communication breakdown

Movie Review: The School of Rock (2003)

[ 6 / 10 ] Jack Black is Dewey Finn, the star of "The School of Rock", a crazy comedy about a down-and-out guitarist and rock loyalist who will do anything to make it big with his band. We first see Dewey doing what he does best - rocking out with his band in a small club. The group is not doing so well and it's obvious that they want to pin their problems on the eccentric Finn. He is kicked out of the band he started, and with debts piling up, he is forced to take drastic actions in order to make ends meet. He impersonates his roommate, who is a substitute teacher, and accepts a temporary offer to teach at a prestigious elementary school. His first few days go horribly, until he realizes that some of the children have some serious musical talent. Dewey decides the best thing he can teach them is rock-and-roll, and together they form a band with the hopes of winning the local Battle of the Bands competition...

That's the basic synopsis, and as you might expect, it doesn't get much deeper than that. With Jack Black, you know what you're getting, and that's what this movie delivers - almost 2 hours of him being himself. Between teaching "rock appreciation", giving musical lessons, and mentoring the children, Black is a one-man show. He does all this while trying to keep it secret from the uptight principal (Joan Black) and the children's stuck-up parents.

One thing I noticed about this movie is that I don't think Jack Black had to do much acting - I think he is really this passionate about rock-and-roll, and I think he believes everything he said about music in this film. He is so intense, and he has a way about him where he can just flip a switch and go into hilariously funny mode (a la Jim Carrey). As you might already know, Jack Black is the lead for the enigmatic band Tenacious D, most well-known for some absolutely hysterical lyrics. You'll get some of that here, along with some crazy musical performances. While he's giving some of his music lessons, you can't help but laugh at the contrast between the timid, unexperienced children and the semi-insane Black. It's kind of like seeing an 80-year-old grandmother wearing an AC/DC shirt - it doesn't work, which is exactly why it works.

I wish there were more of the moments where Black was just "in his element" - a fair amount of the movie is spent on his relationship with his roommate, and his dealings with the principal/teachers. Frankly, all of this is boring fodder. It's not a great movie in itself, even for a pure comedy - the memorable moments are all right in the classroom, and there's not enough of them to carry the movie by itself. If you like Jack Black or just over-the-top comedy you'll likely enjoy the movie, but if you're like me you'll leave wondering why there wasn't less filler and more bread and butter.