"Rock of Ages"

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) -

Rated PG-13   2 hours

The music of the 1980's takes center stage in the exuberant musical satire "Rock of Ages". Never mind that it's held together by an extremely thin premise, the high strung characters bring the film to life with a reckless abandon.

Tom Cruise plays an eccentric rock star with a colossal ego - a legend by the name of Stacee Jaxx.

The over the top Cruise charisma makes for a joyous extravaganza poking fun at morality fanatics, who downgrade rock stars as evil degenerates.

Catherine Zeta-Jones breaks "Rock of Ages" wide open as a pillar of morality. She's just as good as she was in "Chicago"; it's a pity there are so few movies worthy of her unique talent.

"Rock of Ages" constantly rises to the level of irresistible fun, that's bolstered by a wonderful cast that includes Julianne Hough and Alec Baldwin. And the brilliant Paul Giamatti crafts a small gem of a performance as a cunning rock star manager.

Don't worry, the energy level overshadows the overly familiar plot. "Rock of Ages" simply rocks as a lively production that hits all the right notes with 3 stars. And leave it to Tom Cruise to steal the picture while lampooning these cultural icons.