Girls Rock!

The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon is the staging ground for this sloppy documentary about a group of 8 to 18-year-old girls living out rock 'n' roll dreams with the help of volunteer musicians from bands like Sleater-Kinney, and from a largely lesbian staff of instructors. Filmmakers Shane King and Arne Johnson never address the elephant-in-the-room lesbian issue, but dwell on candid moments of cacophonous expression from misfit girls teamed up into bands to write a song that they will perform for over 700 people on the last day of camp. Rhetoric far outweighs substance in this vaguely satisfying and preachy doc.

Not Rated, 90 mins. (C) (Two Stars)