Review: The School of Rock

Rated PG-13 | 108 mins

The School of Rock succeeds doing in what it attempts to do, which is exactly why it deserves a solid recommendation. Originally, I made the decision to rate it two and a half buckets. But after viewing the disasters that were Scary Movie 3 and Daddy Day Care this week, I’ve gained an excessive amount of respect for it. This is one of the best feel-good, warm-hearted comedies of the entire year; it’s sad that I did not realize this in the first place.

The School of Rock simply works. This success is predominately because of lead actor Jack Black, who is the only man on the planet who could’ve played this role. His character is named Dewey Finn, a guy who has just been kicked out of a rock band, and is desperate to make as much money as he can, so he can pay off numerous rent debts to his longtime friend, Ned. Being the clown that he is, he takes a long-term substitute teaching job, pretending to be Ned, who actually has the proper credentials to do so. Dewey proceeds to go to work, and finds himself in control of a bunch of kids with snobby rich parents at a prestigious private school. Since he doesn’t know anything about teaching, he originally just lets the kids have recess all day. But when he hears them playing classical songs with their music instructor, a great opportunity arises. Dewey will form a band with these kids, in hopes of winning a “Battle of the Bands” competition. He will teach them about the history of rock music, they will listen to it, and most importantly, everyone will practice for the competition. Black is expressive and very funny. He does everything right and delivers the best comedic performance of the year.

Joan Cusack is also very good as the principal of the school, as is director Richard Linklater, behind the camera. Even though writer Mike White’s screenplay is flawed, to a certain extend, these two, along with Black, make up for any errors that this movie may contain.

I can’t wait to see The School of Rock again; it’s far more funny and original than most of the excruciatingly painful creations called “comedies” that are being released these days. While I was hesitant to like it at first, I now respect it greatly. Take the whole family and have a blast; this flick is well worth the price of a ticket.