Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 32 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

  • Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Mark Wahlberg
  • Summary: In an instant, Chris Cole (Whalberg) rockets to the dizzying heights of sudden stardom, rising from devotee to icon, from the ultimate rock fan to the ultimate rock god -- the wanna-be who got to be. So what happens when an average guy gets everything he wants...and discovers it's not enough? (Warner Bros.) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 32
  2. Negative: 5 out of 32
  1. 80
    But even here, in a role that doesn't ask much of Wahlberg, I find plenty of evidence that he's among the finest actors of his generation.
  2. 80
    Wahlberg has turned into one of the most sympathetic and persuasive young actors around, and while his new movie remains safely, even shrewdly, in the middle of the road, he rocks.
  3. 50
    The movie can't quite embrace its characters or their scene; Wahlberg even cracks a joke over the end credits that heralds the late-'80s ascendance of hip-hop, which, of course, spawned Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
  4. Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    38
    When it's not aspiring, unsuccessfully, to satirize the world of metallica, Rock Star veers into even drearier territory and becomes a head-banging, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll version of "A Star Is Born."

See all 32 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Rock Star follows a familiar story line to its logical conclusion without stopping for too many detours along the way. Mark Wahlberg stars as the singer of a heavy metal cover band who gets the chance of a lifetime when the group he idolizes needs a new front man. Suddenly he finds himself catapulted to the kind of life he's always fantasized about. Of course, as is usually the case, it comes with a price. Rock Star echoes another of Wahlberg's films, Boogie Nights, in the way that his character gets swept up into a decadent lifestyle that eventually overwhelms him. There are also shades of Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous and, perhaps unintentionally, Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap. Rock Star, however, lacks those films' ambition, depth, and originality. Still the movie is fairly enjoyable, and is certainly never boring. It boasts an admirable cast, highlighted by Dominic West, Timothies Olyphant and Spall, and a very funny though rarely seen Beth Grant. Steel Dragon, the fictional band, is perhaps less engaging than the sight of Wahlberg fronting a glam rock group; their songs are largely uninteresting, and they seem like the sort of band that might tour with Spinal Tap. The movie's tone comes off as slightly schizophrenic, switching between earnest drama and fevered camp. Whether the laughs are intentional or not, things progress with an undeniable charm, driven by the logic of male preteen fantasies. Rock Star is indeed worth checking out; viewers may be swept up along with Wahlberg or may find themselves laughing at his ridiculous exploits, but either way, they will likely end up having a good time. Expand

See all 10 User Reviews

Trailers