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Spirited comedy injects life into rock genre

By Jon Niccum - | Oct 2, 2003

“I serve society by rocking,” explains Dewey Finn (Jack Black).

That excuse doesn’t exactly sit well with Dewey’s roommate Ned (Mike
White) or his friend’s harpy-like girlfriend Patty (Sarah Silverman).
Dewey has been sponging off the pair for months, possibly years,
while trying to make it big with his rock group.

Even more of a problem is that weeks before the impending battle of
the bands competition and its $20,000 prize that serves as the Holy
Grail of Dewey’s existence, his group decides to kick him out.
Desperate for a way to earn his share of the rent, he impersonates
Ned – who is a substitute teacher – in order to land a gig at an
elite private school.

At first the job is one big recess for both teacher and class, but
then he hears his fifth-graders making sweet music during their
weekly classical lesson. With the big wheels turning in Dewey’s head,
he formulates a plan to use the kids as his backup band to win the
competition – once they’ve had a little high-intensity schooling in
Rock 101, that is.

So begins “School of Rock,” a one-of-a-kind comedy that could have
gone wrong in so many different ways that to sustain its harmonious
tone is a truly impressive feat of filmmaking. The movie manages to
appeal to both 30-somethings AND their children. It’s bust-a-gut
funny without resorting to gross-out humor; it’s sentimental without
being syrupy; and it’s charming without being manipulative.

Most importantly, it actually rocks.

As performed by the pudgy, wide-eyed Black, the central role in
“School of Rock” is a masterful marriage of writing and casting. One
can’t say enough about how much energy and conviction he infuses into
this part. Black is simply astonishing as a true believer trying to
champion a seemingly lost cause.

Actor/screenwriter Mike White, the creator of such daring indie
oddballs as “Chuck & Buck” and “The Good Girl,” gives Black the
perfect setup to exploit his comedic gifts. The writer also sidesteps
many of the avenues that might turn this performance into a
caricature. The slacker Dewey is presented as just plausible enough
to get away with his loopy escapades.

Sure the concept of an outsider teaching life lessons to a ragtag
group of students has been beaten to death by everything from the
humdrum “Music of the Heart” to the annoying “Dead Poets Society.”
But it all seems very fresh in the hands of Black, White and director
Richard Linklater (“Waking Life”).

If there is one letdown to “School of Rock” it’s during the end
showdown at the battle of the bands. While Dewey redeems himself by
conquering a certain rock ritual that he failed at so miserably in
the opening scene, the band doesn’t quite manifest the type of
awe-inspiring performance that one expects after such a buildup.

It ain’t exactly the finale of “8 Mile.”

Part of the problem is the song they perform, which is written by New
York rock revival act The Mooney Suzuki. The title track is a little
too calculated in its attempt at conjuring the voice of a disgruntled
10-year-old.

But another concern is the group’s asymmetrical image, which could
have been perfect if the members had stuck with their Angus
Young-style school uniforms. Instead, the mismatched, spiked and
teased attire looks perfectly cutting edge … if this were 1986. Now
it’s more like a dated parody of the talent contest attire that the
lead characters wore in “Revenge of the Nerds.”

Luckily, momentum is restored during a satisfying end credits roll in
which Black and his students crank out a live-in-the-studio rendition
of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll).”
It’s enjoyable watching the kids caught up in the joviality of
Black’s performance and with simply grooving to the tune that they
are delivering with such feisty passion.

This extended jam is a perfect punctuation point to a film about how
the only way to take rock seriously is to not take it too seriously.