The Rocker

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The Rocker

PG-13

Released Aug 20, 2008

1h 42m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

40%

Tomatometer

121 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

As a drummer with the '80s hair band Vesuvius, Robert "Fish" Fishman lived his dream as a rock 'n' roll demigod until his band mates kicked him out. Twenty years later, Fish gets a second shot at sitting on the throne of music stardom when his teenage nephew's group hires him as the new drummer.

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Critics Consensus

With a predictable and lightweight story, the earnest efforts of the cast are squandered by The Rocker's bland script.

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Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

A whacked-out, superannuated, would-be rock star might seem to be too easy a comic target, but Wilson gives this sad sack so many fresh twists that he never wears out his welcome.

Rated: B+

Nov 21, 2008

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Wally Hammond

Time Out

As a movie, it may not rock, but it rolls along nicely enough.

Rated: 3/6

Oct 17, 2008

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

There are occasionally amusing moments, but the writing lacks the warmth that made School of Rock such a hit.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 17, 2008

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Kaleem Aftab

The National (UAE)

It should be a fun ride but the dialogue and plot are too predictable and Wilson has no fun with the old-fogey role.

Nov 1, 2018

Full Review

Ali Gray

TheShiznit.co.uk

The Rocker is more Keane than Keith Moon: slow, safe and about as edgy as a tangerine.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 14, 2012

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Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

More fun than a fifth of Rebel Yell and a bag of Quaaludes.

Aug 15, 2011

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Stephen C

Funny in 1 hour and 42 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Language, Drug References, Nudity and Sexual References!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $6,400,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/13/25

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Dani G

Typical predictable comedy of losers achieving success. A semi-fun watch if you don't want to think much and don't want to invest so much time...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/30/25

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Cory P

Great movie funny , good music and just a fun ride the whole way through.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/03/23

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Westly N

This movie rocks! rock on!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/24/22

Full Review

Audience Member

it's fine, but not much more than that. there were a lot of flaws, such as the video games in every scene obviously being faked, continuing to move when the player had set down the controller, as well as a lot of very obvious lip syncing. the climax of the movie involves a fiasco where the antagonist band is caught lip syncing and flops a performance, which angers the fans. this did not make for an effective climax because the entire movie was being faked in the first place. it seems that for the antagonist band, the trio of cast members were probably hired for very limited screen time due to being A list actors, so we basically don't see bradley cooper at all for instance. the lead singer twink guy wasn't cool and their music was some jonas brothers nonsense, but the movie isn't nearly as bad as it's being rated - probably at least 65% in my book

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Audience Member

Good acting, music and an alright plot. 6.9/10

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Peter Cattaneo

Director

Rainn Wilson

Robert "Fish" Fishman

Christina Applegate

Kim

Josh Gad

Matt

Teddy Geiger

Curtis

Emma Stone

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Synopsis

As a drummer with the '80s hair band Vesuvius, Robert "Fish" Fishman lived his dream as a rock 'n' roll demigod until his band mates kicked him out. Twenty years later, Fish gets a second shot at sitting on the throne of music stardom when his teenage nephew's group hires him as the new drummer.

Director: Peter Cattaneo
Producer: Shawn Levy, Tom McNulty
Screenwriter: Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 21 Laps Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Drug References|Nudity|Sexual References)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.4M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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