebrate Broadway’s biggest night.

The “Pitch Perfect” star has been tapped to host the American Express “Broadway Fanfare” Tony Awards simulcast event on Sunday, June 16 in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with a pre-show set kicking off at 7:30 p.m. before simulcast starts at 8 p.m.  

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“We are delighted to welcome Skylar Astin as host of the American Express simulcast event at the 77th annual Tony Awards,” said Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Jason Laks, interim president of the Broadway League. “We are certain he will cultivate an evening of excitement amongst theater fans on Broadway’s biggest night.” 

“With Skylar Astin joining us as host, we cannot wait for all that’s in store at our simulcast of this year’s Tony Awards in Damrosch Park,” said Shiz Suzuki, VP of global brand sponsorships and experiential marketing at American Express.

The 77th Annual Tony Awards will be hosted by Oscar-winning “West Side Story” star Ariana DeBose. It will air live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, steps away from where Astin will be emceeing the simulcast.

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