.gif)
The Rocker (film)
Encyclopedia
The Rocker is a 2008
American comedy
directed by Peter Cattaneo
, starring Rainn Wilson
, Josh Gad
, Teddy Geiger
, Emma Stone, Christina Applegate
and Jason Sudeikis
. The film was written by Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky
, from a story by Ryan Jaffe.
) was the drummer for Vesuvius, a local heavy metal
/glam metal
band from Cleveland, Ohio
. After playing a local gig, Fish's bandmates are approached by their manager, who says that a label is interested in them but will not sign them unless they get rid of Fish, replacing him as drummer with the nephew of the label's president. The band initially refuses to fire Fish, but relent after their manager tells them that they will open for Whitesnake
if they sign to the label. Fish curses his bandmates for backstabbing him and vows to start another band that will be more famous than Vesuvius. Twenty years later, Fish leads an unhappy life by failing at another cubicle job, breaking up with his girlfriend, and having to move in with his sister, her husband, and two kids. Fish finds himself living in the attic looking for work, and is further frustrated by Vesuvius's success as a band.
Matt (Josh Gad
), Fish's nephew, plays the keyboards in an alternative rock
band called A.D.D., joined by the dark, brooding Curtis (Teddy Geiger
) and the no-nonsense Amelia (Emma Stone). The band is set to play at the prom
, but when their drummer gets thrown out of school, they search for a new one but with little to no success. After much deliberation between the band and having no other option, they agree to ask Fish to play drums at their "gig" for only the one time. The prom turns into a disaster, being Fish's first time on stage in twenty years, and his drum solo takes over the prom King and Queen's dance in a fit of rage, and sheer embarrassment for the band. Fish tries to make amends by trying to get the band a gig. Eventually, he manages to organize a booking in Fort Wayne, Indiana
. The band decides to sneak out in Fish's sister's minivan, but are soon caught by the police after she reports it stolen.
When Fish is kicked out of his sister's house and rents the basement of his favorite Chinese restaurant, the band invents a new way to practice via four-way iChat
. Because of the stuffy and hot atmosphere in Fish's new residence, he chooses to practice naked unwittingly in front of the camera, which is secretly recorded by Matt's little sister, and posts the recording on YouTube
. A million hits later, A.D.D. signs a contract with David Marshall (Jason Sudeikis
), an agent whose obnoxiousness outshines his poseur personality. After a successful audition at proving the band's musical talent, David then takes them on tour.
The band wows audiences across the country, with everyone wanting to see the infamous "Naked Drummer". However, Fish commits stereotypical
acts, despite the physical costs on his body, and he vandalizes a hotel room, which results in the band's arrest.
After bailing them out, Kim, Curtis's mother (Christina Applegate
), promises the other parents she will stay for the remainder of the tour, so their children won't be influenced by Fish's antics. As the tour continues, Fish and Kim find that they have similar interests and begin to find an attraction to each other. A.D.D. also shoots a music video which upon watching, all the band members are featured prominently except Fish, who notices that his face is being obscured during the entire video. Later on it is discovered that David does not want to promote Fish as a member of A.D.D.
David informs the band that they are opening for Vesuvius in a free concert for their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio
. Fish is enraged, refusing to open for the band he started, and the band sticks by his side and agrees not to do the show. During Fish's rage, Curtis's mother tries to calm him down by kissing him, which David witnesses. He tells Curtis, exaggerating the truth, hoping to get Fish fired. During their next concert, Curtis announces to the crowd that the band will do the show after all, much to Fish's dismay. After they have a heated argument in front of the crowd, Fish quits the band on the spot and leaves despite Kim's protests. Fish enters a downward spiral of depression as he throws away his treasured drumming sticks, cuts his hair, and has Stan get him a miserable job in the corporate world.
