Black's exuberant, gleeful performance turns School of Rock into a hilarious, rocking good time. Read critic reviews
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The School of Rock videos
School of Rock: Trailer 1
The School of Rock: Official Clip - Stick-it-to-the-man-eosis
The School of Rock: Official Clip - Telling Off Schneebly
The School of Rock: Official Clip - Dewey's Code of Conduct
The School of Rock: Official Clip - The Rock Band Project
The School of Rock: Official Clip - Wound Too Tight
The School of Rock: Official Clip - The Man
The School of Rock: Official Clip - Creating Musical Fusion
The School of Rock: Official Clip - New Schedule
The School of Rock: Official Clip - Hung Over
The School of Rock: Official Clip - Learning in Song
The School of Rock Photos
Movie Info
Overly enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) gets thrown out of his bar band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolizes and emulates -- much to the consternation of the uptight principal (Joan Cusack). As he gets his privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock 'n' roll animals, he imagines redemption at a local Battle of the Bands.
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Rating: PG-13 (Some Rude Humor|Some Drug References)
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Genre: Comedy
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Original Language: English
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Director: Richard Linklater
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Producer: Scott Rudin
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Writer: Mike White
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $81.3M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Paramount Pictures
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Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions
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Sound Mix: Surround
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for The School of Rock
Critic Reviews for The School of Rock
Audience Reviews for The School of Rock
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I am genuinely baffled as to why 'School of Rock' is so well received. Linklater's tribute vehicle to a beloved genre plays like a B-rate effort that Disney dusted off, patched together, and hastily pushed out in the wake of 'Freaky Friday's punkish success. The film can't decided whether to condone Jack Black's obnoxious man child with zero consideration for folks other than himself or not, so it sheepishly skirts around the issue. Dewey relates to each character in the context of how they will service his personal interests. He doesn't care about truly enriching others' lives or personally evolving, he just sniffs out the easiest route possible to force people to like what he likes, so he doesn't have to be challenged. Remind me again how his absolute insistence is less overbearing than these children's uptight parents? Oh yeah, I forgot - rock and roll is fun, man! Rules are for squares! There is a little substance or basis for his motives other than inconsiderate abandon as a means to relive his former glory in some vein. He is aggressively shallow; without much effort, Black plays him precisely as the oblivious flake that he is, so...yay, great acting? With him having penned the soberingly offbeat 'The Good Girl' the year prior, I expected much more from Mike White, yet the story drags. 30 minutes in, I wanted this slight Disney Channel original movie to just hit its telegraphed beats already and wrap up. The script can't even morally justify why Dewey ultimately hijacked a semester's worth of tuitions to appease his personal ambitions. Without any exploration, the parents are a nameless army of bad guys and stiffs who automatically don't prioritize their children's joy. The broad characterizations are juvenile, from the stiff parents, to the bland students, to of course the recurring villain of the story: the evil, fun-sucking girlfriend (Sarah Silverman), whose frustrations are often valid, yet framed as alarmingly unreasonable. Alas, the ever-neurotic Joan Cusack single-handedly earns a full star in the rating. Obviously, I can't get over how feebly written 'School of Rock's protagonist is and how we're supposed to be won over by the charm of it all. 'Dead Poets Society', this is not.
marisol m Super Reviewer -
"We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control!" I know that's the tagline of the film, but seriously, it's just too hard to not think of that when thinking of this film, even though Pink Floyd's earlier, more abstract tracks fit Richard Linklater's filmmaking tastes at this time more. Ah, yes, ladies and gentlemen, from the mind of "Slacker", "Before Sunrise", "Waking Life" and "Tape" comes yet another artistic triumph in filmmaking, a study on the flaws of a rock star's life and of university-preparatory education, starring acclaimed thespian Jack Black. This may have come out about two years after "Waking Life" and "Tape", but it's still weird how big of a transition Linklater made, not from art drama to commercial comedy, but to something actually entertaining. Hey, people, I can kind of respect Linklater for trying to get all philosophical and stuff, but sometimes the only serious you need is a serious dose of Jack Black, and if you think that makes me sound like a philistine or something, maybe you should look up Linklater on Rotten Tomatoes, because plenty seem to prefer all of this fluff to Linklater's abuse of artistic license, ostensibly because you can at least give this film credit for not being pretentious. It's so what you'd expect that it stars Jack Black as a deadbeat wannabe rocker, naturally, although, the casting is otherwise not that great, because even though Black isn't great-looking, even a pseudo-rocker ought to be able to flirt with a chick better than Joan Cusack, if you want to call her a chick. According to this film, rock star stereotypes as well as non-public education systems can betray you, but that's not to say that the film lets you down when it comes to entertainment, despite issues extending beyond the cast (Seriously, Jack, I've seen worse-looking rockers get much better-looking women). A comedy that is, of course, of limited meat, this film surely tries patience as it finds itself flirting with a two-hour runtime, or at least seems to, due to many scenes of filler, if not material, running together, until the film becomes rather aimless, with a certain blandness that the final product probably shouldn't have, even with a director who is well-known for subdued momentum. With this film, Richard Linklater