Rock of Ages
User Score
5.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 138 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 138
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 138
  3. Negative: 32 out of 138

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  1. Thegodfatherson
    Apr 27, 2013
    7
    Rock of Ages. What should I say? This is a great music drama! The film is slow but paces up till the ending, I loved Tom Cruise as Stacy Jaxx and Russell Brand as Lonny. Both actors were great! But Rock of Ages isn't special because of the roll rocking cast, its good because of the story, the colours, the amazing performances and direction by Adam Shankman. Would buy on DVD.
  2. Burbis
    Mar 25, 2013
    7
    Yes, it's a musical and yes, It seems hokey at first. But if you are of a certain age, something about it works. It's the music you heard on the radio. It was the LA scene back then. If you let go of your embarrassment, it's a lot of fun. Tom Cruise does a great job as a specie rockstar. The rest of the cast is very good also.
  3. potatoes351
    Mar 23, 2013
    7
    As of writing this review I'm 17, I wasn't even thought of being born at the time this music came out however that doesn't mean I haven't heard some of it before and it doesn't mean that it isn't awesome! So Rock of Ages is a film adaptation of a the hit musical that tells the tale of a girl who moves to Hollywood to become a singer, when she arrives she begins to fall in love, becomes and barmaid in a well known Rock n Roll bar. When her boyfriend becomes famous and they split for incredibly poorly justified reasons the boy goes on to realise that the music industry isn't what it seems and the girl realises that becoming a pole dancer wasn't such a good idea either. All this happens whilst Tom Cruise A.K.A Stacee Jaxx turns from drunk superstar to...sober superstar and whilst the anti-rock movement tries to shut down the last great bastion of rock and roll.
    Rock of Ages is a collection of stories that dont seem to be that good, but when tied together with the excellent music seem to become a hell of a lot more interesting.
    Rock of Ages is by no means a film you should go out of your way to see, but it is a damn good time for anyone who likes Rock music    … Expand
  4. BrianMcCritic
    Mar 16, 2013
    6
    Even though I'm not a big fan of the style of music in this movie, I still think if your a fan of musicals than this is worth a watch. It has its flaws, but it's entertaining enough and Tom Cruise gives a solid performance.
  5. StevenF
    Jan 26, 2013
    6
    For this to survive in the cinema, it needed the large ensemble cast for it to survive, and it needed the big stars to save it from being a completely bland and lacklustre attempt at a stage to screen movie, because it is all of the above, with very little shining moments in between.
    Set in 1980s Los Angeles, we see Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) try to make it in the city of angels.

    As an aspiring singer, Sherrie happens accidentally across The Bourbon club, an infamous rock and roll venue ran by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and his associate, (and more than friend) Lonny Barnett (Russell Brand), who play host on occasion to the legendary band Arsenal, led by the eccentric and infamous rock stars rolled into one, Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise).
    The storyline of love and despair through song eventually kicks in with Sherrie falling for Bourbon barman and (who knew) aspiring singer Drew Boley (Diego Boneta).
    To hear your favourite songs of yester-year being belted out by Cruise is a true privilege, but not only to the songs feel too studio, the story for which they are placed is just too plain, boring and predictable.
    Hough and Boley's characters fall in love around ten minutes into this sing a-long, that has to be a record considering this film weighs in at over two hours long, it was indeed a long attempt at fitting a story and a musical into this time frame, i would have been satisfied with the singing alone, simply because these two lovebirds cannot carry the movie alone, their characters simply aren't captivating enough to sustain as the sole leads, cue Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and even the limited screen time of Bryan Cranston to help pull this rock show through.There is also a small but significant appearance from the brilliant Paul Giamatti.
    Was it a case of the film moving too quickly? No, quite the opposite in fact, more time should have been spent actually creating a relevant environment for the songs to occur rather than throwing a scene together just to fit the pace of the film and completely randomise a song choice, causing the song to feel out of place and rushed at times. Tom Cruise is arguably the standout of the film, his one line sexual innuendos are brilliant, his wonderful throw back to the rock stars of the past help put him in the drivers seat to belt out such classics as Don't Stop Believing, (not butchering it, I'm looking at you Glee), Wanted Dead or Alive, Here I Go Again etc etc.
    Like mentioned before, the big numbers sound too staged and and remixed, but they are still fun to listen to, even if it wasn't the original vocals.
