The Big Picture

• Tom Cruise shines in critically-panned Rock of Ages, stealing the show with his Stacee Jaxx role despite the movie's failure.
• His performance of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "I Want to Know What Love Is" is energetic, entertaining, and unmissable.
• Cruise's portrayal of Jaxx, channeling Axl Rose and Steven Tyler, adds a colorful charm that sadly fizzles out in the movie's second half.

Hollywood giant Tom Cruise already has his name down as a legendary actor. His career has spanned four decades, and in that time, he has spoiled us with some stellar performances and iconic characters. From the ass-kicking action hero Ethan Hunt to the outburst-prone studio executive Les Grossman, Cruise has understandably amassed a colossal amount of fans over the years. However, one of his best performances was actually in one of his most critically-panned movies. Not only that, it was also a rare box-office bomb for him.

The 2012 Adam Shankman movie Rock of Ages, adapted from the Broadway musical, boasted an all-star cast that included Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, and Bryan Cranston. Despite the impressive names attached, it was met with a negative reception, even from the creators of the original Broadway show themselves. Cruise, however, was widely acclaimed for his small, but memorable role with many agreeing he was the only high point. He plays a boozed-up rock star lavishly named Stacee Jaxx, and he completely steals the movie despite not having a huge amount of screen time. He makes the absolute most of every second though.

Tom Cruise Gave an Electric Performance in 'Rock of Ages'

Though the movie may have bombed, Cruise looks like he’s having the time of his life onstage. He perfectly mimics the live performances of a rock band frontman in the 1980s. From the way he pulls out audience members, points at his bandmates, and bellows out the lyrics at the top of his lungs, he's a joy to behold. An undeniable highlight is his rendition of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” This is one of the movie’s most energetic sequences, and it is all thanks to the way Cruise carries himself throughout the song. Beginning with a crowd-interactive “Huh! Hey!” before flailing about the stage wildly and belting out some genuinely impressive vocals, Cruise channels Def Leppard’s lead singer Joe Elliot to unleash a beast of a performance. It is a real challenge to get through the scene without head-banging along with Cruise’s infectious vitality.

The movie teases Jaxx’s appearance for a while. His roaring vocals kick the movie off with Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City” and aside from a very brief appearance, he does not properly appear until 43 minutes in. When he finally comes into the picture, one of his first scenes sees him going on a long, senseless monologue about a “fire phoenix,” much to the confusion of Baldwin's Dennis Dupree. None of the other characters really know how to act around Jaxx, aside from Giamatti who plays his long-suffering manager. The near-constant intoxication of Jaxx makes him unpredictable, and there are moments where his personality shifts suddenly into sincerity.

Although it would be a stretch to call Jaxx a well-developed character, the biggest insight we get into his life comes through Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” which Jaxx sings to answer what it is really like to be him. Cruise is effortlessly cool as he walks with a swagger through the backstage area, and the lyrics to the song genuinely provide an interesting perspective on the real Stacee Jaxx. As he swings from the ceiling and gets mauled by groupies, it is interesting to notice the look of disinterest on his face. Notable lines such as “It’s all the same, only the names will change” and “I drive all night just to get back home” imply a more sensitive side to Jaxx, which the movie never fully uncovers. As soon as the song finishes though, Jaxx goes back to his more typical scatterbrained behavior, but it does suggest it may all be a front to protect the image he has built for himself.

'Rock of Ages' Stands Out In Tom Cruise's Filmography

As electrifying as Cruise is onstage, he is just as terrific when he performs Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” as a duet with Malin Akerman. In a risqué rendition of the power ballad, Cruise relaxes his rock vocals in favor of more tender vocals, but impresses equally. Akerman — who is another bright spark in the movie —impresses also, and together they add humor to the song by providing it with just the right amount of raunchiness and ridiculousness. They both have such great chemistry with each other too, it is a shame that the movie brushes them aside too soon. There is really only a portion of the running time dedicated to Stacee Jaxx from around the 40-minute mark to the 75-minute mark. Other than this, he only makes sporadic appearances, and the movie suffers greatly because of this. It is a lengthy movie at 136 minutes, and the absence of Jaxx in the second half really brings it down. No one else is able to come anywhere close to Cruise’s level of enthusiasm and energy.

For the role, Cruise handpicks the more extreme sides of real-life rock stars Axl Rose and Steven Tyler, and it pays off wonderfully. Cruise’s transformation into the rock god is seamless. He is almost unrecognizable with his long, straightened brown hair, leather pants and large tattoos scattered over his muscular physique. True to the 1980s glam rock era, Jaxx is shirtless for practically all of his scenes too. The movie wastes him hugely by having him completely fizzle out of the story. He does make a return for the final performance, where we are treated to him bellowing out a section of the Journey mega-hit “Don’t Stop Believin’”, but his presence is sorely missed, and his absence is also painfully obvious. In Cruise’s long career, Rock of Ages does not hold a candle to a large chunk of his filmography, but he pours his heart and soul into his performance and makes the movie a lot more entertaining for it.

Rock of Ages is now available to rent on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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