Jack Black, Joan Cusack and a class of funny kids makes you say, "School of Rock, Rocks!" No, that's too obvious. How about, "School of Rock, Schools?" Maybe, "School of Rock, of's?" Whichever you prefer, School of Rock is the best PG-13 film to come around in a long time.
The preview made it seem like an attempt at the "feel good movie of the year." This entails sappy music, annoying dialogue like, "You're doing it Mary Jane, you're really doing it!" and Cuba Gooding Jr. But School of Rock's soundtrack is only kick ass rock 'n' roll, and neither Cuba Gooding Jr. nor his brother Omar Gooding (Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, Wild and Crazy Kids) have anything to do with the making of this film. School of Rock will rock your laughter and roll your heart, all with sincere and legitimate elements. It is a rarity.
As a member of the musically talented and comically gifted group Tenacious D, Jack Black is perfect for the part. He knows how to whale a killer solo, stage dive and make anyone from a college kid to grandpa laugh.
Black plays an aging rocker (Dewey Finn) whose "music is [his] life." He runs into economic trouble and pretends to be his roommate in order to get a job as a substitute teacher. As Ned Schneebly, he begins teaching a fourth grade class at the best elementary prep school in the state. All Dewey knows is music, so he creates a rock band with the kids in order to perform at the battle of the bands at the end of the month. Such a premise brings ongoing hijinks.
Jack Black has yet to prove his worth as a star of a film. His work as a supporting actor has been critically acclaimed in High Fidelity, Airborne and the TV show Mr. Show with Bob and David. But until now, Jack Black as a star has only served disaster. Shallow Hal bombed at the box office, and the first time he hosted Saturday Night Live was about as funny as anthrax. But his work in School of Rock is almost tantamount to his work with Tenacious D. Just letting Jack Black take over and do what comes to the top of his brain really works. Giving him lines or cue cards has not served adequate, but School of Rock uses Jack Black's strength to create a stylized comedy. Many of the scenes are long takes in which Jack Black improvs to teach the class. At times, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) doesn't do much, and just lets the camera roll and allows Jack Black to do his thing.
One of School of Rock's strengths is the character development. Even if the acting isn't perfect, the quality relationship created between the audience and the characters hides it. Most comedies throw plot and character development aside until the second half of the film when the writers and directors scrounge to come up with something (italicized). School of Rock has no hints of this. The writer and director had a simple idea and they created it. The character development is a perfect example of this. Every student in the class not only has a decent amount of lines, but they also have their own distinctive personality. By the end of the film, the viewer really gets to know each student.
The child actors also play their own instruments on location. Not that they are phenomenal, but only about 25% of the time is the music ever dubbed. If Disney had made this film, it would have been written and recorded by Elton John and acted by Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle. With instruments in hand and sharp personalities, these unknown child actors become their characters almost immediately and allow the narrative to rock hard tasty as... washer board style.
School of Rock showcases Jack Black teaching a class. If he actually were to teach a class, everyone would attempt to enroll, and with the national release, everyone can. Your classmates will be wonderful too, and class discussions are in depth and hilarious. As shown in the syllabus, the class material is creating a rock band to perform at the end of the semester. Quite a project. Quite a movie!
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