SOR GOES ALL THE WAY TO 11

Rating: 8/10 (28 September 2003)

I saw a preview of "School of Rock" tonight. It was a genuine crowd pleaser...and I usually hate crowd pleasers. But this worked for me. This should be the break-out hit for Jack Black that "Shallow Hal" should've been. He's wonderfully zany and the audience kept cracking up when he was on screen. The supporting cast is great too -- especially Joan Cusack and the kids. Children in movies have a tendency to mug for the camera and come off as cloying but the director, Richard Linklater, was smart enough to let the kids be kids and leave the mugging up to Jack. Mike White (who used to write for the brilliant, but short-lived "Freaks & Geeks" television series) wrote an enjoyable script and Richard Linklater's direction is inspired. The children also seem to be singing and playing their own instruments for the most part here (no Monkee business) and they do a fine job. It reminded me somewhat of The Commitments. Anyway, this is a good family film, and I'm sure it will be a hit when its released in October.