The new Rainn Wilson (The Office) comedy “The Rocker” has apparently changed release dates yet again… not by a lot, just by a month. The film is now slated to open August 30th instead of July 30th. This was actually a pretty smart move on the part of 20th Century Fox as the good folks over at Cinematical point out:
Why the shuffle? Fox didn’t say, but I would guess it’s to avoid the raucous comedies Step Brothers (due on July 25), Pineapple Express (Aug. 8), and Tropic Thunder (Aug. 13). A July 30 release would have put it in the middle of a comedy war zone, and The Rocker — which got so-so reviews (including my own) when it played at CineVegas and doesn’t have nearly as much star power as those three — would have gotten trampled. It would have been a PG-13 David against three R-rated Goliaths.
Here’s the problem. The movie is going to suck. Now that’s just a prediction on my part, but I was on set of this movie for a day back in the Toronto area, and what I saw really disheartened me. I thought the idea of this movie sounded really great… but when I saw it playing out… and watched Rainn Wilson doing his thing… well let’s just say if I had owned stock in “The Rocker”, I would have rushed home, called my broker and got him to sell it all quick. I have very little hope for this comedy, and the early review aren’t doing much to bolster my confidence. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
