This might really have rocked if it didn't feel like a cover of a couple of superior comedies. The first and most obvious is "School of Rock." As a shlumpy, 40ish drummer who missed his shot at heavy metal stardom, Rainn Wilson is pretty much channeling Jack Black here: the volatile man-child outbursts, the intensely pure feelings about rock music, even some of the crazy eyeball stuff feels way too familiar.

And Wilson's character, Robert "Fish" Fishman, similarly gets a chance at redemption when he hooks up with a high school band that unexpectedly finds itself on the rise.

But there are also plenty of elements of "This Is Spinal Tap," one of the greatest musical comedies ever.

Twenty years ago, Fish played drums for the up-and-coming Cleveland hair band Vesuvius, but the other members (led by Will Arnett in leopard-print tights, eyeliner and shaggy, blond hair) cast him aside to secure a record deal.

Everything about the parody of this type of metal is very Tap-esque, from the gaudy clothes and cheesy songs to the on-stage explosions and offstage egos.

Nevertheless, Wilson has an engaging, goofy energy about him, as does the movie itself -- for the most part. Peter Cattaneo, who earned an Academy Award nomination for directing "The Full Monty," brings some of the same unabashed, let's-put-on-a-show vibe of that 1997 British-American film.

Too bad the music is so tame, like something you'd hear on Radio Disney. Emma Stone, Teddy Geiger and the likable, nerdy Josh Gad play Fish's band mates, with Christina Applegate, Jane Lynch and Jeff Garlin among the seasoned supporting cast.