Plot
During the mid-80's, Robert "Fish" Fishman (Rainn Wilson) was the drummer for Vesuvius, a local heavy metal/glam metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. After playing a local gig, Fish's bandmates are approached by their manager, who says that a label is interested in them but will not sign them unless they get rid of Fish, replacing him as drummer with the nephew of the label's president. At first, the band refuses on account that Fish was a founding and very important member of the band, but after their manager tells them that they will open for Whitesnake if they sign to the label, they fire Fish on the spot and leave him in the dust. Fish curses his bandmates for backstabbing him and vows to start another band that will be far more famous than Vesuvius. Twenty years later, Fish leads an unhappy life by failing at another cubicle job, breaking up with his girlfriend, and having to move in with his sister, her husband, and two kids. Fish finds himself living in the attic looking for work, and is further frustrated by Vesuvius's success as a band.
Matt (Josh Gad), Fish's nephew, plays the keyboards in a alternative rock band called A.D.D., joined by the dark, brooding Curtis (Teddy Geiger) and the no-nonsense Amelia (Emma Stone). The band is set to play at the prom, but when their drummer gets thrown out of school, they search for a new one but with little to no success. After much deliberation between the band and having no other option, they agree to ask Fish to play drums at their "gig" for only the one time. The prom turns into a disaster, being Fish's first time on stage in twenty years, and his drum solo takes over the prom King and Queen's dance in a fit of rage, and sheer embarrassment for the band. Fish tries to make amends by trying to get the band a gig. Eventually, he manages to organize a booking in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The band decides to sneak out in Fish's sister's minivan, but are soon caught by the police after she reports it stolen.
When Fish is kicked out of his sister's house and then rents the basement of his favorite Chinese restaurant, the band invents a new way to practice via four-way iChat. Because of the stuffy and hot atmosphere in Fish's new residence, he chooses to practice naked (He mistakes the camera for a microphone), which is secretly recorded by Matt's little sister, and posts the recording on YouTube. A million hits later, A.D.D. signs a contract with David Marshall (Jason Sudeikis), an agent whose obnoxiousness outshines his poseur personality. After a successful audition at proving the band's musical talent, David then takes them on tour.
The band wows audiences across the country, with everyone wanting to see the infamous "Naked Drummer." However, Fish commits stereotypical acts, despite the physical costs on his body, and he vandalizes a hotel room, which results in the band's arrest and a testicular injury for Fish.
After bailing them out, Kim, Curtis's mother (Christina Applegate), promises the other parents she will stay for the remainder of the tour, so their children won't be influenced by Fish's antics. As the tour continues, Fish and Kim find that they have similar interests and begin to find an attraction to each other. A.D.D. also shoots a music video which upon watching, all the band members are featured prominently except Fish, who notices that his face is being obscured during the entire video. Later on it is discovered that David does not want to promote Fish as a member of A.D.D.
David informs the band that they are opening for Vesuvius in a free concert for their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Fish is enraged, refusing to open for the band he started, and the band sticks by his side and agrees not to do the show. During Fish's rage, Curtis's mother tries to calm him down by kissing him, which David witnesses. He tells Curtis, exaggerating the truth, hoping to get Fish fired. During their next concert, Curtis announces to the crowd that the band will do the show after all, much to Fish's dismay. After they have a heated argument in front of the crowd, Fish quits the band on the spot and leaves despite Kim's protests. Fish enters a downward spiral of depression as he throws away his treasured drumming sticks, cuts his hair, and has Stan get him a miserable job in the corporate world.
Matt and Amelia convince Curtis that the band is nothing without the spirit of Fish after the label's newly appointed drummer doesn't fit in. Curtis apologizes to Fish, and then he convinces Fish to do the concert citing that he has a second chance at becoming the rock star he was destined to be. Upon arriving at the stadium before their performance, Fish encounters his former bandmates who have become pompous, vain and arrogant, with faux-British accents and a new drummer named Sticks (Lonny Ross), who is actually from England. Vesuvius actually does not remember Fish until one bandmember says he faintly remembers. However, to his happiness, Fish finds that he is able to let the past go and wishes Vesuvius a great show. Fish and the band play an incredible show, gaining a standing ovation from the audience. After their gig, Amelia hugs Curtis in a friendly, congratulatory way, and Curtis asks Amelia out, which she smiles at and agrees. Fish then asks out Kim, who likes his new short hair, and he admits all rockers have to grow up sometime Vesuvius takes the stage, and during their set the lead singer's microphone falls off the stand while the voice track of their song continues, revealing that they were lip-syncing the entire time. The audience goes into a huge rage, booing Vesuvius off the stage in a cloud of embarrassment, and chanting an encore for A.D.D. The band takes the stage again and performs for the crowd despite the advice of David, whom they fire on the spot for his obvious treachery.
The Rocker (film)
