Videogum » The Rocker

The Rocker‘s Spinal Tap Homage Is Actually Pretty Funny

Lindsay Robertson — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:26:53 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised recently to find that some high school kids I met were in the habit of quoting from the classic genre-defining mocumentary This Is Spinal Tap (along with South Park and Chappelle’s Show). “He choked on vomit,” one of them would say, and another would reply “It was someone else’s vomit. But you can’t really dust for vomit,” and everyone would laugh. Anyway, that is so cool that people born almost in the ’90s are remembering their comedy history. This new promo for the Rainn Wilson comedy The Rocker, starring Will Arnett, Jason Sudeikis, and Jon Glaser is, as Matt Tobey points out on the CC Insider, a total ripoff of/homage to Spinal Tap. But he also points out that it’s funny, and that’s true too. It turns out that there remains a lot about ’80s rock stars, and rock stars in general, to make fun of, and that phallic humor will never stop being a part of it:

This is as good an excuse as any to re-live one of Spinal Tap‘s best scenes (which includes the vomit conversation.)

Rainn Wilson Kidnapped Jenna Fischer What Now?

Lindsay Robertson — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:10:58 +0000

In the most confusing movie marketing scheme since (maybe) the Montauk Monster, Rainn Wilson has “kidnapped” his Office co-star Jenna Fischer and “won’t let her go” until his movie The Rocker, which opens August 20, makes 18.7 million at the box office:

There’s a website for these shenanigans called Freejennanow.com, which most recently has “a message from Slash.” Conclusion: Jenna Fischer and Rainn Wilson stayed up late smoking pot one night and Jenna was like “How can I help your movie?” and this is what they came up with. It’s so crazy it just might work! (Via Cinematical.)

Want A Little Rainn Wilson In Your Movie Poster?

Lindsay Robertson — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:45:55 +0000

Before he was caught (verbing) (noun) on last night’s The Office finale, Rainn Wilson was a cute little nerd who also looked (surprise) like a tiny version of his current self. Fox is capitalizing on a perfect real picture of Rainn as a kid for their poster for The Rocker, the comedy about a washed-up former metal star who joins his teenage nephew’s band that looks pretty funny. Apparently, the designers only made tiny tweaks (and added a tattoo, of course) to an actual picture of Rainn as a kid, though I was disappointed to read that those weren’t his real glasses. The poster in all its actually kind-of-creepy-but-very-original glory after the jump.

Dwight Schrute Is The Rocker

Lindsay Robertson — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:37:44 +0000

Here’s the new trailer for The Rocker, out August 1, which stars Rainn Wilson as Rob, a washed-up former ’80s rock star (from a band called Vesuvius). When his nephew’s band loses their drummer, they ask him to fill in at the prom, and the usual Almost Famous groupie golden god stuff ensues, but with Rainn Wilson as the wild and crazy guy:

With deadpan lines like “No I will not buy beer for you and your friends nor will I rent you my password to porn sites,” Rainn seems to be playing a drunk version of his Office character Dwight Schrute here, which is totally fine. I’ll see it.