A light rock affair

After starring in a hit television show, the obvious next step for an actor is tackling the silver screen. Movies clearly offer an even wider audience than television and allow actors to extend their career horizons. However, it seems like a lot of TV stars have issues with transitioning into films, whether it be because they picked a terrible first script or because they find themselves trapped within the confines of the TV character’s persona. Even for established character actors like Rainn Wilson who find major success with a breakout show like “The Office,” it’s rough. And Wilson’s first starring role in “The Rocker” is sadly no different.

“The Rocker” sees Robert “Fish” Fishman (Wilson) booted from his Cleveland-born hair metal band Vesuvius just before the group hits it big in the 1980s. His departure still burns Fish 20 years later as he lives a dead-end life while wishing to turn back the clock. Just as Fish feels all hope is lost, his nephew Matt (Josh Gad) invites him to play drums in his band. With Fish on board, the band gets all the right breaks and finds themselves on the fast track to success.

Although Wilson and his co-stars seem like they care about their performances, nothing in “The Rocker” is remotely memorable. The plot is predictable and paper-thin; none of the jokes really hit; and clichés about the rock-n-roll lifestyle are everywhere.
Wilson is basically playing a watered down doppelganger of his “Office” megalomaniac Dwight Schrute, only with more shots to the crotch.

His chemistry with the other stars, Christina Applegate and musician Teddy Geiger, is decent in spots, but it’s not enough to save the film. Even cameo roles by the hilarious quartet of Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Jason Sudekis and Fred Armisen fail to put the movie past the chuckle-level. Really, Geiger’s vanilla music is the highlight of the film.

Just like many of his TV cohorts, Rainn Wilson’s first headlining film is a far fall from his work on television. It’s not that “The Rocker” is overly awful or that Wilson doesn’t have the chops to carry a film on his own, it’s just that we all know he can do better.