The Rocker

12A

If you’re looking for a comedy with an impressive array of talent – both on screen and off - The Rocker has it all. Although English director Peter Cattaneo isn’t exactly a household name, his film The Full Monty did ok. And collectively the film’s writing team are responsible for episodes of both The Simpsons and The Larry Sanders Show, which is some pedigree.

boom dvd reviews - The Rocker
Oh, fiddlesticks.

On screen you have Rainn Wilson, who alongside his small screen boss Steve Carrell, is also attempting to put in some extra-curricular work outside of Office hours. And who can blame him? He’s also lucky enough to be one of those actors who can do comedy and proper acting too; he made an incredible impact on the third series of the acclaimed show Six Feet Under as the rather disturbing lodger Arthur Martin.

It is a little eerie how many other TV stars have jumped on this cinematic tour bus; Christina Applegate (Married With Children), Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Josh Gad (Back To You) and even Vik Sahay (Chuck) gets a look in. Maybe they had a BOGOF offer the day of casting. Rainn plays Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman, a drummer with eighties band Vesuvius; however, just as they make it big, they kick him out of the band.

Twenty years on and he finds himself a Fish out of rock'n'roll water, living the life of a regular Joe. However a lifeline is flung in his direction by way of an opening in his nephew’s high school band, with the god of rock calling him once again.

By this point you’ve probably realised that this won’t be stealing the crown for ‘best film about a band on tour’ from the classic mitts of This Is Spinal Tap; but in its defence, it doesn’t set out to.

It may well be predictable and aimed squarely at a fairly easily pleased teen audience, but it contains enough genuine laughs to merit the price of admission, which can’t be said of a lot of films aimed at the same audience.

three out of five