SCHOOL OF ROCK Release Date:  October 3rd, 2003 (wide). MPAA Rating:   PG-13 for some rude humor and drug references. Distributor:   Paramount Pictures From the opening scenes of Richard Linklater’s "School of Rock" it is clear you are watching a star: Dewey Finn, the lead character played with complete conviction by Jack Black, launches into a guitar solo so fabulously self-involved that he manages to drive off a visiting talent scout and most of the listening crowd. Dewey is so wrapped up in his own idea of himself as rock god that he then hurls himself into the audience, expecting to be carried aloft on a sea of fans, and instead knocks himself unconscious when he hits the concrete floor. Of course, Dewey is NOT a rock star, he is an unemployed musician who has spent years mooching off his best friend, substitute teacher-in-training Ned Schneebly (played with meek perfection by the film’s writer, Mike White) and playing in an unsuccessful band. Dewey's refusal to "grow up" and abandon his commitment to music is nothing less than an affront to those around him, particularly his roommate’s girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) who keeps demanding that he get a "real" job. But things are about to get worse for Dewey: soon the band has kicked him out, Ned is demanding that Dewey actually pay the rent for once, and the local "Battle of the Bands" is only four weeks away. What can Dewey do? Well, the answer to that of course, comes along when Dewey picks up Ned’s phone and, pretending to be Ned, agrees to a "temp job" teaching 5th graders at a prestigious local prep school. Dewey figures he can use the money and the time to put together a new band of his own; all he has to do is fool the stuffy principal (Joan Cusack) and keep the kids from telling. Dewey lectures the children not to bother with anything because nothing they do will matter, that "The MAN" will ruin everything. It is clear that Dewey is drawing on his own school days – this is obviously an adult who was so wounded by his childhood experiences that he could only survive by creating a wall of invincibility around himself. He is completely indifferent to the kids and considers himself nothing more than a babysitter until he spies the children in music class and hatches a scheme to get him to the Battle of the Bands. Jack Black’s eyebrows deserve an Academy Award for this scene alone as they convey with grinch-like precision the devious machinations of the mind behind them: seeing the children playing instruments so meekly, Dewey decides he can mold them into a perfect, obedient band for himself. He convinces them that they are embarking on a school project – "Rock Band" – that they must undertake in secret and fosters on the kids’ competitive instincts to get them to play along. He makes them pledge allegiance to the band and swear not to question his musical directions. And the fun ensues. Dewey is so used to dealing with people who dismiss and demean his single-minded commitment to THE ROCK that it is only when he is around the children – who take him seriously -- that he is able to grow as a musician and accept other people's input and ideas. The funniest moment in the movie -- and most exposing of Black as an actor -- is when he, alone, in front of the class acts out his fantasy rock song -- basically a tirade about the musician (Black) as a lone genius, a screed against the ungrateful band that kicked him out and the evil forces that demand "the rent." The scene makes you cringe in embarrassment but the movie plays it straight; in his own mind Dewey is clearly engaged in an epic battle against the forces of darkness, and silly as it is it mirrors the way a lot of us feel as we move through life. I hate kid movies, but the kids in THIS movie manage to be likeable, real people – Dewey actually encourages them to express themselves, and is able to recognize the kids’ own talents. Joan Cusack is dead on as the uptight principal whose bitchy persona hides a wild devotion to the oeuvre of Stevie Nicks. Cusack and Black are perfectly matched – both have among the most expressive faces in film today, and in this era of botoxed immovability it is a real pleasure to watch actors scrunch up their faces to convey confusion, frustration, and inability to communicate. Black is an absolute treasure in this film; somehow he manages to never have you forget that you are watching Jack Black (who stole "High Fidelity" from, well, everybody) and yet you always believe in the character of Dewey. The fact that the audience can predict some of the ways this movie will go – when will the deception be revealed? Will the kids stand by Dewey after he is revealed to be a fake? – whaddayathink? -- doesn't make it any less of a pleasure. And in the climatic performance, when Dewey throws himself into the crowd, he is held aloft by many hands, and it is as triumphant a screen moment as any in recent memory. ~ April Roberts (aroberts310@nyc.rr.com) Check out their site: www.schoolofrockmovie.com Mulitmedia Real high demand1.stream.aol.com/ramgen/wmg/us/atlanticrecords/school_of_rock/sch_rock_mtv_real_320x240.rm low demand1.stream.aol.com/ramgen/wmg/us/atlanticrecords/school_of_rock/sch_rock_mtv_real_174x144.rm Windows high demand.stream.aol.com/wmg/us/atlanticrecords/school_of_rock/sch_rock_mtv_win_320x240.wmv low demand.stream.aol.com/wmg/us/atlanticrecords/school_of_rock/sch_rock_mtv_win_240x180.wmv