Quartile rating: 8/10 · 2 ratings
Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his students the finer points of rock 'n' roll. The school's hard-nosed principal is rightly suspicious of Finn's activities. But Finn's roommate remains in the dark about what he's doing.
School of Rock is elevated primarily by Jack Black's magnetic, career-best comedic performance — a genuinely exceptional turn that carries the film far beyond its formulaic premise. The plot is a well-worn underdog-teacher-inspires-kids template with few surprises, hitting every expected beat. Cinematography is functional and unremarkable, typical of mid-budget comedies of the era. Novelty is moderate — the rock music angle and Black's anarchic energy give it a distinct flavor, but the structure is deeply conventional. The ending delivers satisfying crowd-pleasing payoff at the Battle of the Bands, though it resolves too neatly and predictably to be truly memorable.