Swearing children are not funny, but the rest of the movie is!

Rating: 8/10 (11 October 2003)

As someone who appreciates classic rock, I was tapping my feet and nodding my head up and down throughout most of the picture. It was that as well as Jack Black's unapologetic shameless devotion to the art of rock and roll that made me really enjoy this film.
Black plays Dewey Finn, a fat rock slob who gets kicked out of his band shortly before his battle-of-the-bands contest. Through a series of twists and turns that I will not divulge here, he ends up subbing at a prep school that is as prestigious as it is stiff. He seems content to let them have all day recess until one day he happens to overhear the class playing classical music in a different class. As he is watching them, you can see the dim light bulb over his head start to flicker as the main plot to the movie unfolds. He tells them about a school project called "Rockband" and tells them about a Rockband competition. "A victory goes on your permanent record! Harvard! Hello?" He reiterates, giving the kids their only needed incentive. For homework, Finn assigns classic rock CD's each tailored to each band members role. In this band, each kid has a job in the band. Either as band members, as technicians, as backup singers, even security and groupies. "I don't want to be a groupie! I did some research on the Internet. They're sluts! They sleep with the band!" That little gem comes from former groupie turned band manager Summer, the class smarty-pants.
Not only does Black and the band have to win the contest, they have to get there. Enter Joan Cusak, the school principal. She would rather not see this happen, but she is also a very likable character despite herself. She, the last paragraph notwithstanding, is a groupie wannabe stuck in the body of a cold headmistress. She's as hard as they come, but get her drunk and play a Stevie Nicks song and she's all yours. Cusak plays this role perfectly, as does most of the cast here. The kids are very talented. (That's if they were really playing. I was given no indication if they really were playing or if a group was really playing off camera so I guess that's up to debate.)
The only problem I have with this movie is the mild language uttered by the kids. Granted, they never stray from the PG profanities, but come on! These are 10-year old kids! They should not be using any kind of profanity, ever. My 10-year old and I would have SERIOUS problems if I heard her using those kind of words. Children who swear are never cute or funny, and just makes me want to stop enjoying the movie long enough to slap them. However, it's not like they use profanity exclusively, and the movie stands on it's own merits boldly and hilariously enough for me to forgive this seemingly increasing trend and give this movie a very high recommendation, courtesy of PROFESSOR BLACK, DOCTOR OF ROCKOLOGY.
*** 1/2 out of 5