The Rocker

What’s the Story?

Robert "Fish" Fishman (Rainn Wilson) is a flabby, unemployed man in his late 30s with a broken dream. Back in 1986, he was the drummer for Vesuvius, a hard-rock band that fired him just before they hit the big time. More than 20 years later, Fish is still seething with jealousy and resentment. His fortunes finally improve when his nephew, Matt (Josh Gad), reluctantly asks Fish to join Matt's four-person high-school band, ADD, to play the prom. After a few other small gigs, ADD gets signed by a label and goes on a Midwestern tour with lead singer Curtis' (Teddy Geiger) mom (Christina Applegate) along to keep the kids -- and Fish -- in line.

Is It Any Good?

Wilson -- who's pitch-perfect as kooky Dwight on The Office -- is a talented comedian, but he's not as hilariously manic (or musical) as Jack Black, so THE ROCKER pales in comparison to School of Rock. Singer-songwriter Geiger naturally knows how to be ADD's handsome, brooding teen frontman (he looks like a young, longer-haired James Franco), but when he's not in musician mode, his acting feels forced. On the plus side, as Amelia, the band's beautiful-but-insecure guitarist, Emma Stone (Superbad) proves she's ready to take her place as one of young Hollywood's talented go-to actresses.

Supporting actors like Jeff Garlin and Jane Lynch (who play Matt's parents), Applegate, and Jason Sudeikis as the band's greedy manager, lend their considerable comedic chops to their roles. The result is an amusing -- if not memorable -- musical comedy.