Like a jam session that goes on too long, Foo Fighters' rock 'n' roll horror-comedy "Studio 666" overstays its welcome.
Dave Grohl and his bandmates star as themselves, multi-platinum rock royalty looking to shake the dust off as they prepare to record their 10th album.
Their quest for inspiration leads them to a mansion in Encino with a slicey, dicey history: back in the early '90s, a lead singer went mad there and ended up murdering his bandmates in cold blood. But hey, have you heard the way the drums sound in the living room? It's better than any traditional studio!
The Foos all play exaggerated versions of themselves: Grohl the leader and annoyingly meticulous perfectionist who will torture a sound engineer (Slayer's Kerry King) over the placement of a drum kit down to the millimeter; Pat Smear as the carefree flake who is always eating bagged snacks and sleeps in the kitchen; Rami Jaffee as the horndog in touch with his mystical side. Whitney Cummings, Will Forte and Jeff Garlin make appearances, and several decent Pearl Jam jokes are made.
It's all par for the course for the Foos, whose jokey side has always been part of the band's aesthetic and appeal. No one will begrudge the band for having a little bloody fun, and the kills here are giddy with B-movie excess.
But it quickly grows tedious, an inside joke in search of a punchline. It revolves around the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers recording a song that keeps getting longer and can't find an ending, which is how "Studio 666" eventually feels. Even vanity projects need to know when to wrap it up.
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'STUDIO 666'
Grade: C
MPAA rating: R (for strong bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, and sexual content)
Running time: 1:45
Where to watch: In theaters Friday
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