Matt and Amelia convince Curtis that the band is nothing without the spirit of Fish after the label's newly appointed drummer doesn't fit in. Curtis apologizes to Fish, and then he convinces Fish to do the concert citing that he has a second chance at becoming the rock star he was destined to be. Upon arriving at the stadium before their performance, Fish encounters his former bandmates who have become pompous, vain and arrogant, with faux-British accents and a new drummer named Sticks (Lonny Ross
), who is actually from England. Vesuvius actually does not remember Fish until one bandmember says he faintly remembers. However, to his happiness, Fish finds that he is able to let the past go and wishes Vesuvius a great show. Fish and the band play an incredible show, gaining a standing ovation from the audience. After their gig, Amelia and Curtis, and Fish and Kim both start a relationship. Vesuvius takes the stage, and during their set the lead singer's microphone falls off the stand while the voice track of their song continues, revealing that they were lip-syncing the entire time. The audience goes into a huge rage, boo
ing Vesuvius off the stage in a cloud of embarrassment, and chanting an encore for A.D.D. The band takes the stage again and performs for the crowd despite the advice of David, whom they fire on the spot for his obvious treachery.
, Ontario
, Canada
, with some exterior shots filmed in Cleveland, Ohio
.
The songs attributed to the band A.D.D. were mostly written and produced by musician/producer Chad Fischer, of the band Lazlo Bane
. Fischer also performed most of the music, with Teddy Geiger singing the lead vocals. The songs attributed to the band Vesuvius were written and performed by all the members of Lazlo Bane, with lead vocals sung by Keith England.
, which is shown being played in the movie.
A viral marketing
effort for the film was begun on August 11, 2008, when Rainn Wilson posted a message to the MySpace
blog of Jenna Fischer
, his co-star from The Office. According to his message, he had "kidnapped the lovely Jenna, put her, bound, in the trunk of my Firebird and logged onto her MySpace to send out this bulletin....To free America's sweetheart...you must attend my new movie, 'The Rocker', which opens August 20th....As soon as the film grosses 18.7 Mil, she will be released and given a peach smoothie." Ironically, the film was not even close to grossing that much money. A subsequent blog entry pointed readers to http://freejennanow.com/, where videos were posted and features such as a "Free Jenna Game" and countdown tickers could be found.
'The Rocker: Live The Dream' was a competition to promote the film via MySpace and Kerrang!
magazine in the UK. Over 1200 bands entered original songs at www.myspace.com/therockeruk for a chance to win a photo shoot and interview with Kerrang! magazine, a trip to the MySpace
Black Curtain Screening in London, Gibson
musical equipment and an assortment of 20th Century Fox
merchandise. Ten bands went through to the final judging and Scottish band Alburn were chosen by Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan, as the winner. Alburn dressed and posed as characters from the film in the Kerrang! photo shoot. Rainn Wilson recorded a video message for the winning band, which was played at the MySpace Black Curtain Screening.
A Flash game titled The Rocker: TV Toss was also released. In the game, the player controls Fish (in 1st person view). The objective is to do damage to the hotel room by tossing TVs at various objects. The high score is calculated by means of the cost of objects damaged.
, The Rocker had an overall approval rating of 40 percent, with a weighted average score of 5.1/10. Entertainment Weekly
gave it a C-.
) open the same weekend. It fared much better than The Rocker, opening at #2.
, who suffered the same fate as the original drummer of The Beatles
. Best himself makes a brief cameo role in the film.
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
American comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Peter Cattaneo
Peter Cattaneo
Peter Cattaneo was born in 1964 in Twickenham, London. He is a two-time Academy Award-nominated English filmmaker most famous for directing the hit British film The Full Monty. He also directed 2005's Opal Dream.-Filmography:-External links:...
, starring Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
, Josh Gad
Josh Gad
Joshua “Josh” Gad is an American film-, television-, and stage-actor best known for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon and the role of Ryan Church in the television series Back to You. Gad has also appeared in episodes of ER, The Daily Show, Modern Family...
