Tom Cruise and Rock of Ages!

Friday nights we like to keep it simple. BBQ for supper, watch “Shark Tank” on the dish, and usually relax with a movie.

 

Last night on Pay per view we saw “Rock of Ages” coming on. I saw the previews before and thought it might be worth a watch. I love Alec Baldwin and Paul Giamatti as actors. This and the 80’s rock them, well, I would usually be all over a movie like this (I think I saw ‘Rock Star’ twice in the theatre!).

 

What stopped me from watching this movie was the fact that Tom Cruise was in it. There are not to many actors I dislike more than Tom Cruise. Not on an acting level, on a personal level.

 

Either he is preaching on television about Scientology or I see him on the cover of every gossip magazine being portrayed as a prince. Sure this annoys me but it was not what did him in for me.

 

What bothered me about Tom Cruise was the Matt Lauer interview with him when he was badmouthing Brook Shields for taking anti-depressants and generally bad mouthing anti-depressants in general. I know it’s an opinionated topic and Tom has just as much right as anybody for an opinion. It’s the way he approached it that I hated so much, he wasn’t stressing his opinion, he was basically dictating to people that it is wrong and there is no exceptions. Keep on acting Tom, make your decision on topics like this and leave everybody else to make their own opinions. Your filthy rich, had relationships with the biggest names in Hollywood, your healthy and charming.. A depression does not seem to be something you have any experience with. If you were depressed before you would change your tune on this topic pretty quick.

 

I think Craig Ferguson had the best response to this. This was in response to Tom Cruise saying that anti-depressants just mask the sym

Craig-


That’s what you do with depression, you mask the symptoms. The symptoms of depression IS depression, it’s not a symptom of something else. It’s not like you go “Oooh, I feel really sad” and then your arse falls off. The symptoms of depression is depression. You take away the symptoms of depression, HALLOOOOO! You’re cured! But Tom [Cruise] was like “No, no, no Matt. Matt, these drugs Matt, these drugs they’re just a crutch, these drugs are just a crutch!” and I’m thinking, “yes?” THEY’RE A CRUTCH! You don’t walk up to a guy with one leg and say, “Hey pal, that crutch is just a crutch, THROW IT AWAY! Hop ya bastard! That crutch is masking the symptoms of your one leggedness.”

Craig goes on to say that if you find a lump on your back and you want to know what it is.. well you don’t ask him! Go to a Doctor. Leave it to the professionals Tom and let people make their own decisions. Don’t dictate. If they don’t believe in them they don’t have to take them just like you. Allow people to make their own decisions. Go back to your Scientology cult and find another girl half your age.. ptoms of depression and they are just a crutch.

 Anywho…

 

So for the longest time I refused to watch anything associated with Tom Cruise. I started to have second thoughts about this lately though. I was thinking that I have no right to judge him as much as he has no right to dictate to others. I have my opinion on him, but that doesn’t mean my opinion is right. Maybe Tom is right about anti-depressants, who am I to say. But again I just disagree with how he approached it.

 

The problem I have is that I think I have to like people as a person in order to like their talents. Well this is a problem I had. Like them on a personal level is irrelevant to liking their talents. This became even clearer to me lately when I read Bob Dylan’s new interview in the recent Rolling Stone magazine.

 

Bob-

“What others think about me, or feel about me, that’s so irrelevant. Any more than it is for me, when I go see a movie, say, Wuthering Heights or something, and have to wonder what’s Laurence Olivier really like. When I see an actor on the stage or something, I don’t think about what they’re like. I’m there because I want to forget about myself, forget about what I care or do not care about, Entertaining is a type of sport.”

 

This fits well with my current mindset. Sometimes when somebody else sums it up like that it clears up my own thoughts.

 

So who am I to judge Tom Cruise.

 

So we got the movie.

 

First off… I had no idea this was a musical.. NO IDEA.... I cannot believe I didn’t know this. I guess if I knew it was a musical I never would have gotten it. So it’s good that I didn’t know as I did enjoy the movie.

 

I’m not going to get into the details of the movie as I’m sure most of you have already seen it or are planning on seeing it.

 

What I am going to note is how well it worked for me to put my views of Tom Cruise aside. He did a great job in this movie acting as an 80’s rock star. The way he held the scotch bottle, roamed around tipsy and drunk. To the way he looked with the tattoos, long hair and leather pants on. He played the part great! When he was singing and leading the band, I don’t think they could have picked anybody better to play the part.

 

Now I know I shouldn’t have an opinion on Tom Cruise on a personal level but I can’t help it. I’m trying to change but at the moment I still have an opinion. My opinion is that he fit this part so well I think he should take this role on in real life. Now that you’re single Tom, get a drinking habit, cover yourself in tattoos, grow that hair out and quit wearing a shirt. Roam around in public half drunk and have the girls hanging off you. While the entire time your mouth is shut and your opinions are kept to yourself.

 

 

References:

Gilmore, Mikal. “Bob Dylan the Rolling Stone Interview.” Rolling Stone Magazine 27 September 2012: 42-51 and 80

Caputo, Michelle (producer), & Hartman, Shannon (director). (2009). Craig Ferguson: A wee bit o’ revolution (TV). USA. Green Mountain West