School of Rock (2003)
As some people have pointed out, Mike White's screenplay is generic and boring. It's a good thing Jack Black exists in this world, then -- as quite possibly the only actor alive who embodies the spirit of this film, it stands to reason that nobody else could have made this work. If you aren't into Black's mood-swing comedic stylings (he's the only actor I can think of right now who can throw such maniacal intensity into being laid-back), you'd probably want to give this one a miss, but if you do find him funny then there's no film that could possibly be more tailor-made. Funny, charming, fairly irresistible once you pass a certain point (even if Kyle Gass is inexplicably in absentia); also the first film since the 2000 duo of O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Dancer in the Dark that understands the mesmeric, transporting power of good music, which should certainly count for something. Plus, Joan Cusack is hysterical -- her rhapsodic joy upon hearing "Edge of Seventeen", or her uncontainable glee when announcing the disappearance of a class of students, is quite something to behold. She actually steals the film away from Jack Black, which is like a 9.9 on the difficulty scale in the Cinematic Humor Olympics. (Quick question for those reading this: What's your current album-of-the-moment? Right now, I'm kind of hung up on Jane Doe by Converge... not sure what that says about my mental state...)
Grade: B+
As some people have pointed out, Mike White's screenplay is generic and boring. It's a good thing Jack Black exists in this world, then -- as quite possibly the only actor alive who embodies the spirit of this film, it stands to reason that nobody else could have made this work. If you aren't into Black's mood-swing comedic stylings (he's the only actor I can think of right now who can throw such maniacal intensity into being laid-back), you'd probably want to give this one a miss, but if you do find him funny then there's no film that could possibly be more tailor-made. Funny, charming, fairly irresistible once you pass a certain point (even if Kyle Gass is inexplicably in absentia); also the first film since the 2000 duo of O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Dancer in the Dark that understands the mesmeric, transporting power of good music, which should certainly count for something. Plus, Joan Cusack is hysterical -- her rhapsodic joy upon hearing "Edge of Seventeen", or her uncontainable glee when announcing the disappearance of a class of students, is quite something to behold. She actually steals the film away from Jack Black, which is like a 9.9 on the difficulty scale in the Cinematic Humor Olympics. (Quick question for those reading this: What's your current album-of-the-moment? Right now, I'm kind of hung up on Jane Doe by Converge... not sure what that says about my mental state...)
Grade: B+
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