Rock Star

REVIEW
Wahlberg plays Chris Cole, a Pittsburgh copy machine repairman who moonlights as the lead singer in a "tribute band" to his favorite headbanging group, Steel Dragon. Fate is on his side when his idols spot Chris in a video and want him to replace the lead singer they just dumped, almost immediately after Chris' own band has axed him. What follows is a dream come true: headlining his favorite band on tour. Loosely based on the true story of Tim "Ripper" Owens, who replaced Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford, Rock Star is a harmless, unremarkable morality tale that isn't as bad as it is mundane. Occasionally amusing in a most superficial way, the film runs into trouble when it tries to teach us a lesson about what's important. Yawn. Wahlberg tries his best, but can't overcome the one-note screenplay.