    The bad hair is there, the LA skyline is there, and the tightly clad female strippers are also in large proportions, but this simply isn't enough to save this not so much cheesy, but more believing it is so much better than it actually is film. Sheer fun, but not fun in the sense of it knowing its own premise, Rock of Ages tries to hard to deliver something that got lost in the mail a long time ago, see it for the nostalgia and for the Hollywood household names, but this is one rock concert you may want to ask for a refund or demand the starring acts be put into a supporting or opening band role, leave it to the professionals to deliver the goods.    … Expand
  6. Bruce722
    Jan 20, 2013
    6
    Rock of Ages is a film about the survival of Rock & Roll and the people who live it. It's a decent movie but it starts out with a really cheesy quality that plagues most musicals and makes it difficult to get into the plot. Most of that is due to the fact that the first part of the movie is centered almost entirely around Julianne Hough. While she is absolutely gorgeous, is a fantastic dancer, and is even a decent singer, her acting ability is essentially nonexistent. However, once you get into the meat of the movie it's actually quite enjoyable. Sure, the impromptu musical numbers popping in throughout the film sometimes feel a little ridiculous but the mash-ups that are done and put together really well and progress the plot along well portraying the feelings and emotion of the moment. Also, Tom Cruise' role as Stacee Jaxx absolutely steels the show. This was honestly probably one of my favorite Cruise roles because he was pretty hilarious but also it's a character we've never really seen before, not just from him but in general. There were some surprising roles by people like Mary J. Blige, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Malin Akerman that I wasn't aware of before watching. There were also some unexpected cameos by Constantine Maroulis (former American Idol contestant and pop/rock singer), Kevin Cronin (of REO Speedwagon), and Sebastian Bach (modern metal God and former singer of Skid Row). Overall, I think rock fans will enjoy the film but I'm not sure how well most people would. Personally, I love rock and enjoyed it for the most part but there were even times, especially towards the beginning and end, where it felt like it just dragged on and on. There was even a funny part in the end where the lyrics of one of the songs covered stated how the movie goes "on and on and on and on" and that seemed like an accurate assessment.… Expand
  7. marv316
    Jan 5, 2013
    6
    When i first heard about this movie, i can't help myself but to get so excited to looking forward for this movie. Why...? it's simple because i'm an 80's-90's entertainments lover (especially of course, its Music). And boy oh boy this movie didn't disappointing me at all. Almost 85% of the great music in the 80's appear in this movie from Journey, Guns, Jovi, REO and even Starship are all appeared in this movie. Bur for the fairness & objectivity, i must admit that the plot of this movie is just so-so just like all the 80's or Class B or C movie type, the acting its just so-so EXCEPT Mr. Tom Cruise. YES he is the savior of this movie he is Stacy Jaxx. Tom is successfully on delivering the whole persona of Jaxx or in general what the 80's rock singer personality looks like. And i'm sure what surprise all of us is that Mr. Cruise, is actually has a good singing voice. Paul Paul Giamatti as great as usual in his antagonistic roles. The newcomer Diego Bonetta has fair share skill in both singing & acting and the rest again, their acting skill just so-so. The director, Adam Shankman can be safely said that he is quite successful on directing this movie but not as great as his previous work on "Hairspray" and to sum up all this review, i could say that this movie it's the Rock & Roll Version of Glee and if u also an 80's music lover like me, this movie is a must & i guarantee that this movie wouldn't disappoint u at all.. :)… Expand
  8. Paulyd90
    Dec 12, 2012
    5
    All I can say is that it was alright but not the best movie I have ever seen. My friends dragged me along to see it and all I like was the remakes of brilliant rock songs which I like that is all I liked about Rock of Ages
  9. Rikiege
    Dec 7, 2012
    4
    Good music, but the movie is very bad.
  10. lilkillpappy
    Dec 6, 2012
    0
    the worst film to come out this year, and possibly the past 10 years. Really long, and extremely boring. wanted to kill myself. someone should be sacrificed to make up for how incredibly horrible this pile **** is. Run as far away from this film as you possibly can, and if you see a dvd please light it on fire, and then take a dump on it.
  11. trevortalks
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    Don't get all the bad reviews. This movie's a ball if you like 80's rock- and I really don't get how anyone wouldn't like 80's rock. It's the best.
  12. tjacobs38
    Nov 13, 2012
    6
    This was a decent movie, that is as exactly advertised. Its basically a musical with Tom Cruise in the lead role. The plot was again, decent, leaving much to be desired from the random breaking out into song throughout the movie. Not a great, but still not bad.
