Stephen Herek's wearily efficient tale of a would-be rock star is a slick, soulless, desperately predictable trawl through rock'n'roll clichés. Though competent, and ocassionally even amusing, it displays a lack of ambition that is quite frightening.

Chris Cole (Wahlberg) is a singer in a popular tribute band, whose mimicry of 80s heavy rock monsters Steel Dragon is unparalleled. But while his mates are just in it for a laugh, Chris takes his art desperately seriously. So much so that they fire the uptight little twerp before he can spoil all their fun. Meanwhile the real singer of Steel Dragon (Flemyng) has thrown the rattle out of his pram one too many times and also been fired by the band, who then go looking for a replacement.

Can you imagine what will happen now? If yes, then well done, you've just saved yourself £6 and you can use these 105 minutes of your life constructively doing something else. For "Rock Star" unfolds exactly - down to the last semi-quaver - as you would imagine.

At its centre Wahlberg - previously pop star Marky Mark, lest we forget - displays all the subtlety and nuance that graced his "Planet of the Apes" performance, ie none; while Jennifer Aniston is badly miscast as his girlfriend. She's an actress with superb comic timing who may yet prove to have range, but playing a 'rock chick' is clearly beyond, or beneath her.

There are laughs to be had and an enjoyable dousing in nostalgia for erstwhile 80s heavy metal fans, but nothing you'll remember beyond the cinema foyer, and certainly nothing worth paying for.