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Rock Star

Chris Cole (Mark Wahlberg) was born to rock! With his long, wavy hair and makeup (borrowed from Mom) and his tight leather outifts, he is THE perfect emulator of Bobby Beers, the lead singer of Steel Dragon. He even has Bobby's British accent down perfectly, along with his interview responses -- a trait that ticks off his bandmates in Blood Pollution, a "tribute" band named after a Steel Dragon song.

At one of their concerts, Chris is in full "Bobby" force and goes a little over the edge... OK, way over the edge, so much, in fact, that he gets tossed from the band he created! His devoted girlfriend, Emily (Jennifer Aniston), encourages him to pursue his own musical dreams, but he's determined to be where Bobby is. A phone call from Kurt Cuddy (Dominic West), guitarist for Steel Dragon, changes everything one morning and answers those dreams to replace the one and only, Bobby Beers, who's leaving the band for "royalty" issues. One soaring note from Chris and it's all history... Chris, or "Izzy" as he is now known, steps to the mike in place of his idol. The sex, drugs, and rock n' roll are all here for an authentic look at life on the road in a hair metal band of the 1980s, much to the dismay of Emily, who has her own dreams.

After a wild and crazy ride, the story ends up almost where it began only now everyone is a little wiser and willing to take the risks in life. What really sells this movie and sets it apart from the other cheesy music movies are the supporting cast and the actual music. Aniston is perfect as the manager/girlfriend who believes Chris has what it takes to "go all the way." Band members include Zakk Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne and Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe for an authentic sound and credible look. The movie starts out in 1985 at the height of the hair metal craze, so to have a soundtrack without Bon Jovi or KISS would be insane. The "Steel Dragon" songs easily fit into that genre and could have easily slipped into the play list on a radio station.

What is perhaps the best selling point are the vocals of Wahlberg himself. Known primarily as a hip hop star back in the early '90s, he really showcases a great singing voice with depth and range especially in the final scene. If you've ever dreamed of being a Rock Star, then don't miss this! To quote Chris, I mean Izzy, while on stage in his first Steel Dragon concert: "I'm just a regular guy who grew up with the posters of these guys on my walls and now I'm one of them!" Could there be anything better? Doubt it.

Written by: Jenni Mennella

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
Reader's Rating: 8.29
Reader's Votes: 30

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