Young Rock Pilot Review

 

The “Rock” is probably the biggest movie star on the planet right now and recently he just made a splashy debut in the world of sitcoms with his new NBC comedy, Young Rock. Young Rock follows Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in 2032 as he is running for President of the United States as he is being interviewed by actor turned news anchor Randall Park about his formative childhood years that allows the Presidential candidate to relate how he relates to the common man on a deep level. The pilot episode sees the Rock narrating flashbacks to three different time periods in his life simultaneously beginning with a 10-year-old Rock in 1982 who went by the name of Dewy as he lived in Hawaii with his dysfunctional wrestling family, 1987 at the age of 15 as he lived in Pennsylvania where everybody he went to school with thought he was an undercover cop, and finally Miami University in 1990 where the Rock as a college freshmen played football. Young Rock has a lot to juggle in its pilot episode but it does it with a surprising amount of flair and humanity. 

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD  

 

 

The Rock running for President in the year 2032 is obviously a tongue-in-cheek concept and it is played as such at the beginning of the pilot with the Rock campaigning around the world while exuding his over the top wrestler turned movie star personality. Randall Park as a news anchor is another nod to the comedic satire tone of the 2032 Presidential campaign plot device but the story really gets rolling as Randall Park asks the Rock about the people of America who are questioning if he really has what it takes to be President and connect to the common man. He is very understanding of the question and emphasizes that he wasn’t born into this life of stardom and he came from humble beginnings just like anybody else. The pilot then flashes back to 1982 when a 10-year-old Rock went by the name of Dewy and lived with his aspiring-singer mother Ata and his wrestling father Rocky in Hawaii. His father was always preaching to him to “work the gimmick”, a common theme throughout the pilot which sees the Rock reflecting on the fact that his father was a man who even though he was a wrestler was a man living dishonestly and always trying to make himself look good in front of others often neglecting spending time with his son in favor of his own adventures and glory. Any slow-pacing at the beginning of the story stops here as the Rock is humanized here and you can see that reflected in the 2032 counterpart of The Rock as well as he subtly drops the movie star act and registers the pain of his youth. As the action jumps to 1987 Pennsylvania you are suddenly very aware that the storytelling doesn’t feel like a typical sitcom but rather a quite compelling movie told in serialized form. 

 

 

In 1987 The Rock was going to school in Pennsylvania and by this time he was 15 years old with a big build foreshadowing his monstrous figure in the present day, and had a full mustache which gave all his classmates the impression he was an undercover cop. He was also stealing or shoplifting if you want to use a lighter term at this time in his life as he didn’t want people to know he was poor and so he set out to give everybody the impression he was rich. This catches the attention of a pretty girl in his class which motivates him to buy a car so he can further impress her. The problem is he doesn’t have any money and his mom won’t help him out in co-signing for a credit card. Working at a pizza joint he manages to meet a drunk who sells him an old dingy car for $103. Taking what he can get he sets off with his best friend for a joy ride only to find a homeless guy is stowed away in the back. Funnily enough he ends up bonding with him through a series of events that teaches the Rock the lesson of valuing the people in his life over money. Nothing works out perfectly though and he doesn’t even get to keep his sweet new ride when his short-lived eccentric mentor dies on the spot. The final part of the timeline falls into place as the story progresses to 1990 when The Rock played football for Miami University. 

 

 

In 1990 The Rock trying to shake the shadow of his father’s legacy of living to “work the gimmick” enters into his college years and gets things off to a rocky start as he befriends a couple of football teammates who mention his wrestling father dropped by and told them he was going to be in a high-class weight lifting competition. The Rock knowing this to be another of his father’s lies tries to cover much to his failure and embarrassment. A phone conversation with his father reveals his old man is up to his old tricks trying to make himself look good at the expense of his son. The Rock even points out that even in his father’s surprise visit he failed to even come talk to him. In an interesting bit of dramatic irony the Rock slams down the phone on his father in anger and we cut to Rocky Johnson at work feigning he is finishing a heartfelt conversation with his son in front of his boss, also revealing he now works at a factory long from his wrestling glory days. Tired of “working the gimmick”, the Rock proudly goes back into the football locker room and proves his mettle in lifting weights and turns his father’s lie into a reality and much to the amazement of his fellow team members. Thus the origin story of the Rock is born. 

 

 

Young Rock is far from another of a long line of lazy sitcoms that debut with no brains or heart but is rather one of humanity and inspiration. 3 timelines of a Young Rock not to mention a future alternate timeline with The Rock running for President is a lot for the pilot episode to have to juggle but it does so with style and grace. The tone is very much a much more light-hearted 80s vibe sporting vibrant musical numbers which light the scenes of Young Rock up. The comedy doesn’t feel canned but rather is character-driven and part of a serialized cinematic tale told in parallel to the seemingly ageless 2032 Rock who reveals he is more human than meets the eye. The Rock has indicated his personal life experiences before he became famous are a wellspring of intriguing stories and if this pilot episode is any indication he is not “working the gimmick”.