certainly ups the pacing and tries not to take things as seriously as he has in previous films, including less commercial comedic ones, resulting in a pretty entertaining pace, until Linklater lightens up atmosphere a touch too much, slowing down a sense of fun that is often compensates for a little too much at times by noisy comic set pieces that are more obnoxious than anything. The film has difficulty in deciding whether it should be more relaxed as a comedy or boisterous, and yet, its narrative is rarely less than a little over the top, following an improbable story that, while fun, is a little too hard to buy at times, possibly because of Linklater's sometimes taking the project a smidge too seriously. The film isn't quite absurdist enough for you to run with the questionable narrative elements in their context, and it's not like it's any easier to get invested in a problematic lead with problematic intentions, for although this is ultimately a film about redemption and liberation more than rebellion, the immaturity of Jack Black's Dewey Flinn character and the overt deconstruction of education sticks around a little too long for you to not feel a little uncomfortable, even though it's not too difficult to predict where things are heading. As much as I point out the film's at least trying hard at keeping fluffy, there's plenty of effort backing the feel of this respectably done comedy, and that makes it all the more frustrating when it devolves into conventions, being not too much more than something of a garden variety comedy of its type with a trope-heavy narrative, and even a little tonal familiarity that further laze out the momentum of a film that, really, should never be taken too seriously. Despite his best efforts, Linklater is handed a fluffy project, and there's only so much material to work with when it comes to films like that, and it's harder to deny that the more Linklater tries to give this effort the feel of a less inconsequential flick. I don't suppose the final product ever stood a chance of rewarding all that thoroughly, but for what it is, it does try harder than other comedies of its nature as a fun affair and portrait on rocking, complete with a quality soundtrack. Trying to keep a lighter atmosphere than other comedies like it, the film doesn't utilize much in the way of musical liveliness, but when it does, it delivers on plenty classic and not too clichéd tunes that range from AC/DC and The Ramones to Led Zeppelin, entertain, and compliment the edgy feel of the comedy, and even on delightful original performances, anchored by Jack Black's passionate vocals and enthusiastic energy, and highlighted by a killer final live performance of the titular song that stands as a substantial payoff. Richard Linklater has a playful side as a director that, when showcased, proves to be pretty fun, although that's not to say that Linklater doesn't entertain consistently, as his less frantic approach to storytelling, while not exactly compatible with somewhat absurdist subject matter, keeps a controlled pace that sort of allows you to take the film reasonably seriously, as though it's not talking down to commercial audiences who can, through the more subdued feel can embrace the story, at least up to a point. This story of some bum impersonating his sub teacher roommate and secretly training students to learn the art of hard rock is improbable, maybe a little unnerving to those sensitive to unlikable characters with problematic goals, and it isn't even as unique as it probably should be, but it sure is interesting as a fluffy, if shallow narrative with fun potential that Linklater handles with a sense of realization, much like Mike White. White's script is barely anything new, and it's certainly a little uneven in pace, if not tone, but its material is tight enough to keep momentum slick, despite Linklater's steadiness, and its humor is certainly sharp, alternating between wit and sheer color smoothly enough to feel smarter than you might expect when looking at its absurdities, and about as much fun as you might hope. I mean, it's still difficult to make much out of this film of limited consequence, but White's script remains sharp enough to hold your interest, without the impact of Linklater's tight storytelling, and quite the talented cast of charmers. What it ultimately comes down to is the sharpness of the cast working with sharp material, and sure enough, just about everyone delivers, and that particularly goes for the youths, whose distinguished charm and sense of evolution from awkwardness to coolness is about as much of treat to be exposed to as leading man Jack Black's formulaic and slightly obnoxious, but consistently colorful performance which carries the film almost as much as Black's chemistry with his young peers. The real delight in this film is watching the interactions between Black and the students' promising portrayers, but the fun doesn't quite end there, because even though this isn't quite the heavy stuff that one might be used to with Linklater, entertainment value and a sense of wit stand firm enough to make the final product a perfectly decent and memorable one, at least about as much as it can be. At the end of class, the film fails to keep tight, consistent, probable, original and altogether heavy enough to exceed the underwhelmingness that it tries to transcend through a soundtrack that is killer enough, direction that is realized enough, a script that is sharp enough, and a cast that is colorful enough to make "School of Rock" a plenty entertaining and often reasonably respectable, commercial comedy twist for Richard Linklater. 2.5/5 - Fair
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It's not that it's a bad film, because it's not. It's just Jack Black's ultimate posterized film to act a little looney and over the top like he usually wants to do. Truthfully, there's a lot to be taken away from this movie. The implementation of classic rock and roll was entertaining enough, and the actors werent really half bad, not even the child actors. The story was all too typical though, and you dont really feel sorry for Dewey throughout the film even though he gets a pass in the end as usual. All in all, this was better than what it should have amounted to.
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Great humor and rockin' story (had to do it, I'm sorry). Jack Black usually annoys me but that is not the case here. I feel like this was the film he was born to star in. "School of Rock" is a near perfect comedy and should be watched by anyone who loves great humor and/or rock music. I also love Joan Cusack in this.
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