Product Description

A diehard rock guitarist-turned-substitute-teacher transforms a class of fifth graders into a high-voltage rock group. His lesson: to lead the kids on to victory in the local battle of the bands competition. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 08/22/2006 Starring: Jack Black Joan Cusack Run time: 109 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9011 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2004-03-02
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Live, Dolby, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 108 minutes

Amazon.com
Turbo-charged comic Jack Black shakes School of Rock to its foundations, wailing with born-again metalhead passion as Dewey Finn, a guitarist who gets kicked out of a band because he grandstands too much--or, to put it another way, enjoys himself. Through an intercepted phone call, Finn gets a job as a substitute teacher for a fifth grade class at a private grade school. Neither students nor teacher quite know what to do with each other until Finn discovers that some of his young charges can play instruments; at once he starts turning them into a blistering rock & roll troupe that can crush his former band at an upcoming competition. School of Rock is silly and formulaic, but director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused), writer Mike White (The Good Girl), and especially Black and co-star Joan Cusack invest the formulas with such glee that the movie is irresistibly fun. --Bret Fetzer

DVD features
Like the movie, the DVD extras are smarter and a lot more entertaining than your average flick. The making-of feature ("Lessons Learned") has the usual behind-the-scenes banter but Jack Black is in fine form--that is, something special--interviewing as much as being interviewed about the making of the film. His unique pitch to Led Zeppelin to use their song is alone worth the price of the DVD. Black is more his maniacal self and a bit more grating in MTV's Diary segment, but his commentary track with director Richard Linklater is as insightful as it is funny. Ok, it's a lot more funny, but entertaining throughout. The commentary track featuring just the kid actors is less so, but any preteen would love listening to it. To top it off, the DVD-ROM has Dewey Finn's instantly famous blackboard history of rock. You can drill down to the bands mentioned and get a brief history of each. Class dismissed. --Doug Thomas

From The New Yorker
If you're a fan of Jack Black, your cup runneth over. He's Dewey Finn, a mediocre but enthusiastic guitarist who "serves society by rocking!" In need of cash, Dewey bluffs his way into a substitute-teaching position at an exclusive, private elementary school. At first the job is purgatory, but then it's paradise: some of the fifth graders turn out to be skilled classical musicians, and soon Black begins instructing them in the finer points of power chords. The movie nostalgically celebrates the liberating power of "rock!"-the way it could impart coolness to all true believers. The kids (mostly non-actors) top the charts in adorability, and their acting, for better or worse, belongs to the amateurish tradition of "The Bad News Bears." Mike White's somewhat generic script (for him) sets the stage for Black to cut loose. The actor has a knack for moving his body in funny ways-watch for the double arm wave he does after putting a Stevie Nicks song in the jukebox-and he sings and prances for the camera in a risky and aerobic performance. Joan Cusack offers fine support as the tightly wound principal. Richard Linklater directed, with his trademark touch of conveying milieu: the rocker's van, the school lunchroom, and backstage at the battle of the bands. -Michael Agger
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Gotta Love Jack Black!
This is one of my favorite movies to watch when I need a laugh and just to have some layed back fun. I love this movie from beginning to end. Jack Black can be so funny without even trying. If you like music, Jack Black, and to laugh and left feeling good when a movie is over, you'll love this movie.

It was a fun movie to watch.
While School of Rock is billed as a comedy, I found it more related to Shakespearian comedies than say recent movie comedy. That is to say that no one died and overall it had a good ending. I was surprised to find very few laugh-out-loud moments in this movie. Maybe I'm just a tough audience, but that was my take. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy it.

As a matter of fact, I quite enjoyed it. This is something of a feel good story, and it is fun, which is something I always enjoy in movies. While the story leaves a certain number of blatant holes, such as how easy it would be to be invited to a prestigious prep school as a substitute, it is enjoyable enough that I can forgive the unlikely plausibility.

Central to School of Rock is the music. By this I mean that the themes revolve around music not that music is what it is all about. Rock is what molds the protagonist, Dewey Finn, and puts him into the situation that starts the basic plot. Rock is what pulls him out of the funk that he finds himself in, and what gets him into a bit more trouble.

The kids are what make the movie though, and I enjoyed the fact that they play so well. The kids do offer the opportunity for Dewey to change (a little) and to offer his own wisdom to help them through the rather convoluted (or weak) issues they experience, such as being cool, stage fright, and pressure from both peers and parents.

My favorite part was the concert at the end of the movie. In the concert, one gets to see the fun of rock and roll, both during the performance and at the conclusion of the performance.

I think I would have enjoyed a little bit more on the history of rock, other than just a diagram, but that is something that is a minor concern.

I would recommend this movie as a light repast. It isn't very serious, and it isn't over-the-top comedic, but it is fun, for at least an hour and forty minutes or so. I give it 3 ½ stars, which I rounded up.

As far as extras, they were okay, but they were neither a deal maker, or deal breaker.

I enjoyed the Kids' commentary, though it completely overtakes the movie so that you really don't hear the movie during the overplay.

The Lessons Learned section was moderately okay, and you had a better chance at meeting the young actors. There was a little tongue and cheek by Jack Black, which I had mixed (slightly toward positve) feelings about.

I would still reccomend the movie, just on fun.

Entertaining despite kids
Normally, I can't stand films with cute kids. This is an exception, largely because the cuteness factor is played down. Jack Black is a phenomenon here. His rubber face and eyebrows are in overdrive. Yes, it's got the standard Hollywood feel-good grand finale. Did you really think it wouldn't? Very watchable, and the extras are unusually interesting, too, a rare exception.