Linklater successfully blends mainstream humor with a little intelligence

Rating: 8/10 (8 October 2003)

When I saw the poster for this film, I wasn't very hopeful. I like Jack Black, really, but his recent slew of films is not one to be proud of. Thus, the rousing success of this movie was rather good. Smart, funny, and really entertaining, this film doesn't insult your intelligence while the filmmakers don't try to. Jack Black is exceptional, and the kids are simply awesome. I can't comment about the technical aspects too much, but one thing I did like were the slow reverse shots that demonstrated Black's ability to act not only comedically, but also physically. And as a hard rock lover, it's a welcome relief to see a movie about hard rock that isn't bad considering the overflow of bad hip-hop theme movies running amock. Studio bosses, you have been notified. Take a good rock idea and run with it, don't give us the crappy "Rock Star" and other movies.