Rock School

[October 19th, 2005] A brief warning: Even if you and your children liked the Jack Black comedy School of Rock, this documentary may not be for you. Don't get me wrong, 'cause Rock School, Don Argott's documentary about the Philadelphia-based Paul Green School of Rock Music, is a really good film. At the same time, Paul Green is an asshole—an egocentric man-child prone to temper tantrums and hissy fits who spends half of the movie pontificating about the power of rock, and the other half swearing at his students like a pissed-off biker whose stash of crank has been stolen. What I'm trying to get at is that the warm, squishy feeling you got from School of Rock will be different from the feeling you have when Green launches into his profanity-laden tirades. But when Green isn't swearing, and the kids are just rocking out or talking about how music has changed their lives, Rock School is just plain fun. Things get especially inspiring and emotional when the students are invited to perform at a Frank Zappa festival in Germany.

Although Rock School had a minor theatrical run, it was pulled from Portland. Apparently, Green's maniacal tirades were deemed a bit too caustic for a wide theatrical release, and the film was banished to home video.