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Personally, I love this man's work. I find his work mesmerizing and hysterical. I love his work with Kyle Gass as the folk-metal duo who think they are the greatest band in the world, Tenacious D. Whether he is the Tony Robbins' hypnotized shallow womanizer in Shallow Hal, the slovenly brash best buddy to a man in love with a maneater in Saving Silverman or the elitest of the elite record store clerk (his best work until now) in High Fidelity, I love Jack Black!
So I got a little antsy when I started reading reviews of his new film School of Rock. "Fun for the whole family," says one critic. "Jack Black's best work to date," says another. If you are praising Black for his best work to date, coupled with the quote that it's a family film, automatically you would presume that Black has sold out. But of course, I had to see for myself.
Black stars as Dewey Finn, a man who still believes in the power of rock and roll and everything it represents. To Dewey, rock isn't about scoring chicks, making money and getting wasted, it's about rebellion. "Stickin' it to the man!", drawing emotion out of your audience and losing yourself in the music. Dewey is rock and roll in human form, much like Jack Black himself.
In the opening scene, you see Dewey on stage, rockin' on his guitar, mugging for the audience, rolling on the floor and eventually stage-diving (and eating the floor after the audience parts) while his "serious" bandmates stand on stage and shake their heads. Soon, Dewey loses his spot in the band because no one takes the band seriously due to Dewey's antics.
Without the gig, Dewey is not drawing money and not pulling his share of the rent. His roomate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White, the writer of the film who should really stay off camera), is a substitute teacher who was once a rocker himself. His rock and roll days are behind him as he went straight and found a sucubus of a girlfriend named Patty (Sarah Silverman, most vile). Patty is a stickler for responsibility and is petitioning Ned to kick out the unemployed slob that is Dewey. Ned gives Dewey an ultimatum: Get the rent or get out.
Dewey answers a phone call for Ned; an offer to substitute for a teacher with a broken leg. The teacher will be out for an extended amount of time. Seizing the opportunity for a lengthy paying gig, Dewey poses as Ned and suddenly he's employed. The only problem is that Dewey will be teaching elementary students at a private school for the gifted.
Dewey's plan is to just let the kids have recess for eight hours while he draws a paycheck, but the kids are not so receptive to the idea. As a matter of fact, the kids are regular ball-busters who have been raised to be responsible and attentive. But Dewey will have none of this book-learning crap, so he continues to call recess. That is until he looks in on their Music class and finds that the kids are all gifted musicians, playing classical music like they had been doing it for thirty years.
A lightbulb goes off in Dewey's head. He can teach them to rock and they can be his backing band at a local Battle of the Bands. Top prize: $20,000.
So the critics say that this is Black's best work to date and you know, they are right. The critics say that this is fun for the whole family and you know, they are right. My skepticism that Black may have sold out is for naught. I was amazed at how great Black was in this role. From the beginning of the film, I was thinking that this was going to be an extention of his Barry character from High Fidelity, but Barry would never grow a soul. Dewey's character gains momentum throughout the film to become a man who begins to find some purpose in his life while maintaining his love of rock. It's an amazing transformation that is not even remotely typical of feel good films. While in most of these types of films, the edgy character will go so soft by the end of the film that you halfway expect them to just completely melt. Dewey never loses his edge, he just finds a balance and a purpose. It's brilliant and so is Black for pulling it off so convincingly.
Every kid in this movie is great. There's the token brown noser, the feminine boy, the rebellious smart ass, the kid who desperately wants to break out of his shell but can't, the dorky Asian kid, the meek heavy girl, and the quiet kid who's way too cool for the class. I was thinking that this was way too typical for the film, but think about it...wasn't that they way it was when you were in school? Didn't you know every one of these kids? I did. I can even name names (though I won't for their own protection). This cast of kids seemed to be handpicked and director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused) couldn't have picked a better bunch.
Hilarious is Joan Cusack's neurotic Principal Mullins, a woman wound so tight she's could be shot across a room like a rubber band. She's flawless (and oddly sexy) in her performance as a woman who knows that her banality has labeled her as a wet blanket amongst her peers. She desperately wants to let out her inner Stevie Nicks (without the aid of alcohol) but feels she never will. Her confrontation with the parents of Dewey's class is priceless, as she teters between a nervous breakdown and total apathy. She's an incredibly underrated character actress.
Richard Linklater has been one of the indie director's of choice since his film Slacker defined Generation X and his film Dazed and Confused redefined the 70's. With School of Rock, he continues to break new ground by giving you a family film that is smart and sophisticated without giving in to the trappings of most feel-good tripe out there today. It stands on solid ground and Linklater's direction is responsible. Mike White's screenplay is spotless and witty, giving the kids a deserved edge while avoiding cliche altogether. His use of Black's character may very well make Black a huge comedic star. Great work by both.
If you love anything about the history or rock and roll, past or present, if you even have the slightest bit of interest in Jack Black and if you really want to see a feel-good film that won't insult your intelligence, you MUST go see School of Rock. This is the first time since I left Punch-Drunk Love where I just felt completely overwhelmed with happiness and I desperately wanted to go right back to the box office and buy another ticket for a second ride. Had I the time, I probably would have. Jack Black has rounded the corner and gone legit without comprimising what brought him to the game. Joan Cusack has become one of my favorite character actresses with just one role. And a whole classroom full of kids have a bright future ahead of them, in the film and reality. Everyone wins in this film and they damn well deserve it.
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