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91It's a big enough film to hold all the contradictions. Green has an ego and a gift for stealing the spotlight with a wink and a grin. Yet his respect for the kids is genuine.
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88Hilarious, inspired, frenzied.
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88Thoroughly engaging.
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Rock School rips out in the gritty-underdogs-conquer-the-world story progression. In this real-life scenario, Green whips them into shape for a triumphant performance at a Zappa Festival in East Germany.
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80Through hilarious and charming interviews with the kids, extended chat sessions with Green, a few words from parents, and a healthy dose of performance footage, we get a sense of what sort of community Green has created, for better and worse.
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80Immensely entertaining.
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80Irresistibly entertaining and full of unique character portraits.
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80Engrossing and frequently hilarious.
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75You cheered Jack Black in "School of Rock," now give it up for Paul Green in the real thing.
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75Green's approach certainly opens up opportunities for his students, and is a refreshing change from the lockstep public school approach, which punishes individualism.
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75Rock School celebrates music, family, hard work and, yes, Paul Green. Best of all, it shows the flexibility of children to learn and adapt -- even when their teacher is nuts.
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75A rousing, garage-band-style documentary.
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75Occasionally thoughtful and very entertaining.
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75Those who appreciated "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" will probably enjoy this documentary.
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75As a portrait of dysfunctional pedagogy, it's both refreshing and more than a little terrifying.
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75I'd be lying if I didn't admit that Rock School, Don Argott's amusing and spirited documentary, would seem a heck of a lot niftier if its fire hadn't already been stolen by "School of Rock."
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75Even with Paul Green's invective echoing in the back of your mind, nothing's quite so heartwarming as the sight of a young person blossoming.
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70With a combination of talent and a child’s excitement and outrage for music, Green has a personality to rival Jack Black’s fictional rocker-turned-teacher from "School of Rock."
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70The kids are great, but when they graduate from Rock School, will the valedictorian be the next Jimmy Page, or the technically proficient lead guitarist of a Led Zeppelin cover band?
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70Alternately hilarious and alarming documentary.
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70The scenes of Green lavishing affection on his charges under the closing credits go a long way to rounding out this entertaining portrait of a volatile but effective educator.
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63Since there's no evidence in the film that Green teaches his students how to compose, improvise or experiment with the music, presumably the next wave will come from somewhere else.
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60And while Ivy League-educated psychologist Green considers himself a natural teacher, his teaching technique involves pitting students against each other and haranguing them with rants that run from gentle, good-natured ribbing to flat-out verbal abuse, delivered at an ego-crushing volume.
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50You root for the kids, who are utterly captivating, but Green is another story. His shtick -- a combo of insufferable stage-parent and unbearable rock geek -- is exhausting.
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50Don Argott's lively documentary, ostensibly a paean to alternative pedagogy, extends its subject a long leash, and he in turn does his damnedest to sabotage the project. Rock School ends up being a movie about just how little fun rock 'n' roll can be.
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40Paul Green seems more interested in what rock school can do for him than for the kids.
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30Until the last 20 minutes or so of Rock School, the actual playing, while often startlingly good, is kind of boring.
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ChadS.7
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FredN.9