Rock Star (2001) on Netflix
Chris Cole repairs photocopiers and sings at night in Blood Pollution, a Steel Dragon tribute band. Kicked out by his bandmates, he gets a call from Steel Dragon's founder, Kirk Cuddy.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.3/1047,437 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes52%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1985, Chris Cole is a Pittsburgh resident and a fanatical admirer of Steel Dragon, the heavy metal band. He works as a photocopier technician and sings at night with Blood Pollution, a tribute band that reproduces Steel Dragon's shows note for note. His girlfriend, Emily Poule, believes he has the talent to go further, but Chris argues with his bandmate, guitarist Rob Malcolm, who plays a solo instead of following the original song, and the two fight onstage. The next day Chris finds he has been replaced. Then Steel Dragon's founder and rhythm guitarist, Kirk Cuddy, telephones with an offer to audition.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Rock Star (2001)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The script was inspired by the real-life story of Tim "Ripper" Owens, a singer in a Judas Priest tribute band who was chosen to replace singer Rob Halford when Halford temporarily left the band.
- While filming one Steel Dragon performance, the crew pranked Wahlberg by playing Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations" instead of a rock track, and footage of this is featured during the film's end credits.
- The singing voice for Wahlberg's character was provided by Steelheart frontman Miljenko Matijevic for the Steel Dragon songs, while the final number was sung by Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe.
- Tim "Ripper" Owens, the inspiration for the story, told Rolling Stone that he considered Rock Star "a Spinal Tap kind of movie" that distanced from the real facts to feature "all the cliches of sex, drugs, and rock and roll", though he found the portrayal of the band members accurate and was flattered to become the basis for a movie.
- Brad Pitt signed to star in 1998 but wound up dropping the project following creative differences with the studio; Mark Wahlberg, a former rapper with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, was hired for the main role in May 1999.
- Judas Priest were initially approached, but the band had objections to the initial script and were phased out as it was rewritten into a more original story loosely based on the facts, in spite of the band still offering advice and assistance to the production.
- The band members on screen were played by real musicians, including Black Label Society founder Zakk Wylde and drummer Jason Bonham, the son of the late John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin.
