Rock: It's Your Decision
Rock: It's Your Decision
NR | 01 March 1982 (USA)
Rock: It's Your Decision Trailers

The parents of a young man force him to go without rock music for thirty days, and as a result, he discovers how rock music is a tool of Satan to control people.

Reviews
Interesteg What makes it different from others?
TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
Lee Eisenberg No doubt you've seen footage of clergymen telling people that rock 'n' roll is evil. It was inevitable that there would be a movie about a rock fan who has to choose between Jesus and his favorite music. "Rock: It's Your Decision" is more subdued than I predicted. I expected an hour of pastors shouting about how rock music pollutes our minds. Instead I got a lousy attempt at a character study. The main character likes rock but soon "realizes" that much of it is overtly sexual and even "satanic". Yeah, like I'm sure that everyone who listens to rock is going to become a diabolical, sex-crazed psychopath.Basically, this movie isn't even over-the-top enough to function as an accidental comedy like "Reefer Madness". It's just boring.
Sandcooler Jeff is a 30-year-old teenage boy who has it all. He has a loyal best friend (who is kind of a tool, but still), a fun, easygoing girlfriend and his life is full of fun activities, including going to "the rock concert". Kids in those days apparently didn't bother to mention band names, "the rock concert" was clear enough. There's only one problem though: Jeff is also a devote Christian, which doesn't mix well with the evils of AC/DC, KISS and I'm not joking, Barry Manilow. Thankfully Jeff has gotten rid of his sinful addiction well before halfway, so that gives him plenty of time to convince others. The movie sorta meanders along until it reaches its legendary climax, the fantastic speech scene in the church. It has gotten a second life on Youtube now, but if you're really busy: the bottom line is that every rock song ever is about either sex or satanism. Santana's "Evil Ways" starts with the line "you have to change your evil ways", but actually listening to fifteen seconds of every song was a bit too much research. "One Of These Nights" by The Eagles is also evil. The Captain and Tennille, can't get more evil than that. Getting the target audience for this kind of film to hate stuff like The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil" or AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" is a cakewalk, but somehow they got cocky and tried to see what they could get away with. Which perhaps was a good thing, because at least the movie stuck around because of that and we can still enjoy it tremendously. On the other hand it's weird how this can serve as propaganda: Jeff starts out as this happy, somewhat awkward but nice guy, then Jesus somehow turns him into a grumpy, unbearable know-it-all who loses everyone dear to him. Not a big endorsement I'd say, but the Lord works in mysterious ways.
halo44327 First off. I'm a Christian. I'm a good-two-shoes. I don't do drugs. But this is a one-sided debate. The movie can be displayed as a really rude method of displaying music is bad? Rock is that bad? Pffft. Wait till you get to some rap artist such as Snoop Dogg. I'm "ok" on rock as a taste. I listen to pop songs and techno. And even those have "suggestive themes" but its just music overall. The only that a music could do evil is if it shapes you as a person. But that is mainly your own fault, not the song. Just listening to it is nothing wrong and even God would have agreed. Its about if you take the music as a message for something. The movie is depressing. Our "protagonist", which I bet is more of an antagonist, is slowly being brainwashed by his parents. And it happens. We all get coached by our parents. And sometimes we go rogue. This movie is pretty much how I lived through. And I was given "coach" lessons about how video games are bad and ho I shouldn't be watching any movies containing a sex scene. As long as I don't go and jerk off to a nude scene in a movie I should be fine. Its not like the movie will melt my brain. -Back to the movie!- Apparently he starts to lose social connection and basically isolates himself who is now a "henchman" to his parent's opinions. Its really sad. He loses all his friends and close connections aside from family members. And his mother still watches Soap Operas which could have a nice set of arguments against too. But that is where I wonder if this is not supposed to be an "anti-rock" movie but a "anti-anti rock movie". The kid has a scene with his mom where he actually confronts his mom that she watches soap operas and talks about sexual advertisements. Which he has a fair point and I'd rather go towards that area instead. But his mother slaps him. That's my ideal point here. It clearly shows a nasty twist and basically puts his mom just or worse than his case in a perspective view.Most of the rock music does contain suggestive themes but I have heard a lot of non-Christian-related music that actually display a very a god moral like a plot in a book. Music shows emotions. And we react to music through our emotions. Just like horror movies can "scare" or "frighten" us or comedy can make us "laugh" and "smile" same with romance. We need emotions to be a social person and maintain our humanity. We cannot fully understand right and wrong without it nor share our careful decisions through it.Overall this is a terrible movie. Not because of acting, plot, etc. Its just terrible because it is indeed some sort of propaganda on the topic of something absolutely foolish at the times around the 80s. If this was the 60s or 70s that would make more sense but this is the 80s. Rock has already been acceptable to society an parents have allowed it. And let alone, Christian rock is now around the place. The kid in the end has a sermon preach about how its bad. It randomly accuses specific songs and artists such as The Eagles as being evil. Yet the song already has a meaning that is factual and his arguments go in some sort of panic mode because in the end he adds in homosexuality. That is the dumbest thing I ever heard.Overall, lets burn this movie to the pits of Hell. I even think God would damn this rubbish of a movie.By the way, I'm a Christian. I love rock, pop, country and classical and even Christian (also Christian dubstep). Nothing is wrong with the music. Its about you. Your choices, your methods on handling it as a mature person. You like rap, great. But never let music shape your personality. Be yourself. Cheesy end!
Mister-6 I notice that I'm the first one to review this movie on the IMDb, so I'll give it to you straight, okay? For years, Christian fundamentalists have told us that rock music is the ruination of the youth of America, that it's the gateway to sin and degradation an it will destroy your morals if you listen to The Eagles, Jefferson Starship and The Rolling Stones.Well, duh.Nice religious kid Jeff loves God. He also loves rock music. And he loves some pretty decent groups, too. None that the viewer can listen to, though - God doesn't like modern rock but He does respects copyright laws, looks like. His parents are at their wits end listening to that "junk". His church pastor tries telling him that he must make a decision between rock and The Rock of Ages. His friends don't see the problem with listening to music he likes.So the question is posed: can you follow the teachings of Jesus AND rock and roll all night? "Rock: It's Your Decision" is told a lot more straightforwardly than you might expect for this kind of movie; anyone looking for a "Reefer Madness"-style expose' or religious nuts hysterically spouting that you WILL go to Hell if you listen to anything by Captain and Tennille or Rod Stewart will be sadly disappointed.Well...maybe not completely; there are a few over-the-top moments of overacting and a virtual bonanza of late 70s/early 80s fashions and lots of religious quotes. And the end sermon simply must be heard to be appreciated.So is this a case of over-zealous religious nuts telling you that you're being brainwashed by mainstream rock and roll or just a presentation of the facts as they have been made known? I won't say any more about it. Save that YOU MUST watch this movie. It will either give you something to think about or a laugh riot to share with friends. Either way, "Rock: It's Your Decision" is a viewing experience for unwashed heathens of every brace.Play it at your next church function - they'll either think it's a worthy Sunday School subject or a laugh riot.Or don't - it's your decision.