Rock Star ( 2001 film ) - wikipedia Rock Star ( 2001 film ) `` Steel Dragon '' redirects here. For other uses, see Steel dragon ( disambiguation ). Rock Star Theatrical release poster Directed by Stephen Herek Produced by Robert Lawrence Toby Jaffe Written by John Stockwell Starring Mark Wahlberg Jennifer Aniston Jason Flemyng Timothy Olyphant Timothy Spall Dominic West Music by Trevor Rabin Cinematography Ueli Steiger Edited by Trudy Ship Production company Bel Air Entertainment Maysville Distributed by Warner Bros. Release date September 7, 2001 ( 2001 - 09 - 07 ) Running time 105 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $38 -- 57 million Box office $19.3 million Rock Star is a 2001 American musical comedy - drama film directed by Stephen Herek and starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. It tells the story of Chris `` Izzy '' Cole, a tribute band singer whose ascendance to the position of lead vocalist of his favourite band, which was inspired by the real - life story of Tim `` Ripper '' Owens, singer in a Judas Priest tribute band who was chosen to replace singer Rob Halford when he left the band. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 5 Soundtrack 6 References 7 External links Plot In the mid-1980s, Chris Cole ( Mark Wahlberg ) is a Pittsburgh fanatical admirer of a heavy metal band called Steel Dragon. By day, Chris is a photocopier technician and by night, he is the lead singer of a Steel Dragon tribute band called Blood Pollution ( the name is taken from a Steel Dragon song ). Internal struggles among the actual Steel Dragon band members culminate with the firing of their lead singer, Bobby Beers ( Jason Flemyng ), and the beginning of recruitment sessions to find a new vocalist. Chris experiences his own strife with his Blood Pollution bandmates, particularly guitarist Rob Malcolm ( Timothy Olyphant ). During a live performance, Rob 's playing fails to live up to Chris ' over-demanding standards regarding note - for - note accuracy to the original Steel Dragon recordings, and Chris sabotages Rob 's amplifier mid-song -- a fight breaks out between the two onstage. The next day, Chris meets Blood Pollution at a rehearsal session, but he finds out that he has been replaced with his arch - rival, the ( now former ) lead singer of another Steel Dragon tribute band. Rob also cites Chris ' inability to create his own musical style, preferring to remain the singer in a tribute band. One day, Chris receives an unexpected phone call from Steel Dragon 's founder and rhythm guitarist, Kirk Cuddy ( Dominic West ), and is offered an audition for the band ( thanks to two of Blood Pollution 's groupies, who showed Kirk a videotape of one of Blood Pollution 's concerts ). After hanging up on Kirk once, thinking he 's being pranked by Rob, Chris ecstatically agrees. At the studio, he meets the band, as well as learning that Bobby Beers was fired because he was a closeted homosexual, and gives an outstanding performance of `` We All Die Young '' ( a Steel Dragon song in the movie, but it is actually a song by Steelheart, whose lead vocalist Miljenko Matijevic provides Cole 's singing voice for the film ). Chris joins the band as their new singer, adopting the stage name `` Izzy ''. Following a successful debut concert with Steel Dragon, Izzy must come to grips with the pressures of his new - found fame and success. The band embarks on a lengthy tour and Izzy experiences the excesses of the lifestyle, with the group 's manager, Mats ( Timothy Spall ), serving as a sympathetic mentor to Izzy. His new lifestyle impacts his life both for better and worse, particularly with his relationship with his supportive girlfriend, Emily Poule ( Jennifer Aniston ), when she decides not to continue with him throughout the remainder of the tour as a rock star girlfriend, though Emily and Izzy agree to get back together when the tour reaches Seattle. Eventually, Steel Dragon stops in Seattle for a show, and Emily arrives at his hotel room as they had previously arranged, although Izzy had become so inebriated while on tour he forgot about the arrangement and did not even know what city he was in. Although taken aback by all the groupies, Emily still tries to reconnect with him, reminding him of their plans to meet up once he got to Seattle, however he is too intoxicated to really understand what she is saying, eventually suggesting they go to Seattle together. Heartbroken with his inconsiderate behavior, intoxication and the fact that he is sleeping with so many