Relies too heavily on Black but gets better near the end

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2004)

Dewey Finn is a middle-aged rock fan who hopes for big things with his band. However when one day brings both his band dropping and his flat mates threaten to kick him out unless he starts paying rent, he gets depressed. However when he pretends to be his friend Ned Schneebly he gets a job as a substitute teacher for a few weeks. Determined just to hang in there and collect the money, Dewey changes his mind when he finds that his class can mostly play instruments and his thoughts turn to the idea of still winning the battle of the bands contest.
The trailer looked energetic and funny, however the film isn't. It seemed like a good idea - after all, Black's music obsessed character stole High Fidelity and his character here seems to be just an exaggerated and focused version of that one. However the film then bases the majority of the film upon Black's abilities to drive it forward, and this is a problem. The script is pretty weak and lacks any real belly laughs; it is amiable enough but it would be too generous to describe it as `funny'. Only in the final quarter do things happen - before this it is just the basic pitch run over and over again (`guy teaches uptight kids to rock'), however the final 30 minutes is actually pretty good and, despite not really enjoying the majority of this, I still found the gig at the end to be pretty uplifting and enjoyable!
Black is certainly a different leading man, but his performance here just grated a little bit after a while. His overacting would have been more fun if it had been funnier - instead the material really lets him down. It isn't that it is awful, it is just fairly average and unfunny for the most part - and the `energy' that was in the trailer isn't enough by itself. The cast of kids is actually very good - there are none that are horribly cute and they all give pretty good performances (although some are used better than others). In fact had the film developed them more rather than pushing Black to the extreme fore it may have been better for it. Cusack stands out in an amusing role in an adult cast that is really a distant third behind Black and the kids.
Overall this film is disappointing and fairly poor for the majority. When it finally does more than just deliver the pitch and actually has things happen it gets better, but by then it is almost too late. I'll admit I was going to walk out after an hour as it just didn't seem to be going anywhere or doing anything, but I hung in there to find it got a bit better. If you don't expect very much, and you're in the mood then this may well be enjoyable enough for you, but I was simply disappointed by how unfunny it was.