School of Rock (Widescreen Edition)

 

Picture: A-     Sound: B+     Extras: A     Film: A-

 

 

School of Rock (2003) offers something that very few films manage to do these days and that is to combine intelligence with entertainment.  Lately, you either get one or the other, but rarely get a nice dosage of both.  This is also Jack Black’s finest performance as a lead character or even as a side character.  The film rotates around his character, which he plays so perfectly some may say he was born for the part, or at least born to rock. 

 

While the storyline may seem too much like Mr. Holland’s Opus, this is by far a more realistic approach to teaching students. This film actually addresses the question of what education really is.  I once saw a T-shirt that said “I was born intelligent, but education made me dumb” and I think that certainly applies in many of the schools across America.  Schools have become these institutions that are so concerned with passing on the tradition of the teacher/student relationship that seldom to they meet the needs of the actual students.  Therefore many talents and gifts go to waste and not to mention they are not prepared to hone their abilities for a higher education.

 

Jack Black plays Dewey Finn, a parasite on his friend Ned Schneebly, who is a respectable substitute teacher.  Dewey is in a band in hopes to win a Battle of the Bands competition, but there is one problem, Dewey likes the spotlight.  This leads to him being kicked out of the band, so in his despair one day he happens to get a call, well a call for Ned, but Dewey answers the call and ends up getting the substitute teacher position at a nearby high-class school. These students wear uniforms, have advanced lesson plays, and last but not least…know nothing about Rock N’ Roll.  That’s about to change though.  Dewey (as Ned) quickly finds out that these students have talents deep within and before too long they start having music lessons rather than the actual lessons.  Only one more challenge lie ahead, how does Dewey disguised as Ned manage to get the band ready for the Battle of the Bands and be a teacher all in one. 

 

Our audio is presentation is in conjunction with Paramount’s normal Dolby Digital 5.1 option since they rarely do DTS.  The 5.1 mix is good, but not great since it does not have the fidelity and depth that the DTS could have offered especially considering that this is a very music-heavy film.  The dialogue is richly spread across the front soundstage while the surrounds only become engaging during certain music numbers. The 1.85 X 1 image looks good with accurate flesh tones and colors giving life to a somewhat muted palette of colors.  The cinematographer Rogier Stoffers, A.S.C., was able to give a nice feel to the film and his work in the past is of great reputation with films like Quills, John Q., and Enough.  His work is never flashy, but provides a nice overture of colors, angles, and depth that allows the characters to be presented in a realistic setting.  Sometimes a good cameraman is able to create an experience where you don’t realize you are watching a movie, but instead their work becomes transparent to the fact.  

 

Paramount has a winner on its hands and they have done it great justice for the DVD-Format.  This is certainly a well-appreciated edition for those that enjoyed the film because the DVD has about four hours of bonus material, all of which are just as entertaining as the film.  There are two commentary tracks, the first with Jack Black and Director Richard Linklater, and the second one is with certain kids from the movie.  Both are engaging and will make you want to watch the movie again listening to various odds and ends about the production, the acting, the origins of the film, and many other facets.  There is also some humor spread throughout, so those expecting that will be satisfied as well.    

 

Most of the features are quite fun like the Lesson’s Learned in ‘School of Rock’ segment that is about 25-minutes and deals with all aspects of production from the perspective of Jack Black and some of the kids.  Most of these young talents have never worked on a major film before. Then there is the short pitch that Jack Black presented to Led Zeppelin in order to get permission to use the Immigrant Song because they have turned down others for trying to use their material.  The Kids Video Diary is another program more from the kids’ perspective and how much they enjoyed working on this and learning from this with clips from the Toronto Film Festival.  MTV’s Diary of Jack Black deals a little with his contribution to the film and his association with his own group Tenacious D, for which he is the founding member.  For those with DVD-ROM capabilities you will not want to miss the expansive Dewey Finn’s History of Rock, which goes beyond what was presented in the film about how the “tree” of rock music has sprouted and where all the great bands fit in. 

 

You won’t find too many films from 2003, or even the past few years that come close to the energy and excitement of this one.  It is also a treat to see Richard Linklater spurt out a successful film after his terrific Waking Life, which was shot digitally and later animated over the actually footage.  The film dealt with Philosophy in a fascinating way that should NOT be missed. This will certainly secure him as a director to look for in the next few years and hopefully he will live up to his reputation.  His career began with another rock-oriented film called Dazed and Confused, which many will remember more for the soundtrack than anything else.  Jack Black now has a solid leading role under his belt with some freedom to hopefully pick smart projects from now on and stay away from things like Shallow Hal, Orange County, or The Jackal.  So without further ado, get ready to rock…School or Rock style!

 

 

-   Nate Goss