, Teddy Geiger
Teddy Geiger
-Singles:-Album appearances:-Television and movie appearances:-External links:****...
, Emma Stone, Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
and Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
. The film was written by Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky
Wallace Wolodarsky
Wallace Wolodarsky is an American television writer and director. He wrote for The Simpsons during the first four seasons; all of his episodes were co-written with former writing partner Jay Kogen...
, from a story by Ryan Jaffe.
Plot
During the mid-80s, Robert "Fish" Fishman (Rainn WilsonRainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
) was the drummer for Vesuvius, a local heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
/glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
band from Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. After playing a local gig, Fish's bandmates are approached by their manager, who says that a label is interested in them but will not sign them unless they get rid of Fish, replacing him as drummer with the nephew of the label's president. The band initially refuses to fire Fish, but relent after their manager tells them that they will open for Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
if they sign to the label. Fish curses his bandmates for backstabbing him and vows to start another band that will be more famous than Vesuvius. Twenty years later, Fish leads an unhappy life by failing at another cubicle job, breaking up with his girlfriend, and having to move in with his sister, her husband, and two kids. Fish finds himself living in the attic looking for work, and is further frustrated by Vesuvius's success as a band.
Matt (Josh Gad
Josh Gad
Joshua “Josh” Gad is an American film-, television-, and stage-actor best known for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon and the role of Ryan Church in the television series Back to You. Gad has also appeared in episodes of ER, The Daily Show, Modern Family...
), Fish's nephew, plays the keyboards in an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band called A.D.D., joined by the dark, brooding Curtis (Teddy Geiger
Teddy Geiger
-Singles:-Album appearances:-Television and movie appearances:-External links:****...
) and the no-nonsense Amelia (Emma Stone). The band is set to play at the prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
, but when their drummer gets thrown out of school, they search for a new one but with little to no success. After much deliberation between the band and having no other option, they agree to ask Fish to play drums at their "gig" for only the one time. The prom turns into a disaster, being Fish's first time on stage in twenty years, and his drum solo takes over the prom King and Queen's dance in a fit of rage, and sheer embarrassment for the band. Fish tries to make amends by trying to get the band a gig. Eventually, he manages to organize a booking in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The band decides to sneak out in Fish's sister's minivan, but are soon caught by the police after she reports it stolen.
When Fish is kicked out of his sister's house and rents the basement of his favorite Chinese restaurant, the band invents a new way to practice via four-way iChat
IChat
iChat is an instant messaging software application developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its Mac OS X operating system. It has audio, video and screen-sharing capabilities as well as text messaging...
. Because of the stuffy and hot atmosphere in Fish's new residence, he chooses to practice naked unwittingly in front of the camera, which is secretly recorded by Matt's little sister, and posts the recording on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. A million hits later, A.D.D. signs a contract with David Marshall (Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
), an agent whose obnoxiousness outshines his poseur personality. After a successful audition at proving the band's musical talent, David then takes them on tour.
The band wows audiences across the country, with everyone wanting to see the infamous "Naked Drummer". However, Fish commits stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
acts, despite the physical costs on his body, and he vandalizes a hotel room, which results in the band's arrest.
After bailing them out, Kim, Curtis's mother (Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
), promises the other parents she will stay for the remainder of the tour, so their children won't be influenced by Fish's antics. As the tour continues, Fish and Kim find that they have similar interests and begin to find an attraction to each other. A.D.D. also shoots a music video which upon watching, all the band members are featured prominently except Fish, who notices that his face is being obscured during the entire video. Later on it is discovered that David does not want to promote Fish as a member of A.D.D.
David informs the band that they are opening for Vesuvius in a free concert for their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Fish is enraged, refusing to open for the band he started, and the band sticks by his side and agrees not to do the show. During Fish's rage, Curtis's mother tries to calm him down by kissing him, which David witnesses. He tells Curtis, exaggerating the truth, hoping to get Fish fired. During their next concert, Curtis announces to the crowd that the band will do the show after all, much to Fish's dismay. After they have a heated argument in front of the crowd, Fish quits the band on the spot and leaves despite Kim's protests. Fish enters a downward spiral of depression as he throws away his treasured drumming sticks, cuts his hair, and has Stan get him a miserable job in the corporate world.
Matt and Amelia convince Curtis that the band is nothing without the spirit of Fish after the label's newly appointed drummer doesn't fit in. Curtis apologizes to Fish, and then he convinces Fish to do the concert citing that he has a second chance at becoming the rock star he was destined to be. Upon arriving at the stadium before their performance, Fish encounters his former bandmates who have become pompous, vain and arrogant, with faux-British accents and a new drummer named Sticks (Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross is a comedy actor and writer. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Josh Girard on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock...
), who is actually from England. Vesuvius actually does not remember Fish until one bandmember says he faintly remembers. However, to his happiness, Fish finds that he is able to let the past go and wishes Vesuvius a great show. Fish and the band play an incredible show, gaining a standing ovation from the audience. After their gig, Amelia and Curtis, and Fish and Kim both start a relationship. Vesuvius takes the stage, and during their set the lead singer's microphone falls off the stand while the voice track of their song continues, revealing that they were lip-syncing the entire time. The audience goes into a huge rage, boo
Boo
Boo may refer to:Fictional characters* Boo , a ghost character in the Mario series* Boo, a hamster in Megatokyo* Boo, a human girl in Monsters, Inc....
ing Vesuvius off the stage in a cloud of embarrassment, and chanting an encore for A.D.D. The band takes the stage again and performs for the crowd despite the advice of David, whom they fire on the spot for his obvious treachery.
Cast
- Rainn WilsonRainn WilsonRainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
as Robert “Fish” Fishman - Christina ApplegateChristina ApplegateChristina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
as Kim Powell - Josh GadJosh GadJoshua “Josh” Gad is an American film-, television-, and stage-actor best known for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon and the role of Ryan Church in the television series Back to You. Gad has also appeared in episodes of ER, The Daily Show, Modern Family...
as Matt Gadman - Teddy GeigerTeddy Geiger-Singles:-Album appearances:-Television and movie appearances:-External links:****...
as Curtis Powell. A musician in real life, he also sings all the songs performed by A.D.D. in the film. - Emma Stone as Amelia Stone
- Will ArnettWill ArnettWilliam Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
as Lex Drennan - Fred ArmisenFred ArmisenFred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
as Wayne Kerr - Howard HessemanHoward HessemanHoward Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...
as Nev Gator - Lonny RossLonny RossLonny Ross is a comedy actor and writer. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Josh Girard on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock...
as Timmy Sticks - Jason SudeikisJason SudeikisDaniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
as David Marshall - Bradley CooperBradley CooperBradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
as Trash Grice - Jon GlaserJon GlaserJonathan Daniel "Jon" Glaser is an American actor, comedian and television writer based out of New York City. A graduate of the University of Michigan where he performed in the sketch comedy troupes Comedy Company and Just Kidding with Jon Hein, he is a five-time Emmy nominee with the writing...
as Billy Ault - Jane LynchJane LynchJane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
as Lisa Gadman - Jeff GarlinJeff GarlinJeffrey "Jeff" Garlin is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, voice artist, director, writer and author, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm...
as Stan Gadman - Demetri MartinDemetri MartinDemetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...
as The Video Director - Pete BestPete BestPete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
as The Guy at the Bus Stop - Bubba Fontaine as himself
- Jane KrakowskiJane KrakowskiJane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
as Rennett (Fish's Ex Girlfriend)
Production
The Rocker was mostly filmed in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with some exterior shots filmed in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
The songs attributed to the band A.D.D. were mostly written and produced by musician/producer Chad Fischer, of the band Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane is an alternative rock band hailing from Santa Monica, California, United States. They are well known for collaborating with former Men at Work member Colin Hay, and providing the song "Superman" as the theme for the television show Scrubs...
