DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
STARRING: Jack Black, Mike White, Miranda Cosgrove, Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman.
REVIEW: On hearing the name of the movie for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel uninterested. I just could not get myself to sit down for a couple of hours and watch the movie, even after hours of persuasion from my friend. But once I started the movie, I no longer could budge off from my seat. The comedy is seriously very funny and highly addictive. The movie truly and wholly belongs to and is fuelled by Jack Black. Its one of those performances which you would watch for any given number of times. I know some of you won’t be able to digest this, but as far as my opinion goes, Black’s act can be compared to that of Heath Ledger in ‘The Dark knight’.
The story is sweet and simple, and minus any complex entanglements or mind –rattling twists (read pure entertainment). Dewey Finn (Black), a singer and guitarist of a promising hard rock band, is kicked out by his fellow members. He is compelled to start selling –off his belongings, so that he can pay the house-rent to his land-lord and also his life-long friend Ned Schneebly (Mike White), who, along with his overly-dominating girlfriend Patty (Sarah Silverman), shares his house with him. One day, due to a stroke of good luck, he lands himself a job of a substitute teacher in a preparatory school named Horace Green.
The comedy that fills-up the first-half of the movie reminds me of the kind of comedy that Charlie Chaplin showcased. The comedy lies in the tragedy of a struggling man’s life. I don’t want to go into details, but that is exactly how I felt at most of the places.
Moving on, the movie is not all comedy and no sense. Its a big tribute to rock, and the way by which it does so is very interesting. Through comedy, the director conveys deep thoughts and teachings about rock music. One of the most heart-touching lessons the movie teaches is: Rock music is not about getting straight A’s. The director sandwiches many of such thoughts along with some jaw-paining comedy, and the result is entertainment at its best.
The characters are cut out in remarkable detail, especially those of the wannabe rocker Dewey Finn and the tight-collared school principal Roz Mullins, who is portrayed adorably well by Joan Cusak. As I already mentioned, Jack Black proves by his act that he is the undisputed king of comedy, and he is here to stay. His expressions, eye movements and body language throughout the movie are thoroughly funny and uncannily impossible to ape (I tried to make some of the facial expressions in front of the mirror, but to no avail!). He seems to act his heart out on the camera. Hats off.
Also, the kids of the school are very endearing and adorable in their own right, and their innocence completely melts your heart away. If you haven’t seen this movie, you have missed out too much. Do yourself a big favor: watch School of Rock now!
RATING: A 4/5 for excellent acting, great comedy, and a very fitting tribute to rock music as a whole.
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