Rock Of Ages ***

Adam Shankman directed this Rock musical. Watch Preview. Cast: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, suggestive dancing, some heavy drinking, and language. Run Time is two hours and three minutes.

The story of small town girl Sherrie (Hough) and city boy Drew (Boneta), who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.

I've never been a fan of rock music so I wasn't expecting to enjoy this film. Imagine my surprise when I found I was enjoying it very much. I don't know whether rock purists will feel that way since the songs are interpretations of the music by the cast rather than by the original artists, but I liked  the film versions. Hough is the weakest member of the cast in that her voice is pretty much limited to C&W, where quality isn't all that important.  But she does fine in the dancing and acting departments. The rest of the listed cast all sing, with Ackerman being much better than I would have expected and Cruise doing a top notch, outstanding job. Zeta-Jones is underused but it was nice to see her once again. While the film is slightly longer than I prefer, its energy propelled it nicely and I never felt the need to check my watch.

There are no additional scenes once the final credits begin. A large screen and very good sound will add immensely to your enjoyment. Theatres/Times.