First & Foremost A Jack Black Vehicle, But Still Pretty Entertaining

Rating: 6/10 (14 March 2017)

It is clear from fairly early on in "School of Rock" that its primary purpose is to showcase the manic acting talents of Jack Black over everything else. Oftentimes, that can lead to a rather shallow movie (as the plot and auxiliary characters aren't fleshed out as they should be), but in this case the film still ends up being rather entertaining because of the novelty and the music.
For a basic plot summary, "School of Rock" tells the story of Dewey Finn (Black), a middle-aged man who crashes (never paying the rent) at the home of enabling friend Ned (Mike White). You see, Dewey still harbors the rock-and-roll band fantasies of his youth despite the fact that his prospects do not look great. One day, however, Dewey intercepts a substitute teaching call for Ned and assumes his identity, showing up completely unprepared at a fancy prep academy for grade school-ers. The one thing Dewey does know how to do/teach? Rock.
Like I said, "School of Rock" is primarily a vehicle to showcase Black's manic style of performing, and it does that very well. Black never loses energy in a single scene, and his "Legend of the Rent" performance in front of his pupils (shot all in one take) is one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen on film! I feel like watching too much of Black would be exhausting, but contained in this single movie it is a rush of energy.
Two other aspects of the film really keep it entertaining:
-The basic concept (teaching children how to rock) has never really been done before, at least that I've on. It is entertaining to see the students go from stuck up preppies to confident rockers over the course of the film.
-The music, which is always upbeat and fun to listen to. During the times in the film where the plot drags or becomes a bit too corny, there's always that next musical number right around the corner to look forward to.
So, I can consider "School of Rock" very entertaining despite its obvious limitations (being a vehicle film, having a super-cheesy plot, etc.). It won't rocket to the top of any "best of" lists, but it will create a few iconic music-movie moments. As long as you aren't expecting something deep, you'll have fun watching this!