School of Rock is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater and produced by Scott Rudin. The brilliant screenplay is written by Mike White who also plays a role in the film. Fun fact, School of Rock was the highest-grossing music-themed comedy film of all time until Pitch Perfect 2 came along in 2015.
The story follows the life of a rock guitarist who’s got rock running in his veins and an overdue rent notice looming over his head, and with no band in place, there’s no way he’ll win the Battle of the Bands and it’s prize money, a whopping $10,000. And guess who plays the role of this rock guitarist, yup, it’s Jack Black. No one else could’ve played the character of Dewey Finn as well as Jack Black did. Know why? Cause Jack Black is Dewey Finn in real life. The humour, the passion, his eccentric ways, it all screams Jack Black. Although there’s no doubt Black’s remarkable performance has been one of the major reasons this film won the MTV Movie Award for the best comedic performance. Finn takes up the job offer of a substitute teacher in an elitist school, well the job offer his best friend, Ned Schneebly played by Mike White gets. Posing as Ned, Finn goes to class, a week that he hoped would pass by with recesses, naps and munching on kids’ lunchboxes turns into band practice. Thanks to the kids in his class who have a knack for music. As Finn trains them, he realises how bloody talented the kids are and decides to take them into Battle of the Bands. You got a band in place, now the next step is getting funding, and courtesy of good ol’ terminally ill children’s last wish trick, they secure that as well. And as you might’ve guessed, they perform at the Battle of the Bands but not without hell breaking loose, not just for Finn but also for the principal of the school, Roz Mullins, played by Joan Cusack.
Throughout the film, one thing that doesn’t change is the character arc of Dewey. His fervour for rock music only ever increases as the film progresses. But everyone around him sure does change. The children, their parents, Schneebly and even Mullins. It’s Finn’s passion that brings out the passion in kids. He acts as a role model for the kids. Something the kids were in a dire need of, especially at a school where you are only ever encouraged to compete in the rat race of achieving academic perfection with little to almost no room for recreational hobbies unless it’s the abacus.
The cinematography in this film reflects the music being played in the film. Especially during performances, when Finn plays his guitar and goes berserk on the floor, the camera follows him throughout. This profoundly adds not only to the excitement of the scene but also to the this-makes-me-wanna-head-bang element. Something which is a must for good rock music.
The colours in this film are particularly contrasting to their characters and yet they work quite well. Finn’s character despite being cheerful, wears browns, navy blues and greys. But it doesn’t affect his character in the least. His personality alone is bright enough to lighten up the mood in the room. The kids, on the other hand, are always dressed in their uniforms, as dull as dishwater which is quite similar to how their personalities are restricted by the prep school.
Two decades later, the film is still going strong. It sure does age like fine wine, but a few of the characters don’t, our homeboy Zack got arrested multiple times in a matter of five weeks for shoplifting vintage guitars. And remember the rocker who hit on Principal Mullins? Well, he’s a district attorney in Texas now.
To sum it up, the School of Rock is about passion. It’s a story that says if you got the zeal kid, forget the stars in our galaxy, you could even shoot for stars in Andromeda. Though true passion certainly isn’t something that comes easy. Nor does success. But this film surely could’ve surpassed Pitch Perfect 2 if it weren’t for the ‘We don’t need no education’ in block letters on the top of the movie poster.
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