Rating: 
Summary: A Great Rock Opera - A Masterpiece Movie
Review: I recommend this as the greatest movie of last year. Like Forrest Gump, it is a comedy which is also an allegory for profound truths.The metaphors that represent the profound truths reveal themselves if you make one simple adjustment in your mind before watching the movie. Substitute the word "Love" for "Rock" in the movie title. The title now is School of Love. Early in the movie, the main character Dewey Finn played by actor Jack Black tells the members of his old band who had just kicked him out, "To read between the lines," while disguising a crude hand gesture. That line is also an invitation to the audience to see the spirit of the story. Dewey Finn is an ersatz Jesus Christ. There is one key scene in the movie when Dewey makes a statement that the movie audience knows to be true and beautiful but all the adult characters in the movie scene, except for Dewey, take as perverse and blasphemous. In the Gospels, Christ made many statements that were either interpreted as true and beautiful, or as perverse and blasphemous. This movie is a perfect story to illustrate the mystery and love one experiences when undertaking a heroic mission as Joseph Campbell described in his classic book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Almost every line and lyric of the movie relates to its theme of having the courage to live a genuine life based on your inner passion. If you have plans to see Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, I suggest you very soon afterwards watch School of Rock (a.k.a. School of Love). After a depiction of a heroic mission to teach Love through the endurance of tremendous suffering, you will find the depiction of a heroic mission to teach Love through the experience of music and humor to be a wonderful, uplifting contrast. School of Rock (or Love) demonstrates how God makes it possible to enjoy life at its fullest by having the courage to undertake and complete a heroic mission to serve others. The children in the movie become heros and heroines under the guidance of a crass, humorous, outrageously lovable teacher Dewey Finn, who has no home of his own and is a subtly disguished, mirror image metaphor for Jesus Christ. Just as Leonardi da Vinci's journals were decoded by holding a mirror to a page, Christ is revealed by seeing Dewey Finn's traits and actions in mirror image. The fact that makes this movie a great rock opera is that it is not over until the fat, gentle man has sung his solo. You may be very tempted to watch the movie again to look for some aspect of this piece of art that you missed. I watched it a second time and laughed even harder over details I missed the first time. One such detail is in the long shot as the kids' band takes the stage for their encore at the band contest. Watch very closely and you will see the chunky kid who is the security detail for the School of Rock punch in the stomach the slinky, snakelike guitarist who had replaced Dewey in his original band and who had tried to seduce the exuberant, naive principal of the kids school. This is the same kid who earlier had pleasantly made fun of her in the school hallway and got away with it. School of Rock is a movie that you cannot afford to miss if you hope to maximize your ability, and the ability of those you love, to completely enjoy the adventure of being alive. Be sure to watch the Special Features on the DVD titled "Lessons Learned in 'School of Rock,'" and "MTV's diary of Jack Black." Both humorously present additional valuable truths with respect to the production of the movie and the power of a playful, grateful, and loving attitude in real life.
Rating: 
Summary: If rocking means lying
Review: i am surprised to see that Lost in Translation has such low review on Amazon while School of Rock has such high review. In my own opinion, Lost in Translation has a lot of silent wisdom in it, while School of Rock is just "form over matter"... [warning: movie spoiler ahead....] Just lying to a bunch of kids to fulfill his dream of forming a rock band because nobody else wanted him... how disgraceful is that... I just heard on the radio that we have a more and more severe problem with cheating in the whole nation. CEO cheat, CFO cheat, alarming percentage of students cheat at exams. all the people who give this movie a 4 or 5 star must be also a fan of the cheaters? the school principal, at times posing as silly kind of authoratative figure, and at time posing as "admiring" your rock band kind of silly figure. Lost in Translation is more for you if you can stand to be with someone you like for a few hours like sitting next to each other and reading books. School of Rock is for you if you like noisy and meaningless conversation. on the IMDB website, the score for these two movies are more just: Lost in Translation is above School of Rock, and is one of the top 250 movies ever made.
Rating: 
Summary: Great entertainment while bringing back the memories!
Review: This is by far the best DVD I've rented this year. While the plot is somewhat iffy, ultimately, who cares! The acting, music and singing is just wonderful. All of the references to the old school rock bands come up, which made me feel really old! Overall, the movie is very entertaining and really never had a slow point. The method of teaching to the kids was great and I loved the final product at the battle of the bands. This DVD is sure to bring a smile to your face and will make you laugh out loud at least a couple of times. Well worth the rental dollars, and probably even worth owning in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: School of Rock..... Yearbook Entry:
Review: Hey, Jack, Whuz up?? Dude, your new movie really kicks @$$.
