Movie
Review | The School Of Rock
Reviewed by: Brian
Orndorf
Dewey Finn (Jack Black, “Shallow Hal”) is a thirty-something
metal guitarist who has just been kicked out of his band. Facing the
wrath of his roommate, Ned (Mike White, “The Good Girl”), and his
girlfriend (Sarah Silverman, sadly wasted here) for past due rent,
Dewey happens upon a phone call meant for Ned offering a substitute
teacher position at an elegant prep school. Assuming Ned’s identity,
Dewey takes over a class of 5th graders and soon recognizes
that he could start a rock band with the kids, exacting revenge on
those that discouraged his talents before. Taking the kids through
Classic Rock 101, Dewey molds the class into true metal musicians,
ultimately gunning for a “Battle of the Bands” competition.
Sure, I could discuss the fine direction, writing (by co-star Mike
White), and overall giddiness of “School Of Rock,” but to start
there would be ludicrous. The main attraction of the film is Jack
Black, plain and simple. While his previous leading role in the
Farrelly Brothers’ “Shallow Hal” was a terrific upgrade from
Black’s normal sidekick routine, “School” is the first film to
somehow cram that sidekick energy into a lead performance. Black is a
tornado of sweat, hair, and potentially meth-enhanced exuberance as
Dewey. Director Richard Linklater has chosen to step away from trying
to control Black, and just allowed him to work his comedy magic,
amplified here by its interaction with children. Since 2000’s
“High Fidelity,” Black has become one of the funniest actors
around, helping unappealing films like “Orange County” and
“Saving Silverman” get laughs they would most certainly not have
without his input. “School” doesn’t push Black’s dramatic
skills in the least bit, instead allowing the actor to basically go
full volume on his wild brand of comedy. Miraculously, he never
irritates once.
Mixed in with the story are opportunities for Black to stretch out
his musical talents as well. One half of the near-genius rock duo
Tenacious D, Black comes to “Rock” with an already masterful take
on the heavy metal genre. Linklater exploits this skillfully, giving
generous amounts of screen time to Black’s convulsive “rocking
out” movements, which always leads to pure belly laughs. Black is an
animated comedian, at times looking and sounding like the love child
of John Belushi and Chris Farley. But I never grew tired of Black’s
whirlwind performance in “Rock, “ in fact I applaud his vivacity
and his commitment for laughs. It is a very rare trait in comic actors
these days.
Richard Linklater is coming off the one-two punch of his 2001 indie
films, the tense one-act play “Tape,” and the tedious animated
philosophical journey, “Waking Life.” Taking those films’
overall integrity into consideration, “Rock” seems like an
atypical project for the director to accept. The film marks
Linklater’s big studio comeback after bombing with the misguided
“Newton Boys” five years ago, and he has a perfect feel for what
“Rock” needs to be successful. The director tones down the message
of the film, and the third act melodrama that normally accompanies it.
While “Rock” succumbs to a loss of energy in the final moments, it
isn’t stopped dead by it, unlike other productions cut from the same
cloth. Linklater also hires a cast of kids who are mostly
non-professionals, but in a terrific, refreshingly natural way. Their
interaction with the manic Black is often priceless. Linklater also
enhances the production with his love for the rock music Dewey in
trying to push on the kids (including Rush, AC/DC, The Who, and Led
Zeppelin). Showing the kids learning the ways of old school metal,
from the exact placement of the finger drumstick twirl to the “metal
face” one needs to play lead guitar, are some of the highlights of
the picture. There is obvious affection for the music of the genre,
and Linklater is not afraid to let his metal horns fly.
With “The School Of Rock,“ Linklater manages to fall
ass-backwards into one of the best family films of the year (don’t
let the PG-13 rating fool you, this is a pretty clean movie), showing
that a picture centered on kids doesn’t need flatulence humor to get
by. Other music-based productions this year, such as “Garage Days”
or “Camp,” only allege to be about music in its purest form.
“The School Of Rock” is the picture that gets the valentine to
rock music precisely the way it deserves.
Grade: 9/10
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