  13. fredinwhiterock
    Nov 8, 2012
    4
    I was thoroughly looking forward to this after seeing ROA live on the Toronto stage. The movie is a major disappointment. Aaron Walpole was hilarious as Lonny on stage and Russell Brand was just plain flat here. Julia Hough was lovely to look at as Sheri but her version of sexy was "Gleeful" and she can't rock. The killer however was the general treatment of the music. 80s hairband music has to be raw and rocking. What the heck were they thinking by smoothing out all of the edges and autotuning all the voices? This movie production made me 'Stop Believing".… Expand
  14. cameronmorewood
    Nov 5, 2012
    9
    Rock of Ages is a blast! The music is great, Tom Cruise rocks his performance and Julianne Hough is stunning to put it mildly. This film is the Grease of the new generation. Its pure movie bliss and an instant classic. Bravo.
  15. Alexanderzx360
    Oct 21, 2012
    1
    You'll love it, if you are blind or deaf, the only good part was... who am I kidding? Terrible movie, it's a hardcore version of Glee, they didnt implement what Mamma Mia did which made it a good musical movie
  16. dharma
    Oct 15, 2012
    7
    Nobody wanted to see a movie musical anymore...that seemed to be the message that audiences were giving Hollywood in the last couple of years or so. After going through a 'second' Golden Age of sorts with Moulin Rouge and Chicago as well as Mamma Mia, musicals are not performing well in the Box Office. It's too bad because Rock of Ages is actually pretty good. Stand out performance by Tom Cruise is a highlight, with other cast members doing pretty good as well. Of course, the story is cliche but nobody wants to see a musical because of its storyline. Give this one a chance on the DVD.… Expand
  17. R4wP0w3r
    Oct 11, 2012
    10
    This movie is awesome. Rock gods-check. CBGB's fail parody-check. Boy bands trashed and called out-check. Hot chick power groupies-check. A bus of Night Ranger fans singing Sister Christian-check. Genre discipline, killer sound, respect to LA' s last great music scene, and self-deprecating humor balled up with precision and aimed at the few people alive that actually get it-CHECK

    Alec B    aldwin and Russell Brand deserve best supporting actors in a musical comedy about glam rock. Best parody about cliche rockers from the 80's I never saw! Hilarious and proof positive most critics are sheltered over opinionated failures from alternate realities where they matter. And to those of them who are frustrated with their children and loved ones. These trials and tribulations are mostly YOUR fault. PWN IT. Haha you know who you are.… Expand
  18. Kadeemluvmusic
    Sep 8, 2012
    5
    I thought Rock of Ages was supposed to be a good summer movie after I buy Lollipop Chainsaw, unfortunately I agree with the critics and I think Scientology wasn't the only one who causing this shame. The cast look great in Rock of Ages, but here's the problem. The musical numbers were too cheesey. Do you think Tom Cruise should idol his rock and roll persona from his Risky Business days and perform with rock legends like Alice Cooper, Bret Michaels, and Slash? Could be. But things haven't been change for the "Mission Impossible" star. Because of the failure of the box office for the movie, it was announced in July that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's marriage went kaput. First, it was Nicole Kidman and now Katie Holmes. The divorce was finalized and TomKat is no more. Well, I don't think Cruise's career is in jeopardy, I like Tom Cruise and he has every single minute when it comes to action movies, but Rock of Ages wasn't a good year for him. Hopefully, I could usually rent it on Netflix.… Expand
  19. btzneb92
    Aug 12, 2012
    6
    Russell Brand still sucks, and a lot of the movie is just pure plain awkward.
    Russell Brand still sucks, and a lot of the movie is just pure plain awkward.
  20. Zilcell
    Aug 6, 2012
    6
    Its a nice treat back into the rock music that made the genre famous. It might feel a little too long at times but the setup here is believable and acting very nice.