May you succeed in all that you do, and go far in life. Don't ever forget us, your fellow classmates in the school of life, and never EVER forget, always stay the same. UR2COOL2B4GOTTEN! Lylab,
Soggy
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies of 2003
Review: 'School of Rock' is, in my opinion, one of the best movies in 2003. It's funny, cute, a bit of a musical, and heartwarming - all without being too preachy. Dewey Finn (Jack Black) is a member of a rock band that's just about to make it big - except for one thing. Dewey's always messing up their shows by doing crazy tricks and trying to act cool, but he's really coming off as an idiot. When he gets kicked out of the band and needs to pay his roommate $2,200.00, he needs to find a way to make money...fast. So he poses as a substitute teacher at the best elementary school in New Jersey - and when he sees the kids playing in band class one day, he gets a great idea. Why not have the KIDS play as his band, and he can enter the Battle of the Bands contest. He's sure to win! This movie is hilarious...it has a bit of dirty humor (including lines like "I have a hangover. Does anyone know what that means? It means I have a headache, and the RUNS!"), but I don't think it deserves the PG-13 rating. Everyone in the movie has talent - they act, sing, and play their own instruments. (I was more impressed by the kids' performances in this movie than the adults. They all seem so...real. Not like the characters in teen comedies.) The extras are great. I haven't seen all of them yet, just the 'School of Rock' music video, the kids audio commentary, 'Lessons Learned in School of Rock,' and the video diary of the kids' trip to the Toronto Film Festival. I highly recommend this DVD. Overall grade - A+
Rating:
Summary: Not Sappy
Review: there are too many ways for a movie like this to have a bad ending. too sad, too happy, too sweet, too sappy. but it was perfect all through.
Rating:
Summary: ROCK!
Review: There are a number of films that center around the relationship between a gifted teacher and his/her students. Mr. Holland's Opus. The Dead Poets Society. Music of the Heart. This is one of those films, in the same way that The Legend of the Overfiend is an animated romance. This movie was obviously fun to make, and it shows. Jack Black is very funny, which is not surprising. What is surprising is how well he interacts with the ten year old kids in his classroom, and how amazingly talented most of those kids are. I enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would (I suspected to find it mediocre) and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: the best movie i`ve seen
Review: i really enjoy this move jack black and the kids were great. i rented this movie so far i look at it 7 times and i can`t stop putting it in my vcr. i know i have to take it back to the video store. thats why i will buy it from amazon.com. this movie was made for jack black he is just wonderful. i hope they make school of rock2. because i just love it.
Rating:
Summary: "Dude, I service society by rocking!"
Review: I found this film to be extremely funny and worth repeated viewings. Directed by Richard Linklater, who also did Slackers (1991), Dazed and Confused (1993), and SubUrbia (1996), The School of Rock (2003) stars the hyper-kinetic and unpredictable Jack Black in a role specifically written for him by co-star Mike White. Black plays Dewey Finn, a dedicated rocker who believes he and his band are on the verge of greatness, their main goal to win a locale battle of the Bands contest, get the prize money, recognition and, hopefully, a record contract. Problem is Dewey tends to 'rock hard' on stage, which his band members feel is clownish and not fitting in with the image they want to project. Thusly, Dewey soon finds himself voted out of the band and out of a means of income. To top things off his meek roommate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White) and Ned's overbearing girlfriend, played by Sarah Silverman, decide Dewey must move out due to his inability to pay rent. When it rains, it pours... Anyway, while pondering thoughts of his situation, Dewey takes a phone call for Ned, who is a substitute teacher. An exclusive preparatory school needs someone to fill in, and on discovering the decent amount of money involved, Dewey pretends he is Ned, and takes the job. What was going to be some quick money soon turns out to be more as Dewey learns that the children are musically inclined, and gets the idea to try and build a band around the youngsters, and compete in the upcoming Battle of the Bands contest. He passes the idea off on the children as a secret school project, and thus their education into 'hard rockin' begins. Jack Black is the star of this movie, no doubt, with his spastic energy and erratic nature, but he certainly has a lot of help with his great supporting cast including Joan Cusack as the principal of the school (I am truly glad to see her back on the big screen as of late all I've been seeing her in is annoying wireless phone commercials) and all the talented children that comprise his class. I was happy to see the filmmakers decided on going with a cast of relatively unknown children, rather than 'cutesy', overused children we've seen in many other films. And these children can truly perform, not only with acting, but also with their ability with their respective instruments. The story is pretty classic one, a grown up somewhat forced into involvement with a group of children who soon finds he having an effect on his students, and, in turn, they are having an effect on him. Personal growth develops all around, and we all get the warm fuzzies. While some of other films of this nature tend to get a bit schmaltzy, The School of Rock seems to narrowly sidestep it, and avoids the tooth decaying sweetness so often involved in a stories like this one. And let's not forget the music...Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Ramones, AC/DC, The Who and many more. I was glad to hear so many great, classic songs accompany the movie, enhancing the complete hard rocking experience that is The School of Rock. Special features are numerous, encompassing around four hours of material, but the best part for me was the inclusion of Jack Black's video pitch to legendary rock gods Led Zeppelin to use their Immigrant Song within the film. Also included are separate commentaries by Black and the children, a video diary, trailers, interactive features, weblinks, a music video for the original song created for the finale, and more. While the plot of the movie is pretty far-fetched and requires the viewer to suspend a great deal of belief, it worked for me and was a truly satisfying way to spend an hour and fifty minutes. If you liked Black and his musical abilities, you might want to check out his band, Tenacious D. The CD and DVD are both available here. I definitely look forward to seeing him in future projects. Cookieman108
Rating:
Summary: Upbeat Comedy that Kids and Adults Will Enjoy.
Review: Dewey Finn (Jack Black) is a rock guitarist who has recently been fired by his band. Desperate for cash, he poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. But Dewey doesn't know the first thing about teaching, so he's at a loss for anything academic to do. When he learns that many of his 5th-grade students are accomplished musicians, he decides to give these straight-laced kids a lesson in rock-n-roll. He turns the class into a rock band, complete with road crew, a security detail, and groupies. The whole class pitches in to get the band in shape to compete in the city's Battle of the Bands. "School of Rock" was directed by Richard Linklater and written by Mike White, who also plays Dewey's roommate Ned in the film. This movie is just a lot of fun. It was tailor-made for Jack Black, so it perfectly exploits his over-the-top sense of humor and physical comedy. "School of Rock" manages to pay tribute to rock-n-roll while making fun of its more histrionic and self-indulgent clichés. It's all in good fun, though. Jack Black is funny and lovable as a reckless rocker who has unwittingly taken on considerable responsibility. Joan Cusack contributes one of her many memorable comedic performances as the uptight principal of the school, Miss Mullins. The child actors who play musicians were themselves chosen for their musical talent. Thankfully the film doesn't fake the kids playing the instruments. They are all accomplished musicians, and it's nice to see so much young talent on the screen. Young members of the audience will be encouraged to see that real kids can rock too. "School of Rock" is a lot of silly fun -but in a good way. It's a movie that both children and adults can enjoy. (By the way, in most parts of the world, this film got a G or PG rating.) The DVD: This is a nicely loaded disc. Bonus features include a making-of documentary called "Lessons Learned", "Jack Black's Pitch to Led Zeppelin" is which he begs the band for permission to use the "Immigrant Song" in the movie, a music video for the film's theme song, "Kid's Video Diary: Toronto Film Festival", "MTV's Diary of Jack Black", a DVD-ROM (Windows only) that contains Dewey's History of Rock and an archive of the film's website, 2 audio commentaries, and a theatrical trailer. "Lessons Learned" is a decent documentary, and it features interviews with Jack Black, Mike White, Richard Linklater, and some of the kids. Jack Black fans will like "MTV's Diary of Jack Black", which spends one day in L.A. with the actor as he goes to rehearsals for the movie and works on new material for Tenacious D. One of the audio commentaries features Jack Black and Richard Linklater. It's entertaining, but there isn't much technical stuff if that 's what you're looking for. The other audio commentary features 7 of the child actors. It's chaotic, but it's interesting to hear the kids' point of view. One of the funniest things is that they've memorized all the punch lines from the movie. If you're interested in the kids, also check out the "Kids Video Diary: Toronto Film Festival", which follows the principal child actors for about 12 hours on the day of the film's screening at the Film Festival. Subtitles are available, for the film, in English. And dubbing is available in French.
| 
