I can think of a few movies that have made excellent use of rock songs during a climactic scene. Among them are APOCALYPSE NOW (The Doors: "The End"), BUFFALO 66 (Yes: "Heart of the Sunrise"), and THE PERFECT AGE OF ROCK N ROLL (Jane's Addiction: "Three Days"). This movie is worth watching for that climactic scene alone... the music, madness and lyrics are absolutely perfect.
The movie is also peppered with short clips of great tunes like Aerosmith: "Last Child", Nirvana: "School", The Guess Who: "No Time", Iggy Pop: "Gimme Danger", Violent Femmes: "Blister in the Sun" and a real treat... the old blues standards "Krystalline" and "Train Kept A Rollin" performed by none other than blues legends Sugar Blue, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Bob Stroger who all make a cameo appearance in the movie. Also be sure to stick around for the closing credits where you'll hear Jeff Buckley's amazing cover of the Dylan song "I Shall Be Released".
OK now let's talk about the movie itself...
I'm trying hard not to compare this film to EDDIE & THE CRUISERS (1983)even though the plot is almost a carbon copy. The story starts with a reporter who tracks down & interviews a washed-up rocker 20 years after he faded into obscurity. We are introduced to the mystery of the missing studio tapes that vanished on the eve of their completion. The story unravels in flashbacks focusing on 2 bandmates who need each other to write music and who, without each other, are worthless shells. The power of this film is contained in the love/hate/rivalry between these two friends who fight over everything from music to clothes to women. If you've seen EDDIE & THE CRUISERS (which all of you should do immediately), you're probably sitting there smacking your head with déjà vu.
Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this film. Just like "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" was a rip-off of "BEWITCHED" and we can still enjoy them both, I had fun watching this movie. But if you hadn't guessed, I'm a bigger fan of EDDIE.
THE PERFECT AGE takes a gritty approach with lots of drug use, some violence and a bit of sex/nudity. The acting is pretty believable, especially in a dramatic scene where the 2 heroes duke it out in the rain. I would have preferred more of those types of scenes, and I feel like the movie could've been at least 30 minutes longer (it's only 90 mins). But it still delivers a worthwhile show. My biggest gripe is that it takes a detour from the musical/artistic themes and instead spends a lot of time on the love story.
What I liked about the film is that it doesn't hit you over the head with obvious things. It takes you to the point where you say to yourself "I can guess what's going to happen next," and then it leaves you there. In that respect, certain parts may be confusing, such as the significance of Peter Fonda's character (watch the deleted scenes on the DVD extras). But I liked that because it forces your brain to work a little harder.
If you like rock'n'roll movies I highly recommend "This is Spinal Tap" (1984), "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" (2008), "Singles" (1992), "Jailhouse Rock" (1957) and... jeez have I mentioned it enough...? EDDIE & THE CRUISERS!