  21. RenaissanceTM
    Jul 14, 2012
    8
    Let me start off by saying this is a musical. Don't expect a classic. If it's not your type of thing, this movie won't change that. Now that we got that out of the way I have to say that I actually liked it. It's starts off okay unfortunately. I'm not a big fan of people just singing a song and every random person joins them. I know you're going to tell me that pretty much every musical do that, but no. The good ones have a certain thing that connects the people, what they want to say and the songs. Not randomly start singing just to sing. That said, it gradually gets better and to the point of me smiling when a song started. Tom Cruise is amazing on stage. I really believed he was a rockstar when he sang. His stage presence is amazing. If you're hoping to see the same rock of ages from Broadway to the screen, you are going to be disappointed. The story is different, and there are a few songs that weren't in the broadway musical. For the story, well it doesn't do anything new. You can pretty much tell what's going to happen, two young people with big dreams meet and fall in love and you can guess the rest. But don't let that get in the way if you like musicals. I had a great time watching it in theaters. I give it a 7.5 because I still had a pretty good time. I don't regret watching it. It's not a classic by any means, but it is nonetheless entertaining and worth your time.… Expand
  22. Shiira
    Jul 13, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When it comes to explaining rock and roll, only Pete Townshend, according to Jeff Bebe, lead singer of the fictional band Stillwater, can articulate its essence with any intellectual rigor. He believes in all earnestness that the poetry of sex and drugs will save the world. So did the filmmaker, once upon a time, as a cub reporter for Rolling Stone in his 2000 bildungsroman Almost Famous. By the 1980s, the seasoned journalist probably knew that mom was right: rock and roll was indeed the poetry of sex and drugs, but at least those artists stood for something; they wanted to end the war, unlike, for instance, Def Leppard, who probably had no aspirations of, for starters, ending the cold war. Ultimately, the music of the sixties was the poetry of social consciousness. Stacee Jaxx, however, we can reasonably conclude, has no thoughts on the Falkland Islands crisis, the closest thing to Vietnam, concurrent to his epoch in time. Rock of Ages is Lester Bangs' worst nightmare. This jukebox musical plays like a paean to The Industry of Cool, the label Bangs affixed to a music biz he saw that was, to his chagrin, being commodified. Still, despite whatever reservations one may have about the artistic bankruptcy of a banal hair metal band such as Arsenal, who in Rock of Ages, comes under attack by the mayor's wife, you still had to, as the Beastie Boys so eloquently put it, "fight for [their] right to party." Jaxx has the right to pour sugar on whomever he pleases. Patricia Whitmore, unmistakably, is modeled after Tipper Gore, who in 1984 formed the P.M.R.C., the organization responsible for labeling records with potentially offensive lyrics, after the almost First Lady caught her daughter singing along to a Purple Rain album track, the incendiary "Darling Nikki". Aaaah, Prince. When it came to explaining rock and roll during the MTV age, nobody defended it better than Jello Biafra, who on an early episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, faced Gore down, and charged the religious right-funded organization with "play[ing] on the fear of parents too chicken to talk to their own kids." Being, supposedly, a liberal democrat, Gore's conservative agenda seemed at odds with the party's ideals, and her own roots. Coming of age in the late-sixties, it would seem inconceivable that Tipper had never experimented with drugs, or put the needle on the groove of The White Album. There had to have been a skeleton, similar to the osterological frippery in Rock of Ages, when the truth comes out about Patricia, who turns out to be a former groupie, hidden in plain sight within the gatefold sleeve of Arsenal's debut album, posing alongside Stacey, practically naked. Patricia, however, differs slightly from Gore, in that she may not necessarily be a Christian. A sort of veiled commentary, at the outset, is made on the Bourbon Room marquee, where it publicizes Bad Religion as the club's headlining act for the night. On a subtextual level, what foretell could that bad religion be? If Patricia's rendition of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", in a church, no less, provides any indication, the bad religion must be Christianity. The couplet: "You're a real tough cookie with a long history/Of breaking little hearts like the one in me," on the surface, shows the moral crusader addressing her long ago fling with Jaxx, but the lyrics can also easily be construed as a rebuke against God. Even more blasphemous than singing a secular song in a house of worship, is the application of the sadomasochistic theme inherent in the Benatar "classic" to Jesus' crucifixion at Golgotha. She's a Scientologist, just like the man who plays the archetypal headbanger. During Foreigner's Christian-sounding "I Want to Know What Love Is", Cruise sings to Malin Akerman's ass, then vagina, as they pantomime sex in a dressing room. The hyper-carnality of Stacy Jaxx, more than overcompensates for the Abba-fying of REO Speedwagon, when Dennis and Lonny out themselves, thereby appeasing Cruise's church, known for its promotion of reparative therapy. Christopher Hitchens was right. Religion does poison everything. Wasn't Rock of Ages supposed to celebrate rock and roll as a religion in its own right, a salve for the broken soul, like when Sherrie tells Jaxx, "When my hamster died, your music really helped me through?" Lester Bangs must be rolling in his grave. As a retort to the proselytizing activists cries of "We're Not Going To Take It", the film uses Starship's "We Built This City"(a band, and song, reviled by many) as an unlikely anthem that embodies the bacchanal genre's so-called spirit. Rock of Ages gets its history wrong. Boy bands didn't kill hair metal bands like Arsenal, and their real life contemporaries. Nirvana did. While Jaxx belts out "Don't Stop Believin'" to a sold-out crowd, in the real timeline, Kurt Cobain was checking out Green River at some tiny Seattle club.… Expand
  23. PaperThing
    Jun 30, 2012
    5
    It's not horrible, It's pretty entertaining - if you are willing to switch your brain off... yeah I know that's cliche, but... whatever.

