Best film in the world. Tribute.
Jack Black finally bursts the box office tills as Dewey, a heavy framed heavy rock musician who passes himself off as a supply teacher to pay the rent.
Having been sacked by his band mates for excessive 'face melting' guitar solos and ill-fated stage diving attempts, Dewey decides to tap in to the pre-teen talent of the class he is fraudulently teaching in order to form a new band.
Giving out homework assignments in the form of heavy metal CDs to study, he endeavours to open the children's minds to the "awesome power of rock" and encourages them to 'stick it to the man'.
Predictably the somewhat bemused kids slowly warm to their eccentric new teacher and his philosophies. What follows is plenty of layers of mozzarella in the form of a battle of the bands, outraged parents and the conversion of a tightly-wound, neurotic headmistress (ably played by Joan Cusack).
Jack Black is in almost every scene. He delivers plenty of his Tenacious D rock god act and is clearly happy working with the talented children.
The film never delivers as many big laughs as I was expecting, however it does leave a pleasant taste and I was not left feeling disappointed. Basically there's plenty of feel-good value for your fiver. The kids didn't annoy me, nothing tragic occurred and Jack Black's face and body twisting style of visual comedy didn't provoke thoughts of violent behaviour in the way Jim Carey's sometimes can.
So it's not a Wayne's World, or a Spinal Tap, or a Bill and Ted. More like a gentler, non-violent Kindergarten Rock-Cop, with a very different kind of actor in the starring role, obviously. Not among the best films I've seen recently, but much further from the worst.
Directed by Richard Linklater, School of Rock is a pleasing 108 minutes long, carries a PG certificate and is showing at most cinemas across the UK now. Take the kids.
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