RockKids

Rating: Null/10 (6 October 2003)

While the presence of Jack Black certainly gives it a different slant, when I first heard about this movie, it seemed like Linklater was following the path of Robert Rodriguez and making a safe, bankable, parent-friendly, feel-good kids movie, and that's what he did. The other parallel that inevitably would be drawn is to Bad News Bears. This film is nowhere near as cynical or acerbic as BNB, though, and Jack Black is no Walter Matthau. Besides, the kids are a lot cuter and they can actually play before coming together as a rock band. And yes, the kids are really playing. They recruited kids who are professional-caliber musicians first, actors second.
It has some Tenacious D-style "hard rockin'" Zepplinesque moments as you might hope, and as much of a screw-up as Black's character is portrayed to be, you know from the first frame that he won't let the kids down. There are plenty of laughs strewn throughout, and the tension is never allowed to get too high.
I thought it was good and, for the type of movie it is, I give it a B+.