Rock School (2005)
76%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: 8 wins & 23 nominations
Rock School is a documentary that follows the eccentric and overbearing Paul Green as he teaches a group of young students how to rock. While some critics argue that Green’s personality overshadows the students, others praise the film for its portrayal of the students’ growth and development. Regardless of one’s opinion on Green, it’s hard to deny the joy and excitement that comes from watching these kids come together to create some truly impressive music. With its mix of humor, heart, and rock ‘n’ roll, Rock School is a must-see for anyone who loves music and the power it has to bring people together.
Rock School is like School of Rock, but with more attitude and less Jack Black. Critics seem to be divided on whether Paul Green is a genius or a glory-hungry grown-up, but one thing is for sure: these kids can rock. Watching them perform Frank Zappa’s music at a festival in East Germany is a joy, and it’s clear that Green’s questionable methods get results. Whether you’re a fan of rock ‘n’ roll or just looking for a fun documentary, Rock School is definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Studio Ghibli, Dentsu Hakuhodo D Y Media, Partners
Distributor
Newmarket Film Group
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Buckley Country Day School – 2 I.U. Willets Road, Herricks, Long Island, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some rude humor and drug references
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 32m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2005 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 13, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary/Music
Keyword(s)
Rock School, documentary, music, Paul Green, Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, guitar, discipline, Mr Green’s tutelage, R rating, Don Argott, Sheena M Joyce, Newmarket Film Group, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Madi Diaz, Will O’Connor, C J Tywoniak, reviewed by Stella Papamichael, reviewed by Geoff Pevere, reviewed by Liam Lacey, reviewed by Marjorie Baumgarten, reviewed by Bruce Westbrook, reviewed by Robert Denerstein, reviewed by Paul Dale, reviewed by Cole Smithey, reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel, Frank Zappa, Bad Doberon, East Germany, Spinal Tap, BBC.com, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Austin Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Denver Rocky Mountain News, The List, ColeSmithey.com, Christianity Today, Film Threat, Jack Black, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Carlos Santana, Pink Floyd, Inca Roads, Mother of Invention, teenagers, rush job, Rock School craze, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, box office performance, budget, producer Don Argott, producer Sheena M Joyce, MPAA rating, audience score, critic consensus, cast and crew
Worldwide gross: $131,095,990
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $212,489,786
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 662
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 23,172,278
US/Canada gross: $81,261,177
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $131,713,946
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 578
US/Canada opening weekend: $19,622,714
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $31,805,903
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 419
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $56,730,511
Production budget ranking: 714
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $30,549,380
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $125,209,895
ROI to date (est.): 143%
ROI ranking: 783
Madi Diaz – Self
Paul Green – Self
Will O’Connor – Self
C. J. Tywoniak – Self
Don Argott – Director, Producer
Director(s)
Don Argott
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
8 wins & 23 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (78) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (15)
It’s like Spinal Tap, only shorter.
August 23, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Stella Papamichael
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
So overpowering is Green’s outsized, needy, arrested-adolescent personality (while you initially suspect he’s playing for the camera, the blas attitude of his students suggests he really is like this), it throws the movie off-balance.
July 8, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
Their playing is terrific, but there’s little doubt the kids are fulfilling Green’s fantasy rather than the other way around.
July 8, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Paul Green seems more interested in what rock school can do for him than for the kids.
June 12, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Green’s heart, if not his head, seems in the right place. He’s carrying the torch and holding it high, and his students seem to dig it.
June 10, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
I don’t know what it means that rock ‘n’ roll has become a bona fide after-school activity, but Rock School definitely kept my attention.
June 10, 2005 | Rating: B
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
TOP CRITIC
Filmed verité-style, Argott’s film can hardly lay claim to the greatness its subjects clearly aspire to. Most of the time it comes across as a kind of amateur version of The Bad News Bears.
April 26, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Paul Dale
The List
For all of his questionable methods, Paul Green gets results that are revealed when he takes a group of students to perform the difficult music of Frank Zappa at a Zappa festival in Bad Doberon, East Germany.
April 15, 2009 | Rating: B
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Watching the students band together to rock — and the faces of the audience and participants when they realize what these kids are capable of — is a joy.
October 2, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Lisa Ann Cockrel
Christianity Today
The documentary studies the different children at the school, some lazy, some brilliant, some sensitive. Argott traces their development.
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jeremy Mathews
Film Threat
The result isn’t pretty — but it does, on occasion, rock.
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Chris Barsanti
Film Threat
Where you’ll find a bunch of raucous and talented kids, you’ll find at least one glory-hungry grown-up intent on stealing the spotlight.
September 23, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5
Scott Weinberg
DVDTalk.com…
Plot
After being kicked out of his rock band, guitarist slacker Dewey Finn faces a mountain of debts and depression. He shares an apartment with his best friend, Ned Schneebly, an old band member who is now a substitute teacher. Dewey accepts a job as a substitute teacher at a snobbish private elementary school where his attitude and hijinks have a powerful result on his students. He learns they are talented young musicians, and he decides to form a rock band with them to win the $10,000 prize money in a local band contest. Once Dewey wins a competition called “Battle of the Bands”, the prize money would solve his financial problems and put him back in the rock music spotlight.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features Paul Green, an eccentric and sometimes abrasive instructor who runs The Paul Green School of Rock Music.
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