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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/columnists/detore/s_188679.html

The Rock is still cookin'
 
By Rennie Detore

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Sunday, April 11, 2004 

The reviews are in: "Walking Tall" barely rates as average. The Rock,
however, is anything but.

For all the negative and ho-hum comments regarding the movie, there
have been an equal number of gratifying statements, praising The
Rock's prowess as an actor. The most respected, revered and cynical
critics still are rallying behind the wrestler-turned-actor and his
ability to supplant Arnold Schwarzenegger as the next big action star,
devoid of a thick accent and cardboard charisma.

Even if "Walking Tall," which finished in second place at the box
office with a $15.3 million draw this past week, seems one-dimensional
and too "by the numbers" to be taken seriously, The Rock is still
cooking.

He's chatting with David Letterman and Jay Leno as part of his
talk-show rounds, has his own one-hour special/biography on E!, and
television movie gurus from Leonard Maltin to Roger Ebert preface
"Walking Tall" reviews with, "I like The Rock, but ... "

Why all the fuss over a rookie, unproven Hollywood actor, with three
sub-par movies under his belt?

The Rock fits the action mold in stature alone. His 6-foot-5,
250-pound frame is impressive, but he doesn't lumber across the
screen. He doesn't deliver his lines like a robot, either.

He has genuine screen presence and conveys such a likeable persona --
both on and off screen -- that it's almost impossible not to root for
him, rather than take cheap shots at his professional wrestling
background.

No one seems to care that The Rock garnered his name with WWE and
trades punches with the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple
H. Perhaps critics are more impressed that someone who competes in a
"fake" sport can convey a storyline on more that just "Raw" and
"Smackdown."

Movie reviewers and patrons shouldn't be surprised by The Rock's
meteoric rise to the top of the mediocre action-star pile. He's
tackled Hollywood with the same tenacity he bodyslammed professional
wrestling. He worked hard, made mistakes, learned from them and became
bigger than the company, WWE, that employed him.

"The Rundown" and "Walking Tall" can be compared to The
Rock's first
wrestling incarnation, Rocky Maivia: Rudimentary, maybe even stale at
best, but still an integral part of a much bigger picture.

The Rock's big test comes in the summer of 2005, when "SpyHunter"
opens nationwide. The movie's premise seems scripted as The Rock's
first legitimate box-office smash -- or flop. "Spy Hunter" reads like
James Bond meets Knight Rider, with The Rock playing an ex-fighter
pilot turned hero, ridding the world of spies, assassins and other
vermin with an equally slick car.

If "Walking Tall" or "Spy Hunter" becomes easily forgettable, The
Rock's run in Hollywood won't be, even if it ends in a few years. Pro
wrestling fans, especially, can walk out of a bad Rock movie with a
smile of their faces.

Hulk Hogan never made a movie even remotely entertaining. "Suburban
Commando," the story of an alien bounty hunter hamming it up with
Christopher Lloyd and family, was too preposterous to be terrible.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper did well as a paranoid street-dweller in John
Carpenter's "They Live," but he couldn't capitalize on the
cult-classic. His direct-to-video library is quite extensive, though.

The difference between The Rock and his two aforementioned
predecessors -- other than script selection -- is talent. The Rock has
it; Piper had some; Hogan still is searching for his.

The Rock also differs from Hogan and Piper in that he's now made
acting his passion. Hogan and Piper saw acting more as an opportunity
to pad their wallets and use it as leverage against Vince McMahon when
it came time to negotiate.

The Rock sees this more as an opportunity to achieve a goal not
normally set for a professional wrestler, regardless of whether or not
he returns to the ring.


--- Internet Rex 2.29