And boy, can he carry a tune? His spontaneous sing-along session to a car radio blasting Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ hardly confirms his capabilities as a possible frontman for epic bands like Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Guns ‘n’ Roses. But his covers (and on-stage gig) of their popular songs like Pour Some Sugar On Me, Wanted Dead or Alive and Paradise City simply blow your mind. From rock climber to rock singer, is there anything this man cannot do?
Pity how the musical itself doesn’t resonate any of the quirky, stupendous qualities of its most famous cast member or other meritorious supporting acts by Alec Baldwin , Russel Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige and Malin Akerman. It’s only when Rock of Ages sidelines the lovebirds, Sherrie and Drew (Julianne Hough, Deigo Boneta are earnest enough but lack the poise to hold up against its starry supporting cast) and their two-hour long banal romance to concentrate on its more exciting sub-plots that it begins to modify ‘rock’ from a genre to a verb. Ultimately, Rock of Ages is like digging into a scrumptious chocolate croissant. Take out the sinful goodness of the rich Tom Cruise filling and you’re left with only bland crumbs of bread. (Agencies)