The School of Rock (2003)

School Of Rock  * * out of * * * *

review by Josh Gilchrist

Richard Linklater's latest cinematic offering, "School of Rock," is a 180 degree turn from everything his other films stood for. The film has some pleasant and rousing moments, yet it's nothing more than hawkeyed tripe we'd expect from the likes of some Disney film with way too much sugar. Star Jack Black seems to be the films sole life support and even his manic routine gets tiresome.

Think of "Rock" as a hybrid of "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "The Bad News Bears" only without the sentiment of the former or sly wit of the latter. Yes, there are funny segments in the film, but considering the premise, casting Black as an out of control substitute teacher at a prep school; humor is going to surface somewhere. The problem is that the film has about as much creativity as the episode of "Brady Bunch" where the kids decide to put together a band.

You can tell from my the unoriginal title that "School of Rock" is a film involving music; rock music to be exact. It's the tale of Rock fanatic Dewey Finn (Black); a man oblivious to everyday life outside of Led Zeppelin and The Clash.

Once Dewey is kicked out of a band he had put together, he's desperate to find work to help pay the rent. He lucks into a job as a substitute at a prestigious prep school by passing himself off as his more focused roommate (the film's screenwriter Mike White).

Once at the school, Dewey begins teaching the children the only thing he's knowledgeable in, Rock music. He's found some talented musicians in this group and is training the children to play in an upcoming battle of the bands. His main adversary is the school's uptight principal Ms. Mullins (Joan Cusack).

Essentially, with "School of Rock" we're asked to laugh at the frenetic energy of Jack Black. That's difficult to do since his appeal is something which is better in smaller doses; supporting roles where he's the goofy sidekick instead of the big cheese. His performance in "High Fidelity" is basically the same as his work here yet at least that seemed incredibly audacious. Here, he seems weakened from the task of having to carry the entire film on his back. Unlike his performance in 2000's "Shallow Hal," there's no emotional core to the character of Dewey Finn. Dewey is who he is and refuses to change.

Also, Jack Black is the type of performer who, when he's at his peak, is completely uncontrollable and unpredictable. Think of him as the poor man's Steve Martin or John Belushi, and that's not half bad. Just like Martin and Belushi, Black is best suited for the less restricted environment of standup or unscripted television. I frankly can't think of a time Steve Martin has been funnier on celluloid than he has on stage. There's a certain restriction that comes with doing a film performance. You can't unleash the beast inside of someone like Jack Black, although "School Of Rock" does try, but he has a set dialogue and routine that he must abide by.

Black needs to find a vehicle which allows him to be himself, not some jackass babysitter for a bunch of eleven year olds. Black is game for this, the audience is not. Knowing his own musical roots, (Black is the lead singer for a group called Tenacious D), it's obvious that he cares about this material. His dedication to the film is shown in his demeanor throughout. Yet, it's as though the creators feel the material is enough to carry the film. On the contrary, the material gets stale after about the first twenty minutes.

As Ms. Mullins, Joan Cusack seems calculated but muted. She moves with the stiff conservative manner that an uptight character should. She's the type of person who only let's loose after a few beers and some Stevie Nicks music. Cusack suffers from the same problem as Black. There's not enough for her to do. She's not able to show any signs of the silly personality we've seen in movies like "Broadcast News," "Working Girl," and "In and Out." I understand that acting requires taking on different personas, and I admire Cusack's dedication to this role, but I'd rather see her quirkiness any day over this reserved nature.

What about the children? We're expected to laugh at a long list of character clichés thrown upon them. We have the snobbish girl, the unpopular Oriental boy, the fat kid and the homosexual little boy. For the life of me, I can't see the humor in children acting these routines for the hundredth time and I had hoped that Linklater and White could muster up something more unique. Therein lies the major dilemma. I doubt that those behind this film actually were taking this all seriously. Reading between the blatant lines, what we have here is manufactured fluff thrown together for a big buck. This is why I question some of the quotes that have been so generously handed to this film by other critics. Words like "witty" and "inspiring" are being carelessly being thrown around while a much more important and satisfying family film like "Secondhand Lions" is being labeled "trite" and "schmaltzy."

That's the problem with the industry today. Films with a positive message drown in a sea of mediocrity more often than not. Maybe if "School of Rock" had a message, it would be a more satisfying motion picture. Instead, the sole message of the film is Black's constant repeating of "Stick it to the man!" This bland philosophy comes from an intellectual like Linklater; a man who gave us "Waking Life" where a talking monkey gives a University lecture about life. That's much more entertaining than Jack Black acting like an ass in front of children.

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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1204402
X-RT-TitleID: 1126023
X-RT-AuthorID: 5858
X-RT-RatingText: 2/4