The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2011)

0% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
53% of users liked it
(572 ratings)

According to rock 'n' roll lore, age 27 is a fateful milestone. From Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison to Kurt Cobain, all stars we lost at this very age. World famous rock star Spyder (Kevin Zegers) has achieved fame and fortune with a smash hit debut album. This… More According to rock 'n' roll lore, age 27 is a fateful milestone. From Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison to Kurt Cobain, all stars we lost at this very age. World famous rock star Spyder (Kevin Zegers) has achieved fame and fortune with a smash hit debut album. This blinding success however, is built on the Faustian pact that capitalized on the genius of his long lost childhood best friend and band mate, Eric Genson (Jason Ritter). Now Spyder retreats to his small hometown after his sophomore effort flops. Reconnecting with Eric after a seven year estrangement, the two recall their youthful ambitions and reexamine the choices they've made. Accompanied by the band's ambitious, fiery manager (Taryn Manning), the legendary music impresario August West (Peter Fonda) and a raucous crew of musicians, they set off on a cathartic journey along historic Route 66 that brings them closer to each other, their history and their destiny. -- (C) Red Hawk Films

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Scott D. Rosenbaum
Written By: Jasin Cadic, Scott D. Rosenbaum
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Musical & Performing Arts

In Theaters: Aug 5, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Nov 7, 2011
Studio: Independent Pictures

Critic Reviews

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Those who go looking for tragic relevance in Scott Rosenbaum's debut indie won't find much to grasp onto.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
You'd be better off renting "Eddie and the Cruisers" (1983) than slogging through this latest, far more dire recycling of the same rock clichés.
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
Some grace notes and riffs ring true, but mainly it plays like a familiar tune on a broken record.
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter
Unconvincing rock-biz melodrama feels even thinner when invoking legendary musicians.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
An exhausted pileup of rock-movie clichés, "The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll" presents artistic self-destruction with the solemnity of a movie that has invented a spanking-new genre.
Ronnie Scheib, Variety
Unfortunately, the unconvincing fictional storyline Rosenbaum weaves around this solid musical base hits every meller cliche in the "self-destructive rock star" playbook.
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
The director manages to instill every moment on the road with a sense of shrill conventionality.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
[VIDEO]...a knock-off of a knock-off movie that has the audacity to attempt to authenticate its rock 'n' roll credibility by casting a giant like Peter Fonda in a supporting role. Shame.
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com
[Despite] a rousing jam with elder blues icons [and] Zegers' showy role. . .story feels like a studied period recreation for the History Channel.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Cliche-ridden and ineptly made...a period piece that would have been moldy even twenty years ago.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
belongs in the VH1 vault, never to be heard of again.
David Noh, Film Journal International
Some films are merely tired: This completely unoriginal Almost Famous wannabe is downright exhausted-and exhausting to sit through.
Sam Adams, Time Out New York
Scott Rosenbaum's pallid grunge-messiah music pic neither burns out nor fades away -- try sputtering like a cigarette butt in a bottle of warm Bud Light.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

I love movies about bands, and I thought that this movie was very well done. I really like Kevin Zegers, and Jason Ritter, especially. I think they are two young stars who don't get near enough credit for their work. I thought they were great in their roles, and played off each… More
I love movies about bands, and I thought that this movie was very well done. I really like Kevin Zegers, and Jason Ritter, especially. I think they are two young stars who don't get near enough credit for their work. I thought they were great in their roles, and played off each other very well. Peter Fonda was great, also. There are some fantastic bar scenes with some really rocking music, and I would love to find the soundtrack to this. This movie does resemble Eddie and the Cruisers, which I think hurt this movie with the critics. I am no critic, so therefore, I allowed myself to enjoy the ride...
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Kevin Zegers, Jason Ritter, Taryn Manning, Lukas Haas, Peter Fonda, Lauren Holly, Kelly Lynch, Aimee Teegarden, Billy Dee Williams, Ruby Dee Director: Scott D. Rosenbaum Summary: After his second album fails, famous rocker Spyder returns to his hometown to lick his… More
Cast: Kevin Zegers, Jason Ritter, Taryn Manning, Lukas Haas, Peter Fonda, Lauren Holly, Kelly Lynch, Aimee Teegarden, Billy Dee Williams, Ruby Dee Director: Scott D. Rosenbaum Summary: After his second album fails, famous rocker Spyder returns to his hometown to lick his wounds. There, he reunites with his former best friend, a fellow musician, and soon the two set off on a road trip on historic Route 66 with a new band. My Thoughts: "The story is one of betrayal and regrets. Which is common in any Rock n' Roll story. It's not the best Rock n' Roll story I've seen but it's definitely better then some I've seen in the past. But anyone who is a music fan is going to check this film out. I actually enjoyed the story and how it was told. I love Kevin Zegers and Jason Ritter, I think they are two young stars who don't get enough credit for their work. I thought they were great in their roles and played off of each other well. Peter Fonda as August West was great as well and brought wisdom to these young rockers. There are a few great scenes in here, one being the blue's bar scene. The movie has a great soundtrack to boot. So see this if you get a chance."