THE SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003) / ** 1/2
Directed by Richard Linklater. Screenplay by Mike White. Starring Jack
Black, Joan Cusack, White. Running time: 108 minutes. Rated PG by the
MFCB. Reviewed on October 25th, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Wannabe rock star Dewey Finn (Black) mooches off his friend Ned
(White), who once shared Dewey's dreams but now works as a substitute
teacher. Under pressure to make money, Dewey poses as Ned and takes a job
at a prep school run by high-strung Rosalie Mullins (Cusack). He discovers
that the kids there are musical prodigies, and decides to turn them into a
band.
Review: Despite its rather antithetical notion that putting together a
rock band is somehow more valuable to a group of ten year-olds than math
or English, "The School Of Rock" nonetheless maintains a remarkably broad
appeal, simply by being so much fun. It's not too coy to be pigeonholed as
a kids' flick, yet maintains a mischievous sense of glee which the younger
set will certainly appreciate. Much of this is due to Black, who carves
out a memorable character in Dewey Finn, an ostensible slacker who's not
so much lazy as seemingly misdirected in the ways he directs his energy.
Children will enjoy Dewey's antics, and their parents will likely wish
that they could sometimes emulate him, too. But "The School Of Rock" would
only be half a movie if Black were its sole standout. Fortunately, the
large cast of child actors is up to the challenge too, and White's script
wisely treats the students as real characters rather than simple ciphers.
Scenes like one in which a pupil confesses performance anxiety stemming
from her weight problem help "The School Of Rock" to feel a little
better-rounded. Of course, it will come as little surprise that, in the
end, the film follows the pattern of most such movies, and the climax is
fairly predictable. But the path to that conclusion is never less than
charming, making "The School Of Rock" a treat for the whole family.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
Archived at The Popcorn Gallery,
http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html
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X-RT-RatingText: 2.5/4
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