Rock of Ages

I have to agree with the commercials for this one, it really does rock, and Tom Cruise really does steal the show. He's really phenomenal, channeling his energy into this role. his best performance probably since  Magnolia. Other fantastic actors were all surprises to me, as I didn't know much about the film before viewing. Russell Brand (Get Him to The Greek), as messed up as his personal life is, takes over every scene he's in by being hilarious, and his tandem act alongside Alec Baldwin (Malice) is as unexpected as it is endearing.
realistically, if you don't like 80's butt-rock, and hairbands, you probably won't understand this movie nearly as much, but you will probably still enjoy it. The most surprising performance was by Catherine Zeta-Jones (Entrapment) who really lays it on thick as an uptight senators wife who opposes all rock and/or roll.
The plot itself was actually a little incoherent, I mean, the most important part is the two young lovers, who end up on far ends of the spectrum of despair. The boyband references are hilarious. But the actual peril of the Bourbon Room is pretty contrived, as well as the actual potential for the Sunset Strip to shut down.
Perhaps the most fun character is Paul Giamatti's (Lady in the Water) sleezy music A&R rep, because he is really awful, and it's always fun to identify what we don't like as an audience.
As an avid music listener, I found the connection of the divine in music of all kinds trumps the staunch and unsatisfying piety of those who are in denial of their own sin and unwilling to forgive and accept the sins of others, and really the only way to break free of convention is to embrace the subversive, all the while avoiding the destructive. There are vast grey areas of consequence in this simple musicians tale. An easy 2, re-watchable and soundtrack downloadable.