REEL CRITICS:

Rainn Wilson made his initial leap into the spotlight on a popular TV series. He has been featured in the offbeat stories of “Six Feet Under” and “The Office.” He also garnered a spot in the Academy Award- nominated indie flick “Juno.” But whatever real talent he might have is definitely squandered in “The Rocker.”

This feeble attempt at a meaningful rock and roll tale for teens makes Jack Black’s “School of Rock” look like Oscar material.

The lovely Christina Applegate is wasted as the babe of the story. The other young supporting actors are forgettable. Their road to musical fame is about as credible as last year’s subprime mortgage.

This film briefly showcases Wilson’s naked butt. But it has a soft PG-13 edge and might even be harmless in the long run.

However, your kids might temporarily lose five points off their IQ by sitting through this B-movie exercise in random pop culture nonsense.

Movie medley: What to watch and what to avoid

Lots of little gems (and duds) in theaters right now. Here’s a quick sampling of some noteworthy dos and don’ts:

“Hamlet 2” — This demented comedy about a lame actor turned lame drama teacher should only be seen by those with a high tolerance for desperate stupidity.

See it for the surreal high school musical (thus the movie’s title) with Steve Coogan playing Jesus, and a very sly performance by Elisabeth Shue as herself.

“I.O.U.S.A.” — A compelling documentary about the inconvenient truth of our soaring national debt and its likely consequences.

Gentle humor helps to offset alarming facts and figures that should provoke a lot of discussion, if not cold sweats.

“Bottle Shock” — Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman star in this witty tale, based on a true story, of the 1976 wine tasting in France that put California’s wines on the map.

Rickman’s wonderfully droll sneer and superciliousness, whether toward a class of Napa Valley Chardonnay or a bucket of chicken, are not to be missed.

“Man on Wire” — A transcendent, bittersweet documentary about Philippe Petit, the diminutive Frenchman who captured the world’s attention for 45 minutes when he wire-walked between New York’s Twin Towers in 1974.

The hows and whys of this remarkable feat are brought to life through interviews and reenactments, and it’s moving to see how, more than 30 years later, the memories of that day can still evoke powerful emotions in those who were there.

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.