School of Rock
By Lizzie C., Larchmont, NY
Wannabe guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) has dreams of winning the Battle of the Bands, but instead is kicked out of his own band. Unemployed and desperate, he takes on his roommate's identity and becomes a substitute teacher for a fifth-grade class at a prestigious school. Dewey has no clue how to teach, but after accidentally hearing the students at an orchestra rehearsal, he decides to turn them into a rock band.
This movie - excuse the pun - rocked. Not only was it laugh-out-loud funny, but the underlying message that "Everyone has an inner rock star" was really touching. It was great watching the children go from over-achieving snobs to full-out punk rockers.
Jack Black's movies usually contain humor of the "Ha ha, I farted" variety, but this movie isn't like that. It is funny in an intelligent way, and I recommend it.
Somewhat surprisingly, the acting is superb. Rather than just playing for laughs, Black gets into the psyche of Dewey Finn and makes him touching and believable. Also, Zack (Joey Gaydes), the lead guitarist, and Summer (Miranda Cosgrove), the band manager, are really wonderful characters.
All in all, a wonderful movie. I give it an A+.
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