The Rocker

( 5 )

Overview

The Office star Rainn Wilson portrays a drummer named "Fish", who gets a second shot at fame 20 years after getting kicked out of his band on the very night they signed the record contract that made them stars. Fish has spent the past two decades languishing at soul-crushing day jobs while his old bandmates became legends, continuing to grace magazine covers and dominate the radio. He might just get another chance at musical success, however, when his teenage cousin invites him to drum for his high school garage ...
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Blu-ray (Special Edition / Wide Screen / Subtitled / Dubbed)
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More About This Product

Overview

The Office star Rainn Wilson portrays a drummer named "Fish", who gets a second shot at fame 20 years after getting kicked out of his band on the very night they signed the record contract that made them stars. Fish has spent the past two decades languishing at soul-crushing day jobs while his old bandmates became legends, continuing to grace magazine covers and dominate the radio. He might just get another chance at musical success, however, when his teenage cousin invites him to drum for his high school garage band, and they end up catching the ear of record executives. Now, Fish is determined to live the hedonistic rock & roll lifestyle he missed out on 20 years ago, but his new bandmates don't appreciate his hard partying -- and neither do his middle-aged knees. This Fox Atomic comedy co-stars Christina Applegate. Shawn Levy Night at the Museum and Tom McNulty co-produced the feature, which was penned by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes, and directed by Peter Cattaneo Opal Dream.
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Special Features

Disc 1:; Audio commentary by director Peter Cattaneo and actor Rainn Wilson; Audio commentary by actors Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone and Jason Sudeikis; Deleted scenes; Gag reel; MTV Panel featurette; Matt gags; Internet podcasts; Vesuvius gags; Pete Best interview; Vesuvius Public Service Announcements; Rainn Wilson Office Rocker featurette; Behind the Band - Vesuvius featurette; Rock Tales featurette; The Music featurette; Rock Beat With Fish Fisherman featurette; "I'm Not Bitter" music video; Fox Movie Channel presents In Character With the Rocker; ; Disc 2:; Digital copy of The Rocker for Portable Media Players
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide
There's a high probability that studios keep piles of generic comedy scripts like The Rocker sitting around in the vaults. They probably lie in stacks, divided up based on type, each pile with a Post-it note on top baring a hopeful casting suggestion; the stickie on the Sports Comedies says "Will Ferrell", the note on the Cringe Comedies says "Ben Stiller", and while the one on the Rock Comedies probably says "Jack Black", fortunately for us in this hypothetical scenario, Mr. Black's agent noticed a tad too much similarity between The Rocker and Black's 2003 hit School of Rock, so this film was handed down to Office vet Rainn Wilson -- who turns this fun, simple story into something fresh. That isn't to say that the uncomplicated plot doesn't remain totally uncomplicated or at least vaguely similar to School of Rock, it just works well that way. Wilson plays "Fish", a drummer booted from his '80s hair-metal band Vesuvius on the verge of their big break. He henceforth plows straight through to middle age on a 20-year diet of crappy day jobs, until he gets an unlikely second chance at stardom by joining his teenage cousin's high-school band ADD -- which lands a record deal based on a viral video of Fish rehearsing naked. What ensues is a basic fish-out-of-water story no pun intended built around a super-bombastic lead, but unlike many of Hollywood's other Post-it-worthy comedians, Wilson hasn't worked this schtick into the ground. On the contrary, his only ubiquitous character is the righteous and nerdy Dwight from the hit series The Office, and Fish is just about Dwight's complete opposite -- dressing up in red leather pants and partying until his fourtysomething knees give out. Wilson's take on the classic Terrifyingly Enthusiastic character type that so many comedians have made their careers on is endlessly endearing, and even his young co-stars pull off their pubescent, sometimes-whiney roles almost without ever crossing the line into grating angst. In fact, the movie is full of cheesy "just be yourself" moments where the kids briefly learn a lesson about kissing or self-esteem or whatever, but the sappy stuff never takes a front seat to the hilarious and often-insane humor. That's what you get when it's become the standard for all available members of the SNL/30 Rock/Apatow in-crowds to show up and play all the minor roles in a comedy starring anyone vaguely connected to their clique. Jason Sudeikis is particularly awesome in this regard, playing the band's sleazy manager, though Will Arnett turns in an equally memorable performance as the spandexed, eyelinered frontman for Fish's old hair-metal band -- this is probably the role he was born to play. Of course, even with all it has going for it, the movie still has its flaws. It isn't exactly edited perfectly, and the story plays out a little clumsily as a result, leaving it smattered with events that don't end up going anywhere and subplots that don't end up panning out. But this isn't really the kind of movie where plot matters that much anyway. It's good for laughs, and it proves that Rainn Wilson can earn them -- in or out of the Office.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 1/27/2009
  • UPC: 024543541615
  • Original Release: 2008

    • Rating:

  • Source: 20th Century Fox
  • Presentation: Special Edition / Wide Screen / Subtitled / Dubbed
  • Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
  • Time: 1:42:00
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • Sales rank: 20,863

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Rainn Wilson Robert "Fish" Fishman
Christina Applegate , Kim
Josh Gad Matt
Teddy Geiger , Curtis
Emma Stone Amelia
Will Arnett
Fred Armisen
Jeff Garlin
Ed Helms
Jason Sudeikis
Jane Lynch
Bradley Cooper
Technical Credits
Peter Cattaneo Director
Chad Fischer Score Composer
George Folsey Jr. Editor
Maya Forbes Screenwriter
Christopher Hargadon Costumes/Costume Designer
Patrick Houlihan Musical Direction/Supervision
Ryan Jaffe Original Story
Shawn Levy Producer
Tom McNulty Producer
Anthony Richmond Cinematographer
Wallace Wolodarsky Screenwriter
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 5 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(5)

4 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Fanboys
    Yes Man
    Airheads
    SuperBad
    Employee of the Month

    Funny & Heart Felt

    This movie is a pretty "under the radar" movie, but for those of you out there looking at this that have never seen it and like comedy, this movie was awesomely funny, and also left you feeling good at the end of it. I borrowed this from my sister and watched it with my girlfriend. We both loved it! If you want something new and funny to watch, and have never seen The Rocker, definitely pick this one up. There is a few parts with some mild crude humor in them, but all in all, this movie is pretty hysterical. Check it out!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Hyterically funny movie!!!

    This movie was unknown to me until I saw it on T.V. It is hyterically funny!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Best. Movie. Ever.

    The Rocker is an absolutely hilarious movie that is extremely underrated. Critics gave it a bad rap when it came out in theaters because of its similarity to School of Rock, but the plots are completely different and the music in this movie is realistic and well-performed. Rainn Wilson is laugh-out-loud funny as an odd but endearing former drummer for Vesuvius, the (fictional) biggest classic heavy metal band of all time. Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone, and Josh Gad make up a very believable high school-aged band, especially because of Teddy's stage presence and amazing vocals. The band's music is legitimately good, even if the lyrics border on excessive at times. Jason Sudeikas, who plays the band's manager, kills with his random, odd, and obscene comments. Will Arnet, Fred Armisen, Bradley Cooper, and Lonny Ross are absolutely hilarious in spandex and quintessentially 80's outfits, and Vesuvius's music could definitely fit in with other heavy metal bands of the era. Overall, the movie is a fantastic balance of comical and heart-warming, as "Fish" develops relationships with each of the kids in the band and overcomes his grudge against Vesuvius. For fans of "The Office," seeing Rainn Wilson as completely the opposite of Dwight Schrute really makes you respect Wilson's acting capabilities. All-in-all, a really fantastic Cattaneo movie!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 6, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 5, 2010

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Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews