As a metalhead, it makes me so happy to see movies about heavy metal and rock & roll. Metal does not get the amount of praise and respect it deserves. That's something I never understood. These are some of the most talented musicians in the world making music that takes the listener on journey. The best music genre is mixed into a glimpse of life on the road an finding your true self.'Rock Star' is loosely based on the story of Tim "Ripper" Owens. Judas Priest's Rob Halford wanted to try a solo career and the rest of the band got Owens to fill in for him. Owens was in a Priest tribute band first, similar to Wahlberg's character. He did a couple of albums with them until Halford came back. Mark Wahlberg plays talented singer Chris Cole. He worships Bobby Beers, the frontman of the world's top metal band, Steel Dragon (is that not a badass name or what?) During the daytime, Chris is an IT guy at an office building. By night he is the frontman of a Steel Dragon tribute band called "Blood Pollution." Chris takes every little detail of Dragon so seriously to be incorporated into Blood Pollution that they eventually kick him out. He doesn't know where Bobby Beers ends and he begins. Chris soon finds out that Bobby Beers gets booted out of the band and Chris gets the gig as Dragon's new frontman. The beginning of this up until right after Chris' first performance with Steel Dragon is golden. Living life as a wannabe and fulfilling his dream was very relatable. And him becoming Dragon's new lead vocalist was nice as we could totally feel a starstruck Chris. But after Chris' first concert, the movie completely lazes out. When you're a rockstar (and in the world's biggest band), life is full of parties, sex, drugs, and travelling. We see Chris doing all of these and how it effects his longtime girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston), but none of these things are done in a very clear and concise way. In the first chunk, we feel exactly what Chris feels. Then we get pulled out of Chris and become just speculators getting little peeks into Chris' time on the road. We can't relate to Chris wanting to find himself and wanting to change like we could in the first half. If the second half of the script was re-written so that it was stronger than the first half (movies need to keep building and move up), the whole movie would be as revered as 'Love & Mercy' and 'The Buddy Holly Story.'Whatever. Since only part of the script is weak and the music is perfect, 'Rock Star' is a great time to have.

Rock Star (2001): Dir: Stephen Herek / Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston, Dominic West, Jason Bonham, Timothy Olyphant: Rock mock documentary about how far we will go to become more than we are. It stars Mark Wahlberg who dreams of being just like the lead singer of Steel Dragon. After his band disowns him Mark Wahlberg is excited when Steel Dragon contacts him. The rest is a life of massive concerts, drunken orgies, and corruption by management. Directed by Stephen Herek who also made Mr. Holland's Opus, also about a music career but the difference is in position. Mr. Holland teaches music while Wahlberg performs it. Between the two Mr. Holland seems to have a better screenwriter telling his story. Wahlberg holds his own portraying a character who cannot identify with himself and seeks someone else's life. We know where this is headed but since Wahlberg had a real life music career, he seems fitting for the material. Jennifer Aniston as his girlfriend is flat. She is basically there to bitch about him not being around and then pout and leave. Dominic West and Jason Bonham play fellow musicians with no personalities given. Other roles are drab stereotypes that accompany a screenplay so heavily burdened with clichés that it is difficult to focus on a message. Lots of loud music and energy burnt on absolutely nothing. On the positive side, Almost Famous is more compelling. Score: 3 ½ / 10

This is a movie that no viewer should take seriously, and simply enjoy for its funny, cliché'd, bubblegum take on the 1980s metal/hair band thing.Mark Wahlberg's acting is a bit wooden, but it works in this film because he's playing a young man who is uncomfortable in his own skin (very much the same kind of performance he delivers in Boogey Nights). Aniston is miscast. She's too polished for the girlfriend/manager role, but she's tolerable. Good supporting performances by Timothy Spall, Dominic West, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jason Flemyng, Tim Olyphant and Matthew Glave. The supporting performances are a strength of the movie, along with the music, which is very well done. I'm not a metal fan, but the movie has a handful of very catchy tunes. The concerts feel real enough. The dialog works and the plot moves along at a decent pace, delivering a number of laughs and a palpable feel for the rise-fall-reborn sequence of the Chris Cole/Izzy character.Recommended for light-hearted viewing.

I seen this movie when it came out. I thought what an average movie. I have now realized that this director was ahead of his time. This is a great movie and great soundtrack. I have seen my share of rock films but although this is far from spinal tap (which I did not like)> This film does take us into the life of an 80s rocker wanting to be nothing but. This is nothing more than our inner child wanting to grow up and to be a *ROCK STAR* Yeah I said it. Everyone wants to grow up and be on the spot light( Weather said or not). This movie just puts you in the core of emotions and you can almost feel the excitement of Izzy. I must admit the acting was less par but still the music and story was enough to hold you in to it, till the credits rolled. Worth the watch especially if you are a fan of ye Ole mighty hair bands.