Jack Black Rocks!

Rating: 7/10 (29 April 2005)

I would say the high-point of the movie is Jack Black's hilarious and yet touching performance. I think this movie was really his chance to shine. The movie is centered around Dewey Finn (Black) who is the over-zealous lead guitarist for a heavy-metal rock band led by Broadway's RENT star Adam Pascal. After causing many scenes at various gigs (including taking off his shirt and jumping into the audience where nobody would catch him, and passing out drunk) Dewey gets fired from the band. Since now he has no income instead of little he can't pay his vastly overdue rent he owes his roommate Ned Schneebly (played by Mike White who also wrote the film) and his scary nagging girlfriend Patty (Sarah Silverman). In order to solve this problem, he decides to take the identity of Ned who is a substitute teacher, without him knowing, and start teaching at a prestigious private Elementary School. There he gets the class to form a rock band so he can win enough money at the battle of the bands to pay off his rent. The film features a lot of hilarious scenes involving the uptight principal of the school Principal Mullins (played by Joan Cusack) where Jack Black makes her reveal her secret love for Stevie Knicks songs. The film overall has an equal balance of comedy and life lessons, making it as touching as it is funny. The film overall is nicely crafted, but at the end I kind of wanted more. I recommend this film to anyone look for a nice evening with Jack Black. Grade: B (review retrieved from yahoo.com; written 10/13/03)