Jack Black is a gifted comedic actor, 'The School of Rock' is a hoot!

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 2004)

As we find out on the DVD 'extras', Mike White wrote this script for his friend, Jack Black, who is a rock music junkie, and who also sings in his own band. So Black is totally in his element here, more ways than one, and it shows with the ease that he carries this movie. He is probably playing himself before receiving big paychecks for major movie roles. In this movie, he is a struggling rock musician who gets a job as a substitute teacher to make a few bucks, then proceeds to teach rock music to the kids, his principal, played perfectly by Joan Cusack, oblivious to his daily routine. Of note is that hundreds of musical children aged 10 or 11, non-actors, were auditioned for the roles of the students, and they played their own instruments in the movie. As did Jack Black, who also has quite a good singing voice when he isn't acting too crazy. Good, entertaining movie. DVD has very interesting extras involving the selection of the kids and the making of the movie.
SPOILERS ABOUND in the rest of my comments, for my own recollection, you may want to quit reading NOW!! Black is kicked off the band he started, is freeloading on his friend (played by writer Mike White), whose girlfriend is encouraging him to evict Black. So he impersonates his friend to get a substitute teaching job paying $650 weekly. Not interested in teaching, he realizes some of the students can play music, so organizes them into a rock band for a $20,000 prize 'battle of the bands' competition. When a check from the school shows up for his roommate, the girlfriend gets wise and calls the cops, who meet Black in his classroom. Busted, he evades jail but is sent home, the day before the band battle. The kids convince a school bus driver to take them anyway, they pick up Black on the way there, onstage when the parents all arrive, kids perform, are the hit with the audience, are called for an encore, but Black's old band win the prize.