A period piece - for fans of the music genre only

Rating: 6/10 (19 March 2002)

If you are a twenty or thirtysomething who can appreciate Motley Crew, Poison, or any other 80s glam metal band than this movie is for you. Rock Star is a period piece examining the life and times of one cheese metal band, Steel Dragon and their new front man Chris "Izzy don't call me Marky" Cole.
Rock Star succeeds where Almost Famous doesn't, in that it accurately (for the most part) depicts and portrays the nostalgia of the time, the music, and most of all, the fans. Rock Star encompasses a solid fundamental core of film traits that aid in establishing it as a worthy video rental. The plot is predictable yet believable, the acting is above average, the set design is fairly accurate, and the pacing of the movie is fast enough to keep the viewer involved as well as entertained. Most important, the movie does not take itself too seriously. During the end credits "Good Vibrations" is played which I felt was humorous and refreshing, as well as an accurate portal of the transition period of the early 90s between glam metal and Seattle grunge.
However, the movie is not without its fair share of technical glitches and the cinematography is not subtle - it's more like a Def Leppard video. If you are a fan of the music and grew up in the 80s you might enjoy this one. Otherwise, if you are going to be overtly cynical or generally have contempt for the glam metal counterculture you might want to stick to VH-1 Behind the Music and save yourself the $4 rental fee. I can appreciate the music so I gave this flick a well earned 6/10 - mostly for its technical accuracies of the music, culture, and the time period.