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 School of Rock (2003)Rated: PG-13 for some rude humor and drug references. Runtime: 108 min. Director: Richard Linklater Writer: Mike White Cast: Jack Black; Joan Cusack; Mike White; Sarah Silverman...complete cast Genre: Comedy Tagline: Take notes. Memorable Quote: "Dude, I serve society by rockin'."
School of Rock belongs to Jack Black and would not have worked without him. He takes a fairly thin story and turns it into a feel good crowd pleaser. Black plays Dewey Finn, a wannabe rocker in a garage band vying to win a battle of the bands competition. Despite his perfect attitude about rock 'n' roll, his 20-minute long guitar solos coupled with his obnoxious on-stage gyrations satisfy his own ego but lead to his eventual expulsion from the band. Out of work and behind on his rent payments, Dewey seizes the opportunity to pose as his meek roommate in order to snag a job as a substitute teacher at Horace Green Elementary, a snooty prep school. Nursing a hangover, Dewey shows up for his first day of work only to discover that his students have never heard of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC or even Rush. Incensed, Dewey asks, "What do they teach kids these days?" Upon hearing the students perform in their music class, Dewey realizes an opportunity to put himself back in the running for the battle of the bands competition. He hatches a "project": to teach these kids to rock; install himself as the front man to prove to the world that he is not a failure. School of Rock could have easily turned into an absurd little kid's flick were it not for director Richard Linklater keeping the story convincingly smart and funny. Linklater realizes that the film is about Dewey Finn, so he doesn't try to over-feature the children. As a kid who never grew up himself, Dewey doesn't see his students as 10-year old children. In his eyes they are peers who can become legitimate band mates. The movie begins to soar as the band comes together because we are convinced that Dewey genuinely believes in his pint-sized charges. From back up singers to lighting and sound, to security detail, each classmate is assigned a specific task ensuring that everyone feels important to the "project". Tender moments abound as Dewey teaches the kids that good things can happen if you don't give up on your dreams. When one kid tells Dewey he wants to quit the band because he doesn't think he's cool enough, Dewey reminds the child of his priorities. "No more reading Lawrence. It's time to rock!" Linklater gets great, understated performances from the kids, but a tremendous showing by Joan Cusack contrasts nicely. She plays Rosalie Mullins, the stern headmistress who, despite her responsibility to the parents, manages to let her down as she enjoys a beer with Dewey while a Stevie Nicks number plays on the jukebox. This moment is absolutely priceless. On the way home from my screening of School of Rock I dug through my CD collection and came up with one that I hadn't listened to in a long time. It's not an accident that it was a classic rock compilation. Frank Wilkins Here is a an image of the Rock History chalboard including a graphic image translation.  Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi; Closed CaptionedLanguage and Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1; Dolby Surround Sound Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; trailer; director's commentary; making-of featurette; audio commentary, music video; theatrical trailers.
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