groupies, Emily leaves him. After the end of the tour, Izzy reports to the next series of Steel Dragon recording sessions with song concepts and artwork for the band 's next album. The rest of the band rejects Izzy 's ideas, with Kirk explaining that the band has to stay true to the `` Steel Dragon thing '' to fulfill fan expectations. Izzy is angered upon realizing that he was only recruited for his vocal abilities. After a heartfelt conversation with Mats about how he feared he had no control over the direction life has taken him, Izzy begins to reconsider his rock star lifestyle. On the next tour, in a scene directly paralleling one near the beginning of the film with their roles reversed, Izzy hears a fan ( Myles Kennedy ) singing along with him toward the end of a live concert. Impressed, Izzy pulls the fan, who introduces himself as Thor, onstage and hands him the microphone to finish the concert. Backstage, Izzy realizes that what he wanted for so long was not what he thought, and he says goodbye to Mats, departing from the band while doing so. Upon ditching his stage name, Izzy, Chris makes his way to Seattle and starts a new band with his old friend and former bandmate Rob. At the same time Steel Dragon, failing to evolve to the changing tastes and styles of the 1990s, has its fame fizzle out. Chris finds Emily working in the coffee shop she and her roommate purchased a few years earlier, but is initially too ashamed to speak to her. While walking one evening, Emily sees a flyer for his band posted on the wall and takes it down. In the final scene, Chris is singing with his band in a bar and Emily walks in. Chris leaves the stage and speaks to her. They reconcile, ending the film with a kiss and the final note of Chris ' first original song `` Colorful '' ( which is actually a song by The Verve Pipe ). During the credits, Cuddy talks about the future of the band and Beers is shown to have taken up Irish Dancing after leaving Steel Dragon. Cast The band members are portrayed by ex-Dokken and current Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson, Black Label Society founder & Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, actor Dominic West, and ex-Foreigner and Black Country Communion drummer Jason Bonham ( the son of the late John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin ). Myles Kennedy, who was at the time the lead vocalist of The Mayfield Four and now the frontman of Alter Bridge and Slash 's solo project, makes a cameo appearance. The singing voice for Wahlberg 's character was provided by Steelheart frontman Miljenko Matijevic for the Steel Dragon Songs, the final number was dubbed by Brian Vander Ark. Jeff Scott Soto ( of Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen, Soul SirkUS, and Journey ) provided the voice of the singer Wahlberg 's character replaces. Kennedy is the only actor whose actual voice is used.. Ralph Saenz ( Steel Panther ) also appears briefly, as the singer auditioning ahead of Chris at the studio. Blood Pollution ( Chris Cole 's former band and a Steel Dragon tribute band ) is also made up of known musical artists, including guitarist Nick Catanese ( Black Label Society ), drummer Blas Elias ( Slaughter ), and bassist Brian Vander Ark ( The Verve Pipe, who also contributed a song to the film 's soundtrack ). Actor Timothy Olyphant portrays Blood Pollution 's guitarist, Rob Malcolm. Bradley, the singer who replaces Chris in Blood Pollution, is played by Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins. Blood Pollution Mark Wahlberg as Chris `` Izzy '' Cole ( Lead vocals ) Jennifer Aniston as Emily Poule ( Manager ) Timothy Olyphant as Rob Malcolm ( Guitar ) Blas Elias as Donny Johnson ( Drums ) Nick Catanese as Xander Cummins ( Guitar ) Brian Vander Ark as Ricki Bell ( Bass ) Steel Dragon Jason Flemyng as Bobby Beers ( Lead Vocals ) Timothy Spall as Mats ( Road Manager ) Dominic West as Kirk Cuddy ( Rhythm Guitar ) Jason Bonham as A.C. ( Drums ) Zakk Wylde as Ghode ( Lead Guitar ) Jeff Pilson as Jörgen ( Bass ) Spouses Kara Zediker as Marci ( Rob 's girlfriend ) Heidi Mark as Kirk 's wife Rachel Hunter as A.C. 