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School of Rock

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School of Rock (2003)

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Reviews Counted:183

Fresh:167

Rotten:16

Average Rating:7.7/10

Consensus: Black's exuberant, gleeful performance turns School of Rock into a hilarious, rocking good time.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some rude humor and drug references

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Oct 3, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $81,147,397

Synopsis: SCHOOL OF ROCK is a hilarious romp that parents will enjoy as much as their children. Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who doesn't seem to be rocking much of anything these days.... SCHOOL OF ROCK is a hilarious romp that parents will enjoy as much as their children. Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who doesn't seem to be rocking much of anything these days. Kicked out of the band that he started and about to be kicked out of his apartment, Dewey pretends that he's his roommate Ned Schneebly (Mike White) in order to take a job as a substitute teacher. Arriving at an ultra conservative--and ultra expensive--prep school, Dewey manages to fool the uptight principal (Joan Cusack). Soon, he finds himself in a classroom with a bunch of fifth graders. Obviously, Dewey has no intentions of teaching these kids anything, but when he discovers that a handful of them are talented musicians, a light bulb goes off. Determined to enter the local battle of the bands and win $25,000, Dewey embarks on his greatest mission of all: Teaching these kids how to rock! Director Richard Linklater (DAZED AND CONFUSED, WAKING LIFE) delivers his most universally appealing film with SCHOOL OF ROCK. Written specifically for Black by screenwriter/actor White, this outrageously entertaining crowd-pleaser elevates Black to superstar status. [More]

Starring: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman

Starring: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman, Miranda Cosgrove, Joey Gaydes

Director: Richard Linklater

Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriter: Mike White
Producer: Scott Rudin
Composer: Craig Wedren
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Release:

Dec 30, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Jack Black stars as a hell-raising guitarist with delusions of grandeur. Kicked out of his band and desperate for work, he impersonates a substitute teacher and turns a class of fifth grade high-achievers into high-voltage rock and rollers. Joan Cusack portrays the principal of the private school where Black is prepping the kids for a Battle of the Bands.
  • Source - Paramount Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for School of Rock

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    1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    04/09/04
    Guardian [UK]
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
    10/04/03
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    10/04/03
    Boston Phoenix
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
    11/01/07
    David Ansen
    David Ansen
    Newsweek
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
    04/29/09
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Cinema Crazed
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: BlackFilm.com | comment Comment
    10/30/03
    Julian Roman
    Julian Roman
    BlackFilm.com
    N/R

    Here's the perfect education for those about to rock.

    Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
    10/08/03
    Linda Cook
    Linda Cook
    Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    08/07/04
    Peter Rainer
    Peter Rainer
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Instead of the freshness of About a Boy, it presents the tried-and-true of a watered down The Goonies.

    Full Review Source: Trades | comment Comment
    09/28/03
    Alex Keen
    Alex Keen
    Trades

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
    01/27/04
    Anton Bitel
    Anton Bitel
    Movie Gazette

    Makes for unessential viewing.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 1 Comment
    10/05/03
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    A string of cliches lashed together by a formulaic plot that features underwritten characters and sit-com style humor.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment 1 Comment
    09/30/03
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Black works better as a team player than carrying a movie alone, and neither White nor Linklater have their hearts in this kind of parade-of -the- cute-kids flick.

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    10/06/03
    Jim Lane
    Jim Lane
    Sacramento News & Review

    The very anarchic spirit Black’s Dewey Finn imparts on the youngsters falls away in an avalanche of tidy sentiment and warm fuzzies, and it becomes clearer than in the Farrelly Brothers’ 'Shallow Hal' that he's at sea when he’s forced to dial down his per

    Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
    10/14/03
    Jonathan R. Perry
    Jonathan R. Perry
    Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

    The problem is that the film has about as much creativity as the episode of Brady Bunch where the kids decide to put together a band.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    10/06/03
    Josh Gilchrist
    Josh Gilchrist
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    This movie feels about as liberating as a whalebone corset.

    Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
    10/02/03
    Lawrence Toppman
    Lawrence Toppman
    Charlotte Observer

    Despite its earnest demeanor, School of Rock is without purpose -- a feel-good message movie without an identifiable message.

    Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
    10/15/03
    Mark Palermo
    Mark Palermo
    Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

    [A]bout as rebellious and free and rockin' as a Clear Channel radio station, packaging payola-ed ‘cool’ for a mass audience and dishing out focus-grouped, MBA-approved ‘hip’...

    Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
    10/02/03
    MaryAnn Johanson
    MaryAnn Johanson
    Flick Filosopher

    Part of the blame should go to White's scattershot script, part to Linklater for not tightening things up, and the rest should be stuck on Black, who seems not to be ready for starring gigs.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
    10/02/03
    Phil Villarreal
    Phil Villarreal
    Arizona Daily Star
     
     
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    Latest News for School of Rock

    August 05, 2009: Columbia Adopts White's Babe in the Woods Opens in new window
    "School of Rock" writer Mike White has sold Columbia Pictures his script for "Babe in the Woods," an action-comedy about "a female freshman from the Midwest who arrives at Yale... More...

    October 17, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Is Burn After Reading A Coens Classic? Does Eagle Eye Have Enough Action, Man?
    In this week's roster of UK cinema releases we have the latest addition to the Coen canon in the CIA comedy caper, Burn After Reading, Shia LeBeouf stakes a further claim to the... More...

    September 08, 2008: Linklater Says "Not So Fast" to School of Rock 2 Opens in new window
    According to Richard Linklater, Paramount may have jumped the gun when they announced that "School of Rock 2" was on its way. More...

    July 14, 2008: Jack Black Heading Back to School Opens in new window
    Looks like Mike White's School of Rock 2 script was pretty solid -- Paramount has given the sequel a green light, and Jack Black has signed on to star. More...

    See All

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