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   Review: 'School of Rock' gets a rousing A

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Rhune
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Review: 'School of Rock' gets a rousing A
« on: Oct 4^th, 2003, 12:57am »

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Review: 'School of Rock' gets a rousing A
Jack Black shines in clever comedy
By Ben Nuckols
Associated Press
Thursday, October 2, 2003 Posted: 4:15 PM EDT (2015 GMT)

(AP) -- If ever a movie deserved to be a colossal, demographic-busting hit, it's "The School of Rock," a nearly miraculous comedy about a fifth-grade rock band with just the right mix of structure and spontaneity, sweetness and subversion.

In an era when "family film" usually refers to movies that nobody without kids would go near, "The School of Rock" has genuine appeal for everyone -- it doesn't pander or condescend. (Parents, don't be scared away by the PG-13 rating "for some rude humor and drug references" -- the references are so mild they'll fly over the heads of younger kids, who shouldn't be denied the huge kick they'll get out of this movie.)

The only viewers who may not be bowled over by "The School of Rock" are those predisposed to hating Jack Black, who's in every scene and is amped up to 11 throughout.

But Black will likely change the minds of many naysayers with his hilarious, freewheeling performance. He's kept in check just enough by director Richard Linklater, who's somewhat of a surprise for this film after his previous ponderous meditations, "Slacker" and "Waking Life." This is the director's best work since 1995's "Before Sunrise."

Black is Dewey Finn, a small-town rocker whose passion far exceeds his talent. He's fired by his businesslike bandmates for his spotlight-hugging antics, including a shirtless stage dive into a crowd that indifferently lets him crash to the floor.

Dewey is also wearing out his welcome with his pasty roommate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White, who also wrote the screenplay), and Ned's shrill, manipulative girlfriend (Sarah Silverman). Needing income to avoid getting kicked out of their apartment, Dewey poses as Ned to get a job as a substitute teacher at an exclusive prep school.

New project: 'rock band'
Initially bored by his well-behaved, overachieving 10-year-olds, Dewey finds inspiration when he sees them performing in music class. (As he discovers their talents, Black uses his eyebrows more expressively than any actor since Jack Nicholson in "The Shining.") Dewey immediately starts a new class project, "rock band," which will be kept secret from parents and from the uptight Principal Mullins (a fabulously stressed-out Joan Cusack).

Black leaves nothing in reserve as Dewey shares his passion for rock, turning into a great teacher in the process. His chubby body roils and twists with the soul of history's greatest rockers, to whom Dewey's life is an endless homage. When Black and the kids rock out in Dewey's van to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," it's an uproarious ode to the power of music.

The script is perfectly suited to the talents of its star, embracing Black's dead-on comic timing and the showmanship he brings to the stage as frontman of the duo Tenacious D.

Twists on formula
But the brilliance of the screenplay from White, who also wrote the very dark "Chuck & Buck" and "The Good Girl," starring Jennifer Aniston, goes much further, because he applies formula so gently.

It's nothing new to see an antic teacher bringing out his students' suppressed talents while making a mockery of school policy, but White never lays the inspirational message on too thick. Thus when Dewey helps shy backup singer Tomika overcome her stage fright or tells unpopular keyboardist Lawrence that the band will make him one of the coolest kids in school, it's genuinely touching.

White and Linklater manage to make the movie's predictability an asset: We know Dewey will be discovered as a fraud eventually, but the filmmakers turn maudlin convention on its head by making it the funniest scene in the movie. "Your kids have touched me, and I'm pretty sure I've touched them," Dewey tells a roomful of horrified parents.

We also know the kids will rally around Dewey for a climactic gig that will prove his worth as a teacher and theirs as rockers, and Linklater creates a tingling sense of anticipation for the performance. When they finally take the stage, these kids -- all of whom sing and play their own instruments -- really do rock.

They keep on rocking straight through the closing credits, and you'd be crazy to leave your seat before they're finished. "The School of Rock" is a warm and buoyant triumph -- as delightful as movies get.

"The School of Rock," a Paramount Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for some rude humor and drug references.

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lakelady
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Re: Review: 'School of Rock' gets a rousing A
« Reply #1 on: Oct 5^th, 2003, 6:17pm »

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I cannot WAIT to see this! I discovered Jack Black for the first time in The Jackal with Bruce Willis. He reminds me so much of a friend of mine that I was totally floored. My friend Adam IS Jack Black. The look, the speech, the demeanor, the facial expressions... all an uncanny resemblance. That along with the previews have me reeled in. Let's hear from someone who saw it over the weekend, please!

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azure
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Re: Review: 'School of Rock' gets a rousing A
« Reply #2 on: Oct 5^th, 2003, 6:22pm »

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I saw this today and loved it. Cool

I really like Jack Black too. I took my boy david to see it, he totally loved it. He was dancing to the music in it.

It is a bit silly, but if you like Jack Black you will love it Cool

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Rhune
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Re: Review: 'School of Rock' gets a rousing A
« Reply #3 on: Oct 5^th, 2003, 8:34pm »

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My husband is a HUGE Tenacious D fan, and I've always thought Jack Black was pretty funny when he doesn't get too over the top. He's one of those commedians I think, like Robin Williams, that when he has a good director that reigns him in just a little bit, he's fantastic, but with no controls he just takes it that little step too far and gets over the top. It sounds to me like he had the perfect director in this and that it's gonna be a really great film. I would love to go see it, but when you have little kids like I do, you rarely get to the actual theatres.

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Magnum_PI
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Re: Review: 'School of Rock' gets a rousing A
« Reply #4 on: Oct 22^nd, 2003, 1:43pm »

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I saw this movie last night and let me just say that school of Rock... ROCKS! It was funny. And what made it better was that a lot of it didn't seem to be overly scripted.
I hightly recommend seeing this. I plan on going again as soon as I can!

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Jimmy Crack corn and I don't care
Jimmy Crack corn, and I am not there
we built this city on rock n' roll
something, something, day...... Homer

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