Rock of Ages: Everybody's Wiggin' Out
Here is the trailer for the adaptation of Adam Shankman's'80s musical, Rock of Ages, and holy hell guys, what is going on here? Alec Baldwin in a mop-wig. Tom Cruise in a mop-wig that harkens back to a time in which he was inviting us to respect the cock. Paul Giamatti looking, well, sparse as usual. This trailer is flat out bonkers and frankly, I could not be more excited for this beautiful disaster.
Let's talk about the casting of this thing. These are heavy hitters! Do you think Paul Giamatti just sat in the corner during filming with a vacant look in his eyes and a skinny trail of drool on his chin, shaking his head muttering, "But I was in Sideways...Oscar...wine...Sideways"? And though her role wasn't in the original stage production of the musical, Catherine Zeta-Jones portraying a Bible thumping, record burning Christian just seems slightly off-course.
And Alec Baldwin, for whom the word "dude" seems so foreign and uncomfortable, playing an employee at a rock club called The Bourbon Room looks about as natural as, well, like Jack Donaghy saying "dude" and playing an employee at a rock club called The Bourbon Room. This movie is like if Alec Baldwin hoisted Russel Brand onto his shoulders, Catherine Zeta-Jones then climbed up onto his, and the three threw a huge coat around their shoulders, grabbed a cane and a top hat, and tottered their Trench Coat Totem Pole into a bank to try to cash a check. "I am just a huge man, Sir. Nothing unusual going on here." Nobody's buying it, these actors in these roles, but it sure is fun to watch.
But maybe, just maybe, the whacky casting and costumes and wigs will be what makes this thing great. It's a cheesy, over the top musical about a cheesy time in music, fashion, and hair. With a little luck, this movie might just be great. Horribly, terribly great.