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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Can Rainn Wilson shake the Schrute shackles?

’Office’ star shines in ’Rocker’

From left, Emma Stone, Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad and Teddy Geiger star in “The Rocker.” (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
By Forrest Hartman Gannett News Service

Despite its title, “The Rocker” isn’t about music.

It’s about “the scene,” the part of rock ’n’ roll more concerned with groupies and beer bongs than power chords and thumping bass lines.

And the guy who wants to be part of that scene more than anything in the world is Robert “Fish” Fishman (Rainn Wilson), a middle-age drummer who missed his chance at rock superstardom by a guitar string.

As a bright-eyed, long-haired youth, he was the drummer of Vesuvius, a group about to become the toast of heavy metal. But, before that could happen, Fish was canned to make room for a record executive’s kin.

Two decades later, with Vesuvius on top of the charts, Fish is unmotivated, bitter and unable to keep even the most trivial jobs. Understandably frustrated, his girlfriend kicks him out of their house, forcing Fish to live with his sister, Lisa (Jane Lynch), and her husband, Stan (Jeff Garlin).

It’s an ugly situation until Fish’s nephew, Matt (Josh Gad), asks the aging rocker to play drums for his teen band, A.D.D. Next thing Fish knows, A.D.D. is a national sensation. But he isn’t exactly cut out to be a role model.

As the kids – Gad, Emma Stone and pop star Teddy Geiger – rock their way across America, Fish demonstrates the best methods for trashing hotel rooms and fighting authority. And, because the youngsters’ parents aren’t happy with this, it looks like everyone’s dreams are gonna go south faster than a Paris Hilton single.

What happens next isn’t hard to predict, but even when “The Rocker” is obvious, it’s entertaining. That’s because it’s the sort of broad, farcical work that never takes itself seriously, nor should it. There’s nothing remotely realistic about the film. It just makes people laugh, largely thanks to Wilson.

Most people know him as Dwight Schrute from “The Office,” but expect that to change. Wilson is one talented comedian, and after an hour and a half of “The Rocker” it’s difficult to imagine him as anything other than a ridiculous, middle-age metalhead with a bad knee.

Wilson is the unquestioned backbone of the film and, with apt direction from Peter Cattaneo, he drives it, paving the way for what could become an impressive big-screen career.

The supporting cast is solid as well, with Gad, Stone and Geiger offering fine turns as befuddled kids trying to keep their band together amidst the lunacy that is Wilson. Geiger gets extra points for singing all of A.D.D.’s tunes with the same verve that earned him two Top 40 singles.

Of course, we’ve already established that the film isn’t about music. That’s just a backdrop for everything else, and everything else is delightful.

Times and locations, page 10.