Rock Star (2001)

Living your dream can turn out to be more complicated than you ever imagined, especially when it means becoming someone else. Stephen Herek's "Rock Star" gives anyone who has ever fantasized about rock stardom the vicarious thrill of seeing that dream come true. Mark Wahlberg stars as Chris Cole, a Pittsburgh copier repairman and devoted singer in a tribute band dedicated to his heroes, the 1980s heavy-metal gods Steel Dragon. When Steel Dragon fires its lead singer, Chris is invited to audition and suddenly becomes the band's new frontman, taking the stage name Izzy. But as he's swept into a world of adoring fans and wild excess on the road, his loyal girlfriend and manager, Emily (Jennifer Aniston), grows weary of life on tour, and the film follows a thoroughly familiar path. Wahlberg gives an underrated performance, well matched by Aniston and Timothy Spall as the band's weary road manager, and real rock musicians, including Zakk Wylde and Jason Bonham, fill out Steel Dragon. But his character is too rigidly written, forced through the standard rise and fall, and even its loose inspiration in real events, Tim "Ripper" Owens' leap from tribute singer to frontman of Judas Priest, can't hide its predictable formula. As a cautionary tale, it's routine, but as a leather-pants love story, it has enough good vibes to keep its dream alive.