History Film / RockItsYourDecision

* BrokenAesop: The action in this film is spurred by Jeff's mother becoming concerned about Jeff's recent bad attitude. Examples of his "bad" behavior include mouthing off to his mother and other boundary-pushing behaviors found in pretty much all children of any time period. In fact, Jeff seems to be a pretty good kid; he even feels guilty about talking back to his mother and delivers an unforced apology. It's later, after he's supposedly a better person, that he unrepentantly screams at her for (in his eyes, at least) being a hypocrite. Somehow showing us a kid that's pretty normal, or even better-behaved than average (if anything, talking back to your parents at least a little bit is considered ''healthy'', part of a perfectly normal stage of development as a teen begins to set boundaries and define themselves as separate from their parents), turning into a judgmental creep doesn't exactly sell the "rock music makes your kids rebellious" message.

** Music/{{Santana}}'s "Evil Ways", a song where the first lyric is "You've got to ''change'' your evil ways", and "Soul Sacrifice", an instrumental song.

* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Jeff sees ''all'' rock and seemingly all popular music as evil and immoral by the end, even fairly harmless stuff like The Eagles and even Captain and Tennille, pretty much the last pop act anyone could accuse of being sinful or dangerous. He also directs his ire towards the soap operas his mother enjoys as well for similar reasons.
* BrokenAesop: The action in this film is spurred by Jeff's mother becoming concerned about Jeff's recent bad attitude. Examples of his "bad" behavior include mouthing off to his mother and other boundary-pushing behaviors found in pretty much all children of any time period. In fact, Jeff seems to be a pretty good kid; he even feels guilty about talking back to his mother and delivers an unforced apology. It's later, after he's supposedly a better person, that he unrepentantly screams at her for being a hypocrite. Somehow showing us a kid that's pretty normal, or even better-behaved than average (if anything, talking back to your parents at least a little bit is considered ''healthy'', part of a perfectly normal stage of development as a teen begins to set boundaries and define themselves as separate from their parents), turning into a judgmental creep doesn't exactly sell the "rock music makes your kids rebellious" message.

* HeteronormativeCrusader: Jeff brings up some rock musicians being gay as a mark against the genre at the end. Especially jarring as it's the only mention of that in the whole film.

** Marty sees his father this way for pressuring him into attending church on Sundays, but being a Jerkass and using profanity the rest of the week.

* [[StrawmanPolitical Strawman Religious]]: Marty (and Melissa to a degree) is "wrong" by virtue of not really being into all that church stuff. Marty even openly states that he only goes to church because his dad makes him, so we're supposed to discount everything he says as the ramblings of a "lost" person. The truth is, Marty is the only character in the film to remain true to his principles throughout (not counting a look near the end that may indicate a change of heart) and the only one who offers reasonable retorts to Jeff's uninformed ramblings. Literally the only thing Jeff can say about Marty's sensible replies that not everyone who listens to rock listens to the darker Satanic stuff is "I think you're wrong". Of course we later learn Jeff thinks ''all'' music, even "mild" pop, is dark and Satanic.

* SexIsEvil: By the end of the film, Jeff has adopted this mentality. He tells his mother that soap operas are nothing but "sex with commercials" and attacks songs for having sexually suggestive titles and lyrics.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Pastor Jim Owen. While you may disagree with his views, he at least seems to have given them real thought, is fairly moderate about it and doesn't judge others for their choices, even seeming to understand why kids like said music. Contrast him to Jeff who becomes insufferably self-righteous and refuses to let anyone else enjoy music he deems immoral, even when at their home. Brad Jones even praises him as a decent character in his otherwise extremely negative review of the film. And in the re-review of the film, has him call out Jeff over his sermon.

* CluelessAesop: The movie is supposed to have "Rock music will lead you down a life of sin if you don't reject it and accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior" as an aesop. It might've done an adequate job... if the main character didn't instantly turn into a supreme {{Jerkass}} and a holier-than-thou religious zealot when he finally did, turning on his friends and even his own family (who were trying to steer him away from rock music in the first place) when he starts viewing his mother's {{soap opera}}s as evil, too, and ending the special raving about the evils of rock music (and UsefulNotes/{{homosexual}}ity while he's at it) in front of his church group. In addition, Jeff prior was a perfectly normal and well-behaved kid whose only crimes were being a little bit mouthy to his mother, making any concern about how he is going to end up seem completely irrational.

