Rock Star 2001 Full Movie

Rock Star Full Movie: A Tale of Fame, Friendship, and Redemption

In the mid-1980s, Pittsburgh resident Chris Cole is a fanatical admirer of a heavy metal band called Steel Dragon. By day, Chris is a photocopier technician and by night, he is the lead singer of a Steel Dragon tribute band called Blood Pollution (the name is taken from a Steel Dragon song).

The Rise of Chris Cole

Internal struggles among the actual Steel Dragon band members culminate with firing their lead singer, Bobby Beers, and the beginning of recruitment sessions to find a new vocalist. Chris experiences his strife with his Blood Pollution bandmates, particularly guitarist Rob Malcolm. During a show, Rob plays a guitar solo instead of following the note-for-note accuracy of the original Steel Dragon song. After Chris sabotages Rob’s amplifier mid-song, there is a fight between the two onstage. The next day, Chris goes to rehearsal but discovers he has been replaced by his arch-rival Bradley, the erstwhile lead vocalist of another Steel Dragon tribute band. Rob and Chris argue, and Rob criticizes Chris for preferring to remain the singer in a tribute band rather than create his music.

The Road to Stardom

One day, Chris receives an unexpected phone call from Steel Dragon’s founder and rhythm guitarist, Kirk Cuddy, and is offered an audition for the band (thanks to two of Blood Pollution’s groupies, who showed Kirk a videotape of one of Blood Pollution’s concerts). After hanging up on Kirk once, thinking Rob is pranking him, Chris ecstatically agrees. At the studio, he meets the band and gives an outstanding performance of “We All Die Young” (a Steel Dragon song in the movie, but it is an actual song by Steelheart, whose lead vocalist, Miljenko Matijevic, provides Cole’s singing voice for the film). Chris joins the band as their new singer, adopting the stage name “Izzy.” Following a successful debut concert with Steel Dragon, Izzy must face the pressures of his new-found fame and success. The band embarks on a lengthy tour, and Izzy experiences the excesses of the lifestyle. The group’s road manager, Mats, is a sympathetic mentor to Izzy.

Challenges and Reflections

His new lifestyle impacts his life for better and worse, particularly with his relationship with his supportive girlfriend, Emily Poule, when she decides not to continue with him throughout the remainder of the tour as a rock star girlfriend. However, Emily and Izzy agree to get back together when the tour reaches Seattle. Eventually, Steel Dragon stops in Seattle for a show, and Emily arrives at his hotel room as they had previously arranged. Although Izzy has become so drunk while on tour, he forgets about the arrangement and does not even know what city he is in. Although taken aback by all the groupies, Emily still tries to reconnect with him, reminding him of their plans to meet up once he gets to Seattle; however, he is too intoxicated to understand what she is saying, eventually suggesting they go to Seattle together. Heartbroken by his inconsiderate behavior, intoxication, and the fact that he is having sex with so many groupies, Emily leaves him.

A New Beginning

Six months later, Izzy reports to the next series of Steel Dragon recording sessions with song concepts and artwork for the band’s next album. The rest of the band likes his ideas, but they reject them, with Kirk explaining that the band has to stay true to the “Steel Dragon thing” to fulfill fan expectations. Izzy is angered upon realizing he was only recruited for his vocal abilities. After a heartfelt conversation with Mats about how he feared he had no control over the direction life has taken him, Izzy begins to reconsider his rock star lifestyle. On the next tour, in a scene directly paralleling one near the film’s beginning with their roles reversed, Izzy hears a fan singing along with him toward the end of a live concert. Impressed, Chris (name change from Izzy intentional) invites the fan onstage, has a microphone provided to the fan by a roadie, and the pair of them proceed to perform together in sync on stage with the band while imitating Chris’s established stage performance/act (body movements). After the song, Chris and the fan exit backstage, and the fan introduces himself as Thor while expressing to Chris his immense appreciation for the band and spiritual love for Chris himself. Chris offers Thor to “blow the roof off” by taking his place on stage – essentially finishing the set. Thor (in disbelief) gleefully accepts and proceeds to assume the lead singer role and perform on stage with the rest of the band and without Chris. While observing Thor’s excitement that his (Thor’s) dream is being lived (just like he was), Chris arrives at the realization that his priorities have changed, implying he has grown out of the desire to live the Rockstar lifestyle and that he has matured to the point he wants to blaze his path and pursue developing his legacy writing music and sharing a life with his girlfriend, Emily Poule. Chris exits the stage, approaches the Tour Manager Mats, and lets him know he is going to take a piss – which is code for he is leaving for good (this is established earlier in the movie plot… which includes a personal conversation between Chris and Mats). Mats nods, understanding the implication of Chris’s intent, and Chris departs the concert.

Reunion and Redemption

After leaving Steel Dragon and ditching his rock star image and stage name, Chris travels to Seattle and starts a new band with his old friend and former bandmate, Rob, allowing him to write his music. Chris finds Emily working in the coffee shop she and her roommate purchased a few years earlier, and he is initially too ashamed to speak to her. While walking one evening, Emily sees a flyer for his band posted on the wall and takes it down. In the final scene, Chris sings with his band in a bar, and Emily walks in. Chris leaves the stage and speaks to her. They reconcile, ending the film with a kiss and the final note of Chris’ first original song, “Colorful” (which is an actual song by the Verve Pipe).

Watch Rock Star Full Movie for an inspiring journey of fame, friendship, and redemption.