As if we needed another reason to big up School of Rock, here comes The Rocker, which tries to work the same affable groove as Richard Linklater’s 2003 crowd-pleaser and comes up well short. Office star Rainn Wilson (see: Interview) takes the Jack Black role — the rock-scene burnout who gets teenage kicks by kicking it with teenagers — and does reasonably well by it. In lieu of Black’s antic hobgoblin shtick, Wilson evinces credible bitterness as the ex-drummer of the world’s biggest heavy-metal band. Resigned to an office-drone existence, he’s convinced to pick up his sticks by his schlubby nephew (Josh Gad), whose garage band is — of course — short one member for their big gig at the school dance.

From there, the screenplay-writing software takes over as the band — which also includes the requisite frowny-foxy bassist (Superbad standout Emma Stone) and a Jonas Brothers–looking lead singer/songwriter (Teddy Geiger) — struggle with Wilson’s arrogance, get an unexpected big break, head out on a cross-country tour, bond, splinter and finally reunite for a redemptive performance. The direction, by Full Monty pap-meister Peter Cattaneo, is as Version 1.0 as the plotting — the man never met a reaction shot he didn’t like — while Christina Applegate, who showed lip-smacking comic chops in Anchorman, is relegated to bemused-girlfriend duties.

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