聽節奏藍調皇后Mary Jane Blige

'Rock of Ages' struggles but is not without its charms

Based on the popular Broadway show, "Rock of Ages" is a musical similar to "Mamma Mia!," in which a collection of well-known pop songs are connected together to create a new story.

In the movie, which will be released in Taiwan on Aug. 17, Sherrie (played by Julianne Hough from last year's "Footloose") is a small-town girl who travels to Los Angeles to make it big in the music industry. There she meets Drew (played by Diego Boneta), a boy working at a famous club, who has his own fantasies of rock 'n' roll glory. When they meet and discover their shared passion, well, what else is there to do but sing a duet of Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You"?

In "Rock of Ages," characters repeatedly break out into such well-known songs from the 1980s. But these are not obscure classics. Even today's young generation is likely to be familiar with many of the tracks being sung.

Although the lead actors may be unfamiliar to many people, the supporting cast is full of Hollywood superstars: Catherine Zeta-Jones gives a hilarious performance as a politician's wife leading a campaign to rid Los Angeles of its rock 'n' roll image; Paul Giamatti plays a music manager who will double-cross anyone to make a quick buck; Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand are the club operators hoping to get out of tax debt by staging a benefit concert.

American music icon Mary J. Blige also shows up as a kindly mentor to the lead female character. And Tom Cruise steals the show playing Stacee Jaxx, a rock superstar. His performance says, "We both know this is ludicrous. Just relax and enjoy the show." This is exactly the approach that audiences should take.

"Rock of Ages" is directed by Adam Shankman, best known for the film version of "Hairspray." Like Shankman's earlier film, the tone here is unsteady. There are sequences that make the movie feel outlandish or like it is making fun of itself. In contrast, the lead performances by Boneta and Hough are so innocent that they often seem out of place.

Yet when the movie strikes the right balance, it soars. Zeta-Jones leading a group of strict Christian ladies in a song-and-dance set to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is excellent. And whenever Cruise takes center stage, the movie is delightful; you can't take your eyes off him. It's a performance that seems to perfectly capture all the crazy self-importance, the loony contradictions and the tacky pleasures of being a rock star in the 1980s. May he rock all the way to a much-deserved Oscar nomination.

"Rock of Ages" aspires to capture the same level of fun and musical magic that was seen in the classic film "Grease." It ends up, however, being "Mamma Mia!" with a dash of "Glee." The result is far from a classic, but it is a perfectly fine guilty pleasure for all those people who love to sing classic rock songs at their local KTV on the weekend. There are plenty of grins and giggles in this sweet-spirited rock 'n' roll fairy tale.