The School of Rock Review
by Karina Montgomery (karina AT cinerina DOT com)October 9th, 2003
School of Rock
Matinee and Snacks
There are few things so charming in a film than a loser who redeems himself by staying the true loser that he is, and succeeds not only in spite of his disadvantages, but because of them. Dewey Finn is a man whose entire life (such as it is) is rock music, and he finds a way to live his dream, while spreading that gospel to the next generations. The success of a movie like this relies heavily on two key factors, which this film successfully incorporated: 1. Jack black must be funny. 2. The kids must not be precious. Done and donner. Director Richard Linklater apparently knew he had a trustworthy cast, and this is the most hands off movie I have seen him produce yet. Much depends on Black's charisma and nuttiness; how to pull that off without making him a fool or allowing him to spew invectives? Hooray for screenwriter (and costar, playing Ned) Mike White! Mike also wrote The Good Girl and Orange County; he is good at writing movies that look like they will fall in Hollywood traps and then he keeps them free of capture.
Another thing you might have been concerned about: no gratuitous music videos or "getting it together" montages break the otherwise charming flow of the film. I never thought I would like a Linklater film again, and I am pleased to be corrected.
And the kids are really great, not just "good child actors," but well-written characters and reasonable caricatures of the spoiled brats they must have been before Black entered their lives. Linklater is cool enough to (apparently) record all the music live on set, rather than mess with playback, for the energy and fun that that creates. He also is cool enough to pan between the performing kid's hands and face, leaving no doubt that this kid is really rocking his or her self, omitting any doubt. The joy and energy in the scenes with the rocking is palpable. That's what makes the movie work.
Joan Cusack tips the balance as the over-extended, tightly wound principal of the extremely prestigious school at which Black accidentally ends up teaching 5th grade. She is angular and sharp, in looks and in tone, and next to Blacks round, earthy tenaciousness, they both come off funnier.
One thing I have to note for the parents; this movie is not so much the "screw the establishment" and "parents are idiots" kids movie we have come to expect ever since the Home Alone revolution. Indeed, Black loves rock, loves music in all it's forms, and part of it is definitely sticking it to The Man, but The Man is not someone to destroy, only toŠrelax and make more cool. Black does not glamorize the scene, the sex, the road, the chicks, basically everything his album worships in his tongue in sheep way. He intuituively supports the kids in just the way they need (being an adult kid himself) and steers the kids away from that attitude without being preachy or even lame - his is the pure joy of performance and expression, and it's a great movie to take your kids to. But you certainly do not have to be a kid to enjoy it.
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These reviews (c) 2003 Karina Montgomery. Please feel free to forward but credit the reviewer in the text. Thanks. You can check out previous reviews at:
http://www.cinerina.com and http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com - the Online Film Critics Society http://www.hsbr.net/reviews/karina/listing.hsbr - Hollywood Stock Exchange Brokerage Resource
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