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Movies / On DVD / Girls Rock!
Girls Rock!

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Girls Rock! (2008)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:25

Rotten:12

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Girls Rock! is an inspiring and enjoyable documentary of girls' empowerment and self-discovery.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic elements and language.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:Mar 7, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls was established in Portland, Oregon in 2000, and has grown into a full-fledged phenomenon, with sister organizations cropping up all over the country. It's a... The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls was established in Portland, Oregon in 2000, and has grown into a full-fledged phenomenon, with sister organizations cropping up all over the country. It's a week-long summer camp where impressionable kids can learn to express their angst and their joys through the redemptive power of punk rock. As this moving and funny documentary demonstrates, learning to play an instrument, write songs, put a band together, and perform--over the course of just five days--becomes a way for young females to learn how to assert themselves, to find their individual voices, and to get along with peers under the caring eye of sympathetic camp counselors. The documentary traces the stories of four girls who, remarkably, face up to the creative challenges while undergoing personal transformations. A charismatic but troubled eight year old named Palace learns how to front a band without bullying her bandmates. Laura, a sweetly chatty and confident death-metal fan, comes clean about her hidden teenage insecurities. Amelie, a hyperkinetic eight year old with an ear for avant-garde guitar thrashing finds a productive outlet for her natural intensity. Misty, a former meth addict, finds her footing in a warm and supportive environment, allowing her to let go of a harrowing past. In addition to fly-on-the-wall footage of practice sessions and group activities, the film also features several one-on-one interviews with campers, counselors, and parents, who all have insightful things to say about the camp and its effects. Amusing animated sequences soften the blow of the saddening statistics they report about teenage eating disorders and other low self-esteem issues, but the rest of the documentary is uplifting and inspirational. The film culminates in a montage of triumphant live performances by several of the ad hoc bands, an ending that leaves viewers cheering. [More]

Director: Arne Johnson, Shane King

Director: Arne Johnson, Shane King
Producer: Arne Johnson
Studio: Shadow Distribution

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Release:

Jan 27, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Ever dream of being a rock and roll star? The Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls is a place where 8-18 year olds from all over the country come to jam--forming bands, writing songs and building community. What they learn through music extends far beyond song, however. What they discover is their own true voice, and a confidence in themselves that is the true meaning of "Girls Rock!" This magnificent experiment in empowerment leaves no one unchanged. This is their journey.
  • Source: Ryko Distribution
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    Reviews for Girls Rock!

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    Reviews
    Tomatometer Critic Review Category
    splat
    2.5/5

    Christopher Null

    comes off a bit like an extended advertisement for the place

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 19 2009 12:06 PM

    Filmcritic.com

    splat
    2.5/5

    David Cornelius

    The filmmakers end up rushing us through these girls' stories, achieving a vague sense of female angst but ultimately barely skimming the surface.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 13 2009 06:05 AM

    DVDTalk.com

    splat
    2.5/4

    Loey Lockerby

    It’s a great program and a great subject, but Girl’s Rock! directors Shane King and Arne Johnson don’t quite know what to do with it.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 26 2008 03:00 PM

    Kansas City Star

    tomato
    3/4

    Ty Burr

    How are girls supposed to behave in a culture that tells them they're Disney princesses for the first 12 years and sex toys after that? Girls Rock! has one answer: Strap on a Fender and rage against the machine.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 01 2008 02:31 PM

    Boston Globe

    splat
    2/4

    Sid Smith

    There's too little clarity or thoroughness in the biographies, too few prolonged scenes of the girls creating their songs.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 01 2008 02:30 PM

    Chicago Tribune

    tomato
    3/4

    Jeff Vice

    There is a slightly patronizing flavor to portions of this mostly enjoyable film. But the interview subjects are very likable and charismatic, which certainly helps.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2008 05:06 PM

    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    splat
    1.5/4

    Phil Villarreal

    Girls rock, flat documentaries do not.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 16 2008 01:53 PM

    Arizona Daily Star

    tomato
    B

    Michael Sragow

    Girls Rock! is scrappy, but at its best, it shows you humans blooming with the speed of flowers in time-lapse photography.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 25 2008 01:33 PM

    Baltimore Sun

    tomato
    3/4

    John Beifuss

    'Why don't you start your own band? That's a lot cooler than having a boyfriend in a band!' So says 15-year-old Laura, who makes a better pitch for the 'empowerment' aspects of the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls than do the adult counselors...

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 18 2008 07:10 AM

    Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

    tomato
    3/4

    Lisa Kennedy

    There's so much joy and coming-of-age angst turned into nuggets of gold that it seems uncharitable to ask, what might be missing (more onscreen appreciation for rock's goddesses and gods, perhaps.)

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 11 2008 02:35 PM

    Denver Post

    tomato

    Desson Thomson

    It's goooood.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 03 2008 02:58 PM

    Washington Post

    tomato
    3/5

    Felix Vasquez Jr.

    Never seeks to be anything more than a simplistic look at young women not just learning how to create music, but how to take hold of their talents and use it to their advantage...

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 03 2008 02:52 AM

    Film Threat

    tomato

    Cynthia Fuchs

    Music -- as a general concept and in the daily details of rock camp -- occasions this ideal state, connected and creative.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 21 2008 09:23 AM

    PopMatters

    tomato
    7/10

    Ron Wilkinson

    Girls at risk take the world by storm at an artists' refuge where it's all right to scream.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 15 2008 02:03 PM

    Monsters and Critics

    tomato
    C

    Cole Smithey

    Rhetoric far outweighs substance in this vaguely satisfying and preachy doc.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 08 2008 06:57 PM

    ColeSmithey.com

    tomato

    Tim Cogshell

    captures a good deal more than the sometimes discordant music produced by these young, would-be chick-monsters of rock.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 07 2008 03:51 PM

    Boxoffice Magazine

    tomato
    4/5

    Jeannette Catsoulis

    Young women find expression for more than their music in Girls Rock!, a jubilant documentary about a place where power chords and empowerment go hand in hand.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 07 2008 03:12 PM

    New York Times

    tomato
    3.5/4

    Moira MacDonald

    Girls Rock! happily pulls off the trick of being both entertaining and moving; grown-up girls may well watch with an occasional tear as we see the campers subtly transform.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 07 2008 02:33 PM

    Seattle Times

    splat

    Maria Garcia

    While it is absorbing to see girls in this environment, the psychological and sociological perspective which the filmmakers bring teaches us about their subjects rather than allowing us to get to know them.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 07 2008 01:44 PM

    Film Journal International

    splat
    3/6

    Jay Ruttenberg

    The movie might have benefited from a more concentrated focus and dramatic arc, but it provides a revealing glimpse into young American outsiders.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 07 2008 01:11 PM

    Time Out New York

     
     
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