Cinema: Rock Star

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The 42nd Street formula never dies. Now the starstruck kid is Chris (Mark Wahlberg), who sings with a rock "tribute" band and suffers for his art--he has to wear a nipple ring. When the singer for the real band is fired, our boy takes over and is told, "Your job is to live the story other people only dream about." Yes, we all dream of getting wasted every night and waking up with a strange person next to us. Well, rock fables have to be overstated; how else would you hear the moral over the music? Still, this is a good-natured retro romp that is truer to Golden Age movies than to golden oldies songs.

--By Richard Corliss