2008 Woodie Awards
Jack Black "Schools" DVD competition in new flick
By: ADAM STEINBERG
Assistant TimeOut Editor
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At last there is a rock and roll movie for the kids. In the tradition of "This is Spinal Tap" and "Almost Famous" comes "School of Rock." Recently released on DVD, this is a film that the whole family can rock out to. The film, directed by Richard Linklater ("Waking Life"), packs laugh-out-loud humor along with life rock and roll life lessons.
Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn, a struggling guitarist stuck in a struggling garage band. Dewey Lives with his friend Ned Schneebly (Mike White -- also the writer), and Ned's girlfriend (Sarah Silverman). Dewey has been mooching off Ned for years, but Ned's new girlfriend Patty has had enough of Dewey's leeching. After intense pressure from Patty, Ned asks Dewey for his share of the rent. Dewey of course does not have the rent, and to add to his problems he has just been kicked out of his band. This all leads to Dewey posing as Ned (who works as a substitute) and accepting a job at Horace Green Elementary School. This is when the fun begins.
Immediately upon arrival, Dewey begins teaching the kids everything they ever needed to know. Dewey tells the class they have the day off because he is hung over -- which doesn't mean he is drunk today, "it means I was drunk yesterday."
Most of the laughs in the film arise from Dewey's rock and roll credo clashing with the upbringing of the students at the private elementary school. Dewey even tells the kids to just give up on life because "The Man" is taking over: "...there used to be a way to stick it to the Man. It was a little thing called rock and roll, but guess what the man ruined that too -- with a little thing called MTV!" proclaims the great Dewey Finn. The tides turn however when Dewey observes the kids in music class and sees that he has a talented bunch of musicians on his hand. He then comes up with the insane idea to form a band with the children and enter Battle of the Bands. From here the film becomes even funnier and more exciting as Dewey teaches the children the ways of rock and roll.
Jack Black was born for the role of Dewey Finn. For those unaware, Black is even in his own band, Tenacious D. This is Black's best role to date, even better than the infamous Barry from "High Fidelity." Jack Black loves rock and roll, and it shows in his performance.
One can really feel that Black believes in the words Dewey Finn is saying. When Dewey leads a prayer before the band's performance by saying: "God of Rock, thank you for this chance to kick ass. We are your humble servants. Please give us the power to blow people's minds away with our high voltage rock. In your name we pray, Amen."
Yes, this is silly, but Black makes it work because he delivers it with just enough seriousness for us to know he believes these words, but he also delivers the line with just the right smirk on his face for us to know that he is not taking himself too seriously. Without Black's almost cartoonish performance "School of Rock" would not succeed on the level that it does. Black gives the performance of his life here, and he is the reason the film is as good as it is.
Beyond Jack Black, the direction and screenplay are simple enough to let him steal the movie. The kids in the movie are fantastic. While being outstanding musicians -- they really do play their instruments -- they deliver their lines with enough believability to not detract from the film. The direction by Linklater is solid. The director knows that he is not the star of the movie, and his simple yet effective direction lets the performances take center stage. The soundtrack is great as well with classic rock songs ranging from T-Rex to Led Zeppelin. Overall, this is a film not to be missed. Anyone who loves music or comedy should immediately go rent this film. Consider this film Rock Appreciation 101 -- with the best professor ever.
As for the DVD itself, it is available on widescreen and standard. The DVD is also loaded with extra features.
Among the more entertaining features are: Jack Black's pitch to Led Zeppelin to let them use "Immigrant Song" in the film, "Lessons Learned" from the School of Rock, and MTV's "Diary of Jack Black." All in all there are over four hours of special features.
Also included in some DVDs are guitar picks and temporary tattoos -- which I immediately applied to my shoulder and felt extra cool. The film is priced under $20, a steal for all the special features included.