    If you're going to take someone to see the most generic, but still entertaining, movie of the summer... choose this... or don't...
  24. xXRenTyrellXx
    Jun 27, 2012
    8
    Rock of Ages. Even though I like all kinds of movies, Musicals aren't always my kind of thing. The only two I can actually think of at the moment that I liked and enjoyed was "The Newsies" and "The Sound of Music." However, I became overly excited to discover that Tom Cruise played a rock star and actually sings in this 80's rock n' roll musical. (Big Tom Cruise fan in case you didn't already know.) The movie looked pretty good anyways - so I was more then down. A highly entertaining, feel good, 80's rock n' roll musical, with a fantastic cast and performances (both acting and singing) make "Rock of Ages" nothin' but a good time. The way I see it - Tom Cruise was a rock star long before this highlight in his career, but hearing him sing like a rock star only makes him more worthy of the title. And yeah, Cruise can sing, and he's damn good at it. All hail Tom Cruise the rock star!!!… Expand
  25. Madiman2
    Jun 23, 2012
    2
    Oh Tom Cruise, what happened to you? You may be a dick, but that dosen't mean every movie you're in has to be **** You used to make great movies! Why can't you make a good one anymore?
  26. Kyle_Reese
    Jun 23, 2012
    9
    I love musicals, stage or movies. I
  27. Lokar
    Jun 22, 2012
    10
    This is the musical story of a man, a woman, and a band. Two young folks meet in Los Angeles in the 80s. They both want to make it big. At the same time, a rock star is going to break up his band and go solo. The mayor is dying to close down the biggest club in town and take over the property. Good versus evil, freedom versus control- who's going to win? Yes, the movie shamelessly plays with your heartstrings and it's almost like a live-action anime, because you can see the plot points coming up Main Street, but the movie turns out to be greater than the sum of its parts. Tom Cruise is the whacked-out singer who constantly staggers around under the influence of something or other. The two young leads play their parts with believable eagerness. Mary J. Blige has a really good supporting role as the no-nonsense but kind manager of a gentleman's club. Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin play managers of the rock hall, who are trying to keep the scene alive. You may have to forgive the movie a bit of a muddled section in the middle, but overall, it has a lot of laughs, and will keep you rooting for the good guys to win.… Expand
  28. Lynette
    Jun 22, 2012
    9
    I had viewed the preview of the movie Rock of ages, and it seems like a really good movie to watch, even better than the movie Chicago. Tom Cruise, has been around in the movie industry for many years, and his acting always seems to amaze me. If none of the movie critics had mentioned his name, I would never known it was even him, that's how good of an actor he really is and may I add he looks damn good for a man who just weeks ago just turned the big 50. He looks the same and will never change, I think that. I also think Alec Baldwin is really, really a cool and so funny guy of all comedians. I had to take a really good look, because I did not know it was he, Alec Baldwin. The music scenes are really good and the punch lines are dead on to the point. Catherine Zeta, who is very pretty and a really good actress, is full of surprises. There is a host of big stars and very familiar faces in this comic/musical of a movie. Julianne Hough is a first time actress in her first big motion picture, great job kid, great job. Bravo… Expand
  29. Storm2850
    Jun 22, 2012
    10
    This movie made me smile, loved all the 80's music took me back to high school! Laughed at some of the cornines which I am sure was intended. This was great, it was supposed to be over dramatized which the 80's were actually that. Loved Tom Cruise as Stacey Jaxx he did a great job of portraying what most of the bands and lead singers must have really been a lot like after all the intense partying! LOL. One critic actually said he was bored. Idiot he really didn't get the movie then and took it way to serious. Go see it, don't expect Gone With the Wind, have some laughs enjoy the over-dramatized era and characters, take a walk down memory lane if you lived it, if you didn't don't go see it you won't get it!… Expand
  30. MrHannigan
    Jun 21, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As I am waiting for the big … Expand
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
47 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 42
  3. Negative: 12 out of 42
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    Jun 22, 2012
    50
    Why, as a patron of Rock of Ages, do I wish I had taken the precaution of entering the theater drunk? [25 June 2012, p.84]
  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    Jun 16, 2012
    30
    Rock of Ages withholds nothing and makes miracles seem cheap.
    Read full review
  3. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Jun 15, 2012
    40
    Unfortunately, like the Poison song says -- and, in many ways, like the decade itself -- it ain't nothin' but a good time.
    Read full review
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