Young Rock

I previously read some of Dwayne Johnson's Life story and this TV series is allowing him to re-tell his childhood and his rise to stardom as an athlete and movie star bar none from his early wins and losses with his own words.

Prediction: I wouldn't put it past Dwayne Johnson that he may just actually run for the U. S. Presidency and get in to the Oval office in the next 8-12 years.

Some may scoff at the retro feel of the Rocks young adult life and his stylish clothes of the 1980-90's but for those IMDB reviewers who are far too fast in mocking the Young Rock I have just one question for you? Can you not smell what the Rock is cooking?

I give it a 9 out of 10 IMDB rating and yes, I want to see more.

There is a 2017 animated documentary about Vincent Van Gough. By using several artists, they hand painted every frame to emulate Van Gough's artistic style. It was a style that matched the subject. In that same manner, "Young Rock" as a show, is a perfect match for the Rock's style.

The story takes place in the not so distant future, where the Rock is playing an exaggerated version of himself. Honestly, he is playing the version of the Rock that his PR team would like people to believe he is. In this timeline, The Rock is running for President and Randall Park (also playing himself) is interviewing him. That becomes the framing device for a series of flashbacks that make up the series.

The show cuts to three main time periods. The Rock as a little kid, high schooler and college/ adult life. To the show's credit, the show does not shy away from showing Dwayne Johnson's faults. A character that is perfect would not be entertaining to watch, so they do show him making mistakes and doing things he's not proud of. The Rock is not afraid to employ some self-deprecating humor. For that reason, characters like Randall Park and Rocky Johnson are some of the more entertaining ones.

As a series, there were some plot points that clearly got ret conned at they went along. There would be some characters they built up as being important, and then they would never be mentioned again. Some plotlines would just fizzle out with no meaningful conclusion.

But, as episodic adventures, this show is really good. An episode can be funny, nostalgic and give some practical life advice. The show has some good moments of heart and good jokes that would be quoted by my family afterwards. The show was at its best when it had more truth in it. Much like original Goldberg's episodes, it is fun to see how their version compared to reality.

When you smell what the Rock is cooking, you may want to come and give it a taste.

I have to be honest, I was half expecting this to be corny and just another failed pilot but boy was I wrong. It's heartfelt, cute and somewhat relatable. The characters are likeable and make for an easy watch. I really hope to see more of this show, it feels honest without being overbearing. I respected The Rock before this but if half the stories he shares in this sitcom are true he's a truly remarkable person. Definitely worth watching!

Found this on my dvr that records all prime time shows. Thought it was going to be awful because, while I like the rock, frankly I don't like his movies. I did like ballers but that's about it. Decided to give it a shot while I was folding laundry and surprisingly liked it. Looking forward to the next episodes but going into it with zero expectations is the way to go.

...This feels like one giant ego stroke. Not to say the program is bad per se but a lot of it feels like a generic product that's sole purpose is to promote its star and raise more awareness of its network instead of something from the heart. Some of the casting choices work pretty well others not so much, the tone keeps shifting from light comedy to light drama. Maybe I am being too picky because its just an observation from the first episode, but so far I am not impressed and I say this as someone who loves pro wrestling and been a fan of Dwayne Johnson since childhood.