* HeelFaceTurn: What we're expected to see Jeff's arc as. It doesn't quite work, to put it mildly.
* HeelFaithTurn: Jeff's arc is intended as this. It ends up [[TookALevelInJerkass as something else entirely.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Jeff's mother uses a pastor to get her son off rock music, which ends up making him a loony fundamentalist that berates her for watching soap operas.

* TheNewRockAndRoll: The entire film is basically the tract "The music Kids These Days are listening to is evil!" in movie form. Well the music their parents listened to at that age anyway, thanks to TwoDecadesBehind.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jeff's final speech against rock music brings up that some popular musicians are gay as a mark against it because the film makers apparently felt [[SarcasmMode he wasn't charming enough already.]]

* InformedFlaw: The plot is kickstarted by Jeff's mother feeling his bad behavior is due to his music and the film expects us to agree. But Jeff really doesn't seem bad at all. He's a bit mouthy but that's normal for any teen and he even sincerely apologizes at one point for getting angry at his mom. He's overall less a sinner headed down a bad road than a normal kid who just happens to like rock music. If anything, he becomes much ''worse'' after changing his views on the subject.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Jeff starts the film as a fairly normal, decent kid who just happens to like rock and metal music. Upon his conversion, he becomes abrasive, controlling, incredibly ignorant, insufferably self-righteous and even a bit bigoted to his friends, family, Pastor Owen, and even complete strangers. And yet the film bizarrely expects us to see his arc as a positive one.

* HitlerAteSugar: Some rock stars lived "immoral" lives, and there were even a few who sang about it. Therefore ''all'' rock music, or even all "secular" music, is automatically an endorsement of Satanism and the Occult, drugs, drunkenness and promiscuity. Even Captain and Tennille.

* CluelessAesop: The movie is supposed to have "Rock music will lead you down a life of sin if you don't reject it and accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior" as an aesop. It might've done an adequate job... if the main character didn't instantly turn into a supreme {{Jerkass}} and a holier-than-thou religious zealot when he finally did, turning on his friends and even his own family (who were trying to steer him away from rock music in the first place) when he starts viewing his mother's {{soap opera}}s as evil, too, and ending the special raving about the evils of rock music (and UsefulNotes/{{homosexual}}ity while he's at it) in front of his church group.

* InformedFlaw: The plot is kickstarted by Jeff's mother feeling his bad behavior is due to his music and the film expects us to agree. But Jeff really doesn't seem bad at all. He's a bit mouthy but that's normal for any teen and he even sincerely apologizes at one point for getting angry at his mom. He's overall less a sinner headed down a bad road than a normal kid who just happens to like rock music. If anything, he becomes MUCH worse after changing his views on the subject.

* ProofByExamples: Jeff lists quite a few examples of the "evils" contained within the lyrics of rock music. Of course, [[CriticalResearchFailure he's wrong about a good deal of them]] but even if he was right, the fact that he can name several examples does not at all prove the entire genre(s) of "rock music" is evil and degenerate.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Jeff starts the film as a fairly normal, decent kid who just happens to like rock and metal music. Upon his conversion, he becomes abrasive, controlling, incredibly ignorant, insufferably self-righteous and even a bit bigoted. And yet the film bizarrely expects us to see his arc as a positive one.

* InformedFlaw: The plot is kickstarted by Jeff's mother feeling his bad behavior is due to his music and the film expects us to agree. But Jeff really doesn't seem bad at all. He's a bit mouthy but that's normal for any teen and he even sincerely apologizes at one point for getting angry at his mom. He's overall less a sinner headed down a bad road than a normal, decent kid who just happens to like rock music. If anything, he becomes MUCH worse after changing his views the subject.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jeff's final speech against rock music brings up that some popular musicians are gay as a mark against it.

* RottenRockAndRoll: According to the film, ''all'' "rock music" endorses evil.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Jeff starts the film as a fairly normal, decent kid who just happens to like rock and metal music. Upon his conversion, he becomes abrasive, controlling, incredibly ignorant, insufferably self-righteous and even a bit bigoted.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Pastor Jim Owen. While you may disagree with his views, he at least seems to have given them real thought, is fairly moderate about it and doesn't judge others for their choices, even seeming to understand why kids like said music. Contrast him to Jeff who becomes insufferably self-righteous and refuses to let anyone else enjoy music he deems immoral, even when at their home. Brad Jones even praises him as a decent character in his otherwise extremely negative review of the film.