's wife Carrie Stevens as Ghode 's wife Amy Miller as Jörgen 's wife Others Dagmara Domińczyk as Tania Asher Stephan Jenkins as Bradley Michael Shamus Wiles as Joe Cole Sr Beth Grant as Tess Cole Matthew Glave as Joe Cole Jr Myles Kennedy as Mike / Thor Ralph Saenz as Ralph Carey Lessard as Nina Kristin Richardson as Samantha Production After The New York Times ran a story on Tim `` Ripper '' Owens in 1997, various Hollywood studios ran to option the filming rights. Warner Bros. won the bid, and hired John Stockwell to write the script. Stockwell soon began researching the heavy metal music and tribute band scene and visited Owens ' hometown of Akron, Ohio. Afterwards the project, under the working title Metal God, got the involvement of George Clooney 's newly founded Maysville Pictures. Brad Pitt signed to star in 1998, but wound up dropping the project following creative differences with the studio. Eventually Mark Wahlberg, a former rapper with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch who co-starred with Clooney in Three Kings, was hired for the main role in May 1999. Stephen Herek signed to direct in October, and the following month Jennifer Aniston became attached for the main female role, while Callie Khouri was hired to revise the script. Wahlberg spent five months preparing for his role as Chris Cole, working with a vocal coach, growing his hair, attending the metal scene and wandering around Los Angeles in - character. A concert scene was shot at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena before 10,000 Metallica and Megadeth fans. While filming one Steel Dragon performance, the crew pranked Wahlberg by playing Marky Mark 's `` Good Vibrations '' instead of a rock track, and footage of this is featured during the film 's end credits. By 2001, Warner renamed the project from Metal God to Rock Star in order to attract a broader rock fandom instead of just metal fans. Reception The film opened at No. 4 at the U.S. box office raking in US $6,018,636 in its opening weekend, and grossing a domestic total of $17,008,282 and $2,325,863 internationally for a worldwide gross of $19,334,145 ; based on a $57 million budget, Rock Star was a box office bomb. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 52 % `` Rotten '' score, with the consensus `` Like its title, Rock Star is rather generic, being not so much about the heavy metal scene than about rock cliches and formula ''. On another aggregator, Metacritic, the film is rated 54 based on 32 reviews. When Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill was asked about his reaction to Rock Star in an interview in PopMatters magazine Hill responded `` Well, it was a true work of fiction, you know ? When we heard about the production company were going to make a movie based, as far as we knew, about Ripper joining the band we offered our help. We said ' If there 's anything you want to know, talk to us at the time. ' And certainly our communication was cut off and that was it and they went off on their own tangent. '' Hill added `` I mean, I quite enjoyed the movie. It was entertaining, you know ? '' Hill was quoted as saying `` It had nothing to do with Rob Halford, Ripper Owens and Judas Priest, it 's got nothing to do with that, whatsoever. It was fiction. Apart from the fact that ' Local Boy Makes Good ' ? That was the only true aspect of the movie. '' Hill was quick to add `` I watched it once. I do n't have the urge to watch it again. '' Soundtrack Rock Star Soundtrack album by Various Artists Released August 28, 2001 Genre Rock Label Priority Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic A small number of the songs featured in the film and on the soundtrack were released after the dates given in the film. They are marked with an asterisk. No. Title Artist Length 1. `` Rock Star '' ( Art Alexakis ) Everclear 3 : 30 2. `` Livin ' the Life '' ( Steve Plunkett, Peter Beckett ) Steel Dragon 3 : 14 3. `` Wild Side * '' ( Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee ) Mötley Crüe 4 : 34 4. `` We All Die Young '' ( Miljenko Matijevic, Kenny Kanowski ) Steel Dragon 4 : 01 5. `` Blood Pollution '' ( Twiggy Ramirez ) Steel Dragon 3 : 59 6. `` Livin ' on a Prayer * '' ( Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child ) Bon Jovi 4 : 08 7. `` Stand Up '' ( Sammy Hagar ) Steel Dragon 4 : 18 8. `` Stranglehold '' ( Ted Nugent ) Ted Nugent 8 : 23 9. `` Wasted Generation '' ( Desmond Child, A. Allen ( Ajay Popoff ), J. Allen ( Jeremy Popoff ) ) Steel Dragon 2 : 54 10. `` Lick It Up '' ( Paul Stanley, Vinnie Vincent ) KISS 3 : 56 11. `` Long Live Rock ' n ' Roll '' ( Ronnie James Dio, Ritchie Blackmore ) Rainbow 3 : 27 12. `` Devil Inside * '' ( Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence ) INXS 5 : 13 13. `` Colorful '' ( Brian Vander Ark ) The Verve Pipe 4 : 25 14. `` Gotta Have It '' ( Trevor Rabin ) Trevor Rabin 2 : 57 Total length : 58 : 59 Partial list