Possible spoilers included - be warned

Rating: Null/10 (23 May 2004)

Maybe it's because I used to be a musician, but a plot based on a bunch of 10-year-olds becoming a better rock band than the seasoned vets is just too ridiculous. Their wealthy status-seeking parent's ultimate embrace of their kids' squandered semester studying "Immigrant Song" rather than multiplication tables is just too ridiculous. Black's character Dewey Finn remaining unchallenged for several weeks in his purloined identity as his substitute teacher roommate Ned Schneebly is just too ridiculous. I realize a certain suspension of disbelief is often necessary to make a movie work; but if that's the case, why not just have him flash lightning bolts from his eyeballs? It's about as believable. Anyone familiar with Black's work in Tenacious D (where their tour bus popping oat Satan's asscrack is assumed to be high hilarity) knows this guy's managed to escalate a third-place performance in a local air-guitar contest into an actual movie career. And I'm so tired of major corporations (Paramount) promoting the idea that "sticking it to the man" is better than actually studying in school. Anybody who's witnessed the internecine Hollywood movie culture knows a bigger group of kiss-asses you'll never find ... "School of Rock" is a phony film from beginning to end, along the lines of "Home Alone" or anything in the past decade starring Eddie Murphy.