Pleasantly surprised!

Rating: 8/10 (7 June 2008)

First of all, don't listen to the School of Rock comparisons. I can see how and why people are comparing the two films, but it's not really accurate. Don't get me wrong, School of Rock was a good movie, but so is this one and they're quite different. After Fish (Rainn Wilson) is dismissed as drummer of the band Vesuvius he attempts to get on with his life, but never quite leaves his rocker persona behind. This isn't School of Rock when Dewey was forcing kids into a band to fulfill his life's dream. In The Rocker, an established band of high school kids, A.D.D., takes a chance on Fish as their last resort. True, both Dewey and Fish are pure rockers at heart who live to jam and share their music, but the way they go about it is different. The Rocker is surprisingly laugh out loud funny at times and it has a lot of heart. Rainn Wilson is a really good fit here as this character. Great supporting cast too. And the music ain't too shabby!