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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "ROCK SCHOOL" (2005) (Documentary) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor None Heavy Minor None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Minor None Heavy Minor QUICK TAKE: Documentary: A look at a hard rock music coach and his unorthodox attempts to get his students to realize their potential and get them in front of as many viewers as possible. PLOT: Documentary filmmaker Don Argott takes a look at Paul Green and his Philadelphia based "Paul Green's Rock School." An after school program aimed at kids in the age range of 9 to 17, it's something of a hard rock boot camp where the volatile instructor does whatever he must to get his young musicians and singers to realize their potential and get them out performing in front of as many people as possible. Among his students is Will, a thoughtful and insightful if morose teen whose efforts are stymied by his claims of early development brain damage. Madi is a Quaker teen who hates that lifestyle and clashes the most with Paul, while young twins Asa & Tucker try to belt out songs popularized by the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Then there's C.J., a 12-year-old virtuosic guitarist whose skills amaze anyone who hears him play. As Paul pushes and/or berates them and the rest of his students in a decidedly unorthodox and certainly controversial fashion, he tries to get a group of them ready to perform in an upcoming Frank Zappa tribute concert in Germany. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into rock music, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: PAUL GREEN is the kids' instructor who has good intentions but questionable tactics in how he coaches and motivates them. He uses a great deal of strong profanity (often aimed at the kids) while pushing and berating them to be better. WILL is a thoughtful and insightful if morose teen who tries to do well, but has a hard time focusing due to what he claims was early development brain damage he suffered as a child. He uses some strong profanity. ASA & TUCKER are two young twins who try to belt out various Black Sabbath songs. C.J. is the most talented musician among the bunch, a soft-spoken but blazingly proficient guitar virtuoso. MADI is an older teen folk guitarist and Quaker who hates her lifestyle but enjoys being in the city to go to Paul's school, even if she's always clashing with him. She uses some strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated documentary. Profanity consists of at least 40 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Some brief, sexually related dialogue is present and a woman shows some cleavage. Various bad attitudes are present, but mainly from the school instructor who constantly berates, belittles and uses strong profanity at his students, some of them rather young. Some brief smoking and drinking are present, while a few joking drug references are made. Thematic elements include talk of suicidal thoughts and attempts, while one teen suffers from some brain damage that occurred during birth. Finally, various bits of potentially imitative behavior are present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, a near full-screen strobe goes off during a performance. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's a great deal of jumpy, handheld camerawork that may evoke that reaction for some viewers. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Paul makes an analogy of an alcoholic who says it will be better next time. He later makes a joking reference about kids smoking dope and a performer having a "future heroin look about her." Some miscellaneous people drink beer at a concert. One of the older kids states that they're not playing late enough in a concert for people to be drunk enough not to care how they do. BLOOD/GORE None. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Some viewers will see Paul as having a bad attitude for his teaching tactics and how he deals with the kids (yelling and screaming at them, berating them and using strong profanity aimed at them -- such as saying "I'll punch your f*cking face in," etc.). Trying to get his kids motivated to play some Black Sabbath music, he asks one if he loves Satan (and the kid, after being repeatedly asked, sheepishly says he does). Later, and for the same reason, he tells the kid performers "Tonight is about Satan." Some viewers might not like such comments. Paul jokes to the kids that if they don't do something, he'll kill their family and they'll bathe in their blood. Paul chastises a boy for looking at his fingers while playing the guitar, asking if he's a girl. We hear that Paul told a reporter about an unofficial, joking award they have that's named for Will and is for the first kid who kills himself (and that quote was then printed in a publication). Paul is nearly always yelling at Madi. To motivate his band that's in Germany for a concert (and responding to what he says was disrespect from others toward them), Paul tells them that they need to destroy those others, just like beating the Germans in WWI and WWII. Some viewers might not like those comments. FRIGHTENING SCENES Paul's berating of his students might be a little unsettling to some viewers. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "It's just f*cking crazy," "I'll punch your f*cking face in," "Just f*cking do what I say," "F*ck you," "Just get the f*ck out of here," "How f*cking awesome we are," "We're not f*cking around," "F*ck them," "It's the end, m*therf*ckers," "F*cking weird in the head," "Don't f*cking shake your head," "What the f*ck?" "Don't f*cking make mistakes," "Manipulative little f*cks," "Pretty f*cked up kid," "That sh*t sucks," "Sh*t-ass job," "Bullsh*t," "Rock your ass," "I'm a stubborn son of a bitch," "Pain in my ass," "Retarded" (how Will says others referred to him in the past), "Piss-poor," "Crappy," "Drive him nuts," "I suck," "Pissed," "Piss her off," "That sucks," "Big fat jerk," "Screw up," "Party on" and "Long live rock." The film could inspire some kids to take up hard rock or imitate such musicians. We hear that Will has attempted suicide several times in his life, including tying an extension cord around the banister and his neck. He also states that if it wasn't for the school, he'd probably be dead. Paul yells and screams at, and berates his students. Some miscellaneous people have tattoos. Madi and two guys sit on a vehicle and all simultaneously spit into the air. Asa & Tucker's mom dresses them up for a Black Sabbath-themed performance they're going to do, including putting a cross on Tucker's forehead (but telling her she won't do a pentagram or "666"), writing "Ozzie" on Asa's knuckles and then turning Asa's hair into a spiky Mohawk. Paul belches into a microphone. A male singer has a ring through his lower lip. Paul repeatedly kicks a wall in anger/frustration. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 40 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 9 "s" words, 5 asses, 2 variations of crap, 1 S.O.B., 2 uses of "Swear to God" and 1 use each of "G-damn," "Christ," "God" and "Oh Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY Asa & Tucker's mom shows a bit of cleavage in several scenes (particularly when she leans over facing the camera). We see the title of a band listed as "Sex Without Nails." One guy talks of the sexual undertones in some music (we don't hear it). Paul jokingly warns the kids that if they don't do something, he'll tell them the story of how he lost his virginity. He then jokes that it smelled of nicotine and whale oil, but the kids mock disgust and make him stop. SMOKING A miscellaneous person smokes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The fact that Paul has good musical results because of or despite his methods. Will states that he suffered brain damage from his head being too big for the birth canal during birth and that he was later labeled as "retarded" and put into special classes, etc. We hear and then see (with an empty shirt-sleeve) that Will's mom only has one arm. We hear that Will has attempted suicide several times in his life, including tying an extension cord around the banister and his neck. He also states that if it wasn't for the school, he'd probably be dead. We hear that C.J. had an operation for a rare bone disorder (where he was walking with his leg out of its socket), but he performs a few days later (while seated). Will says that Paul has a Peter Pan syndrome, in that he doesn't want to grow up and surrounds himself with kids. Paul admits he has a huge ego and that if he couldn't be the best at guitar, he invented something (his school) that he could be best at. The notion that you can accomplish most anything with practice and perseverance. VIOLENCE While acting out some bit from his film, Paul yells at a kid, grabs him and then gently overturns him and his chair to the floor (and everyone is laughing about this). Paul repeatedly kicks a wall in anger/frustration. Reviewed May 23, 2005 / Posted June 3, 2005

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