Rock School (2005)

At the real life School of Rock a group of misfit kids get in touch with their inner rock star.

Director:

Don Argott

Stars:

Tucker Collins, Will O'Connor, C.J. Tywoniak

Cast

Credited cast:
Napoleon Murphy Brock	...	Himself
Asa Spades Collins	...	Himself
Tucker Collins	...	Himself
Madi Diaz	...	Herself (as Madi Diaz-Svalgard)
Paul Green	...	Himself
Will O'Connor	...	Himself
C.J. Tywoniak	...	Himself

Storyline

At the real life School of Rock a group of misfit kids get in touch with their inner rock star.

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Plot Keywords:

drummer | rock 'n' roll | mother daughter relationship | vocalist | twin | 

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Taglines:

Teaching kids the basics: Power chords, head banging, and being a rock star.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

9.14 Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 July 2005 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Школа рока

Filming Locations:

1320 Race Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,136, 5 June 2005

Gross USA:

$64,310

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$64,310

Company Credits

Production Co:

9.14 Pictures, A&E IndieFilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Paul Green: Don't look at your fingers! Do you want to know why? Because girl guitar players look at their fingers. Do you want to be a girl guitar player?
C.J. Tywoniak: No.
Paul Green: Do you want to be in The Bangles?
C.J. Tywoniak: No.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Lords of Dogtown/Mysterious Skin/Rock School/Batman Begins (2005)

User Reviews

You can use profanity . . .

Anytime I learn something new about teaching, I feel my day has been made. Don Argot's documentary, Rock School, did that for me today. I watched a gifted Paul Green take a group of 9 to 17 year olds in his Paul Green School for Rock Music in Philadelphia and make them into a band playing Black Sabbath, Santana, and a Zappa that an audience bowed to at a German Zappanele concert.

I learned that you can abuse learners with profanity dominated by variations of "f---" ("Don't f---ing make mistakes!") and reality about their inadequacies ("You mess up once and I'll f---ing punch your face out.") and keep your job while your students achieve undreamed of results.

Green's cherubic visage, sincere love of the young, and obsession with making the right music are all ingredients of his success, which is crystallized in the memorable performances of his charges: CJ can play almost perfect guitar even sitting down with a bone malfunction, Madi sheds her dorky Sheryl Crowe bit to sing with original style, and young twins Asa and Tucker can do spot on Ozzy Osborne imitations.

Unlike old fictional chestnuts such as To Sir with Love, Mr. Holland's Opus, and Dead Poets SOciety, which purport to show the gifted teacher at work, this documentary honestly shows the flaws and virtues of a dedicated facilitator living only to see his pupils excel.

Rock School may have too much music and not enough insightful conversation and narration, but at least I could witness the artistic process at work. "If it wasn't for rock school, I'd probably be dead," says one student deeply hooked by the school's charismatic leader and unmitigated success. Teeners tend to exaggerate, but in this case it's certain he'd be spiritually lost without this unreal world of eccentric achievement, an after school activity like no other.

Rock on.