Earlier this year, I reviewed "Dazed and Confused", which I couldn't stand to watch. It was made by Richard Linklater, a filmmaker known for his coming-of-age films and surrealist animated features. He tends to really aim for critical praise rather than box office success or audience attention. So, it came as a surprise when I learned that he not only directed one of the most beloved comedies to date, but also the film that truly put its comic star on the map. Dewey Finn is a rock-and-roll fanatic who is seen as a loser by his former band and his friend's girlfriend for tending to get carried away on his performances, regardless if he's talented on guitar or not. As he needs to pay rent soon, he gets the idea to impersonate his friend to be a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. While being lazy at his job in order to just get the money, he notices how the kids have musical talent. So, Dewey decides to teach the kids rock-and-roll and get them prepared to play in a band competition for a grand prize of $20,000. The story is the typical liar reveal narrative where the good-hearted protagonist has to lie to others, despite having bonded with other characters and wanting to tell the truth earlier before the big reveal. While the story template is familiar, the ending isn't as it subverts in order to have the message front and centre. I won't spoil the ending here, but it does ditch realism of the situation just so the message of the film and the coming-of-age themes are delivered. The ending can be a mixed bag as a result for those invested into the characters, but it's effective for the overall story. The tone is very reminiscent of coming-of-age films in regards to its grounded realism despite its comedic nature. Yes, there are some goofy antics and wordplay, but there's a lot of attempts to make the film charming in its character-building moments, particularly when Dewey is helping the kids out.
Jack Black as Dewey is the role that defines the actor's range and motifs, which is being a fool with a heart of gold that is both relatable in his believable morality. Black is obviously having plenty of fun being over-the-top, but it's his sincere moments that really show how effective he is as an actor. It's not super dramatic, but he carries a charm that I find difficult for people to dislike. Joan Cusack as the uptight principal, Roz, is very good as the film never forces the character too much into the story. You'd think that there would be a romantic subplot with her and Dewey, but the film is clever to not go in that direction. Mike White as Ned Schneebly, Dewey's best friend who works as a substitute teacher, is also good in this dry, awkward character who rarely seems to stand up to himself. Sarah Silverman plays Patty, Ned's girlfriend who is very demeaning to Dewey and controls Ned in a one-sided relationship. Silverman acts so well as this realistic yet bitchy character that it makes the viewer hate her for just the right reasons. Then, there are the kids. Honestly, I'm not even going to bother naming them or their actors, as the majority of them are either minor or the child actors haven't went off to recognizable projects, aside from Miranda Cosgrove's Summer. All of the kids are enjoyable to watch from the Asian kid on the keyboard, the angsty kid who loves to drum, the talented lead guitarist, the clearly gay stereotype, etc. It's also nice to see all of the child actors be invested in their roles as none of them act wooden. There are minor characters such as Dewey's former band members and the parents of some of the kids, but they barely do much or have much time to form actual character. Regardless, the cast is really solid with Black doing a great job in his comedy and drama as well as the talented child actors that are best known for this film alone.
Linklater is a director that I couldn't really care much for. Aside from the unique animated films, I'm not the biggest fan of the coming-of-age films as they are either too brainless to be taken seriously ("Dazed and Confused") or just too heavy-handed in the drama with a lack of levity ("Boyhood"). He's a very visionary director in an independent landscape, but they don't tend to pan out well for the most part. However, much like his other films, Linklater at least knows how to direct a film well. Despite the "High School Musical"-looking poster, the film itself doesn't have too much colour used throughout. Not only as it shows the zapped-out autumn setting and the cold, almost hostile setting of the prep school, but it's also to heavily ground itself in reality in contrast to most comedies. Any use of eye-popping colour is saved for the grand finale as the band finally plays. The cinematography by Rogier Stoffers is quite good as he tries to use plenty of one-shot takes from the film's introduction to Dewey's improvised song. Otherwise, it's fairly average for the typical comedy film. While Craig Wedren is credited as the composer, I can't recall any original tracks in the film or know if he wrote the original songs provided by the fictional bands in the film. Regardless, the original songs provided by "No Vacancy" and "The School of Rock" are actually nice to listen to by themselves. They are so good that they really fit alongside the various iconic rock songs used throughout the film that I'm going to bother to mention due to the sheer quantity from AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and so many others.
"School of Rock" is probably Linklater's best film to date in his career despite how simple it seems. Aside from the ending being a bit hit-or-miss and the story has its fair share of tropes with the liar reveal storyline, it's simply fantastic on how the final product performs. The story is enjoyable regardless of the ending or cliches, the tone is perfectly balanced to have comedy and drama in a grounded realistic world, Black makes his world-defining entrance as a lead actor for both his comic and charming talent, the side characters were well acted and portrayed to be either really likeable or despicable, the children characters are both performed well by mostly unknown child actors and are very enjoyable in their distinct personalities, the cinematography by Stoffers attempts to be ambitious at times with the long takes, the original rock songs are really catchy to listen to, the soundtrack is overkill in terms of satisfying rock fans, and Linklater's direction knows how to fit a coming-of-age narrative and themes into a Hollywood comedy. It's almost as if Linklater improved on the mountain of issues that were in "Dazed and Confused" and not only incorporates great direction and soundtrack like before, but ensures that the story, comedy, drama and characters are satisfying by feeling coherent and natural.
Verdict: 9/10. One of the best modern comedies by both Black and Linklater. Watch if you love Black, rock and roll, and just well-made comedies with charming characters and heartwarming moments.
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