of songs that were featured in the movie but did not appear on the soundtrack CD : AC / DC - `` Are You Ready '' * Culture Club - `` Karma Chameleon '' Def Leppard - `` Let 's Get Rocked '' * Def Leppard - `` Rock ! Rock ! ( Till You Drop ) '' Foghat - `` Chateau Lafitte ' 59 Boogie '' Frankie Goes to Hollywood - `` Relax '' Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch - `` Good Vibrations '' Ralph Saenz, Peter Beckett, and Steve Plunkett - `` California Girls '' ( The Beach Boys cover ) Talking Heads - `` Once in a Lifetime '' Steel Dragon - `` Reckless '' ( Phoenix Down cover ) References Jump up ^ `` Rock Star - Box Office Data, DVD and Blu - ray Sales, Movie News, Cast and Crew Information ''. The Numbers. Retrieved 2014 - 05 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Rock Star ( 2001 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. 2002 - 08 - 28. Retrieved 2014 - 05 - 18. Jump up ^ ' Rock Stars writer went to heavy - metal school Jump up ^ Clooney tunes prod'n pipeline Jump up ^ Why Pitt, Aniston did n't costar in Rock Star Jump up ^ Wahlberg a headbanger ? ; ' X-Men ' gets man Jump up ^ Judas Priest Story Draws `` Mr. Holland 's Opus '' Director Jump up ^ ' Friend ' going ' Metal ' ? Jump up ^ In a Whole New Jungle Jump up ^ A Hollywood Rock Star Jump up ^ Wahlberg Humiliated With Old Track Jump up ^ Mark Wahlberg To Be ' Rock Star ' In April Jump up ^ `` Weekend Box Office Results for September 7 -- 9, 2001 ''. Box Office Mojo. 2011 - 06 - 08. Retrieved 2011 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ Rock Star at Box Office Mojo Jump up ^ Rock Star at Rotten Tomatoes Jump up ^ `` Rock Star Reviews ''. Metacritic. 2012 - 06 - 08. Retrieved 2014 - 05 - 18. Jump up ^ Maçek, J.C., III ( June 1, 2015 ). `` ' We 're All Fans ' : An Interview with Judas Priest 's Ian Hill ''. PopMatters. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Rock Star at AllMusic External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Rock Star ( film ) Rock Star on IMDb Rock Star at AllMovie Rock Star at Box Office Mojo Rock Star at Rotten Tomatoes Films directed by Stephen Herek Critters ( 1986 ) Bill & Ted 's Excellent Adventure ( 1989 ) Do n't Tell Mom the Babysitter 's Dead ( 1991 ) The Mighty Ducks ( 1992 ) The Three Musketeers ( 1993 ) Mr. Holland 's Opus ( 1995 ) 101 Dalmatians ( 1996 ) Holy Man ( 1998 ) Rock Star ( 2001 ) Life or Something Like It ( 2002 ) Man of the House ( 2005 ) Picture This ( 2008 ) Dead like Me : Life After Death ( 2009 ) Into the Blue 2 : The Reef ( 2009 ) The Cutting Edge : Fire and Ice ( 2010 ) The Chaperone ( 2011 ) Jinxed ( 2013 ) Dolly Parton 's Coat of Many Colors ( 2015 ) The Great Gilly Hopkins ( 2015 ) Dolly Parton 's Christmas of Many Colors : Circle of Love ( 2016 ) Tim `` Ripper '' Owens Studio albums Solo Play My Game Winter 's Bane Heart of a Killer Judas Priest Jugulator Demolition Iced Earth The Glorious Burden Overture of the Wicked ( EP ) Framing Armageddon ( Something Wicked Part 1 ) Beyond Fear Beyond Fear Yngwie Malmsteen 's Rising Force Perpetual Flame Relentless Charred Walls of the Damned Charred Walls of the Damned Cold Winds on Timeless Days Live albums Judas Priest ' 98 Live Meltdown Live in London Iced Earth Festivals of the Wicked Notable Songs Judas Priest `` Blood Stained '' `` Burn in Hell '' `` Bullet Train '' `` Cathedral Spires '' Iced Earth `` The Reckoning '' `` Setian Massacre '' Related articles Rock Star MusicBrainz : b5825b40 - 3d56 - 4ca6 - b052 - ce355bc36546 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rock_Star_(2001_film)&oldid=830583560 '' Categories : 2001 films English - language films 2000s comedy - drama films 2000s musical films American films American comedy - drama films American musical drama films American rock music films Films directed by Stephen Herek Films set in the 1980s Films set in Pittsburgh Heavy metal films Warner Bros. films Films scored by Trevor Rabin Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2011 Articles with hAudio microformats Album infoboxes lacking a cover Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Track listings with deprecated parameters Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano עברית 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 March 2018, at 18 : 41. 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Question: who is the movie rock star based on
Answer: the real-life story of Tim "Ripper" Owens, singer in a Judas Priest tribute band who was chosen to replace singer Rob Halford when he left the band