. Fischer also performed most of the music, with Teddy Geiger singing the lead vocals. The songs attributed to the band Vesuvius were written and performed by all the members of Lazlo Bane, with lead vocals sung by Keith England.
Promotion
To promote the movie, the song "Promised Land", as performed by the fictional band Vesuvius, was released as free downloadable content for the video game Rock BandRock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, which is shown being played in the movie.
A viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
effort for the film was begun on August 11, 2008, when Rainn Wilson posted a message to the MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog of Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
, his co-star from The Office. According to his message, he had "kidnapped the lovely Jenna, put her, bound, in the trunk of my Firebird and logged onto her MySpace to send out this bulletin....To free America's sweetheart...you must attend my new movie, 'The Rocker', which opens August 20th....As soon as the film grosses 18.7 Mil, she will be released and given a peach smoothie." Ironically, the film was not even close to grossing that much money. A subsequent blog entry pointed readers to http://freejennanow.com/, where videos were posted and features such as a "Free Jenna Game" and countdown tickers could be found.
'The Rocker: Live The Dream' was a competition to promote the film via MySpace and Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine in the UK. Over 1200 bands entered original songs at www.myspace.com/therockeruk for a chance to win a photo shoot and interview with Kerrang! magazine, a trip to the MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
Black Curtain Screening in London, Gibson
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:* Gibson Amphitheatre* Gibson Appliance* Gibson Girl* Gibson Guitar Corporation* Gibson * Gibson Generating Station-Places:In the United States:* Gibson, Arkansas* Gibson, Georgia* Gibson, Iowa* Gibson, Louisiana...
musical equipment and an assortment of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
merchandise. Ten bands went through to the final judging and Scottish band Alburn were chosen by Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan, as the winner. Alburn dressed and posed as characters from the film in the Kerrang! photo shoot. Rainn Wilson recorded a video message for the winning band, which was played at the MySpace Black Curtain Screening.
A Flash game titled The Rocker: TV Toss was also released. In the game, the player controls Fish (in 1st person view). The objective is to do damage to the hotel room by tossing TVs at various objects. The high score is calculated by means of the cost of objects damaged.
Critical response
The film has received mixed reviews from critics. Based on 118 reviews collected by Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, The Rocker had an overall approval rating of 40 percent, with a weighted average score of 5.1/10. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave it a C-.
Box office
The Rocker was released on August 20, 2008 in the USA. It was disappointing at the box office, opening outside the Top 10 at #12 with $2.64 million for its first weekend, grossing less than $7 million overall during its entire theatrical run. One of the stars of the film, Emma Stone, had another film (The House BunnyThe House Bunny
The House Bunny is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Fred Wolf, written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, and starring Anna Faris as a former Playboy bunny who signs up to be the "house mother" of an unpopular university sorority after being conned by a rival into believing she's now...
) open the same weekend. It fared much better than The Rocker, opening at #2.
Project history
Loosely based on an actual event in the story creator Ryan Jaffe's real life. Jaffe plays roller hockey with a group of friends in Hollywood. During a game, one of the high school aged players mentioned his band needed a drummer. One of the adult players piped up and offered to play with the teen rockers and an idea was born. The story of how the drummer is kicked out of being in the biggest band in the world is taken from Pete BestPete Best
Pete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
, who suffered the same fate as the original drummer of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Best himself makes a brief cameo role in the film.
Cultural references
- Jon "Fish" FishmanJon FishmanJon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
is the real life drummer and namesake of the VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
-based jam bandJam band-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
PhishPhishPhish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
. - Robert shouting "I am a golden fish" before falling off a roof in the film is a reference to Cameron CroweCameron CroweCameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
's Almost FamousAlmost FamousAlmost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
in which a character says "I am a golden god" before jumping off a roof into a pool.