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

Austin Movie Show review of Rock School

The hard part about writing this review is separating my feelings about this man (Paul Green), his school (The School of Rock in Philadelphia), and the documentary about both (Rock School). Paul is an arrogant, selfish, and demeaning man, but his school produces some incredible talent, and the movie that director Don Argott made is clever, witty, and downright funny.

Paul Green's "School of Rock" has 120 students, ages 9 through 17, who learn to play everything from Black Sabbath to Frank Zappa, and most importantly, Paul gets his students on stage and teaches them how to perform like a rock star. But he's horrible. He's like Simon Cowell in that really mean and insulting kind of way. But perhaps that kind of cruelty pushes them to work even harder and practice more to perfect their craft. He does everything that any other teacher today would instantly get sued for – he curses at them, yells at them, makes them cry, hits them, tells them that they "suck," and asks them if they love Satan (he does that to pump them up for the Black Sabbath concert they're about to put on).

It's endlessly amusing to watch 9 year-olds wear all black, smear eyeliner all over their eyes, draw crosses on their foreheads, and write "OZZY" on their knuckles. And to see their mom doing all that for them is even funnier! The coolest moment of Rock School, however, is when the very top students are flown to Germany to play at "Zappanele", the largest Frank Zappa Festival in the world, and they perform with an original member of Zappa's band. Then, to have the original band member, plus the entire Zappanele audience, blow before them in praise (literally bowing!) was out of this world! Not every music student gets an experience like that.

Argot does a great job at showing us all sides of Paul Green's personality. I hate him in one scene and love what he does for these kids in the next. If Rock School does anything, it will make you want to get off your butt and start practicing…what ever it is that you love. You'll want to pick up an instrument, or start painting, or get back to studying. This movie makes you want to be the best at something, and it makes you want to work for it.