Review: 'School Of Rock' Gets An 'A'
Jack Black Carries Outrageous Comedy
POSTED: 2:06 am CDT October 3, 2003
'School Of Rock' (PG-13) 
(out of four popcorns)"School of Rock" has heart and soul. It even has rock 'n' roll.While the plot is nothing new, a slacker throws a school out of control but in the end everyone loves him for it, "School of Rock" puts a fresh twist on a tried-and-true formula. Jack Black is his usual over-the-top self as Dewey Finn, a down-on-his luck rock musician who never arrived in the 21st century. He's still channeling Zeppelin and Hendrix and lives for the bar down the street's Battle of the Bands.It appears that Finn has just plodded along until one day he gets tossed out of the band he founded (it's a riotous "Spinal Tap" moment) and his usually milquetoast best friend, who he's been living off of for years, has a girlfriend who decides Finn must start to pay some rent.When a call comes into the apartment from the uppity principal (played to the hilt by Joan Cusack) of a private school looking for Finn's part-time teacher roommate, Finn decides it's the perfect way to make a quick buck, so he fills in as Ned Schleebly. (The real Schleebly is played by the screenwriter of the film, Mike White.)Finn passes himself off as a brainy, experimental teacher, but when he gets behind closed doors he let his guard down. He tells the kids its time for perpetual recess and request silence because he's got a hangover. One day while stuck in his boredom, he stumbles on the kids in music class.He decides it's time to start a class project: Rock band. The fifth graders are going to be Finn's ticket to the big time.The kids are the perfect straight men to Black's over the top, eyebrow-raising Finn. Each of the main performing kids in the film plays their own instrument. Director Richard Linklater didn't go for actors, but wanted real prodigies. He embarked on a nationwide search and found who he was looking for. A good director can turn just about anyone into an actor and he really pulls this one off.Parents finally have a movie that they can take their kids to that's at least enjoyable. And there's no Britney Spears or Mandy Moore in sight in this one.If you're not a huge fan of Jack Black, this movie probably won't convert you, but for anyone who remains amazed at Black's ability to create believable characters that are bigger than life, you'll love every minute. And Black's caricature ode to AC/DC's Angus Young in the grand finale is spectacular.The final scene of the movie is orchestrated with just the right amount of suspense although the way things turn out could only happen in the movies."The School of Rock" deserves a gold star.
(out of four popcorns)"School of Rock" has heart and soul. It even has rock 'n' roll.While the plot is nothing new, a slacker throws a school out of control but in the end everyone loves him for it, "School of Rock" puts a fresh twist on a tried-and-true formula. Jack Black is his usual over-the-top self as Dewey Finn, a down-on-his luck rock musician who never arrived in the 21st century. He's still channeling Zeppelin and Hendrix and lives for the bar down the street's Battle of the Bands.It appears that Finn has just plodded along until one day he gets tossed out of the band he founded (it's a riotous "Spinal Tap" moment) and his usually milquetoast best friend, who he's been living off of for years, has a girlfriend who decides Finn must start to pay some rent.When a call comes into the apartment from the uppity principal (played to the hilt by Joan Cusack) of a private school looking for Finn's part-time teacher roommate, Finn decides it's the perfect way to make a quick buck, so he fills in as Ned Schleebly. (The real Schleebly is played by the screenwriter of the film, Mike White.)Finn passes himself off as a brainy, experimental teacher, but when he gets behind closed doors he let his guard down. He tells the kids its time for perpetual recess and request silence because he's got a hangover. One day while stuck in his boredom, he stumbles on the kids in music class.He decides it's time to start a class project: Rock band. The fifth graders are going to be Finn's ticket to the big time.The kids are the perfect straight men to Black's over the top, eyebrow-raising Finn. Each of the main performing kids in the film plays their own instrument. Director Richard Linklater didn't go for actors, but wanted real prodigies. He embarked on a nationwide search and found who he was looking for. A good director can turn just about anyone into an actor and he really pulls this one off.Parents finally have a movie that they can take their kids to that's at least enjoyable. And there's no Britney Spears or Mandy Moore in sight in this one.If you're not a huge fan of Jack Black, this movie probably won't convert you, but for anyone who remains amazed at Black's ability to create believable characters that are bigger than life, you'll love every minute. And Black's caricature ode to AC/DC's Angus Young in the grand finale is spectacular.The final scene of the movie is orchestrated with just the right amount of suspense although the way things turn out could only happen in the movies."The School of Rock" deserves a gold star.Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
