Setting the standard for family comedies.

Rating: 10/10 (17 November 2007)

A perfect score is hard to justify, especially for a kid's film, so why is it that School of Rock warrants a ten out of ten score? It's because it does everything a family comedy should do perfectly, but it also succeeds in appealing to parents, teenagers, kids alike.
School of Rock's goofy storyline, of a try-hard ageing rocker turned primary school teacher turned band manager, is one that, refreshingly, has some original ideas. Never does the film repeat tired routines that would, undoubtedly appeal to (but be also familiar to) its core fan-base, instead the moment of inspiration writer Mike White felt when he decided to write a movie in which Jack Black heads a band of kids, never becomes compromised to avoid challenging the young masses.
Obviously, much credit must be bestowed upon Richard Linklater, a director not traditionally associated with mainstream film making, instead choosing to devote time to more innovative cinema (such as Waking Life), it is his sincerity throughout the film that lifts it out of the forgettable family film forest.
Continuously, School of Rock throws comedic gem after comedic gem at the viewer, the younger audience members will remember Jack Black playing the big kid, parents can reminisce their own years of rebellion, and everyone will enjoy stand out performances from the young class of students coerced by Black into embracing the spirit of rock.
Rather than opting for glib references to bands from the alternative culture, in an attempt to strive for nonchalant cool, School of Rock gains its credibility from showing genuine love for the music it celebrates, as well as being a hilarious family film that is what many aren't, memorable.