School Of Rock Rocks!

 

There are a lot of movies out there. Some are masterpieces, some are mediocre and some are trash! I love seeing films, some animated movies like Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Rise Of The Guardians, Coraline, The Peanuts Movie, Sing or the Super Mario Bros Movie. I love some live action movies like Matilda, Forrest Gump, Kate and Leopold. I also love musicals, like Little Shop Of Horrors, The Wizard Of Oz, Mary Poppins, The Sound Of Music, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and The Greatest Showman! I also enjoy comedies, like some of the DreamWorks movies like Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Megamind and some other live action comedies like Elf, Mean Girls, Meet The Parents and Fockers.

However, there is no other comedy I enjoy more than my favourite movie of 2003, (along with Finding Nemo) School Of Rock!

I didn’t know about this movie when it was new, I had started elementary school and my parents probably didn’t think it was a good idea to show it to their kids, I was 4 and in kindergarten and my brother was almost 4 months old. As time went on, I had been entertained by some of the actors in the movie. There was Jack Black in Ice Age (even then I was still clueless), Shark Tale and the first two Kung Fu Panda movies, there was Joan Cusack in Toy Story 2 and 3, Chicken Little and narrating Peep And The Big Wide World, there was Sarah Silverman in the 2011 Muppets movie (which also had Jack Black) and Wreck It Ralph, or Miranda Cosgrove in Despicable Me or her song Raining Sunshine that played in the credits of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. I enjoyed those pieces of media and especially for the first two stars I mentioned I thought no other movie could top them, but that all changed one day. On New Year’s Eve in 2012, my family and I were seeing friends and the kids and I had a bit of trouble agreeing on a movie to watch, then two girls suggested two movies which were School Of Rock and Harriet The Spy, they looked interesting so my brother and I agreed. So, we saw both movies in that order, and while I enjoyed Harriet The Spy, I loved School Of Rock, and my love for it got even better as the years went by, even as of now! I am thrilled to talk about why this movie rocks!

Relatability

One of the greatest things about this movie is it can resonate with anyone. I’m sure we can all relate to feeling like losers, feeling pressured, being controlled and stifled, being insecure about our bodies, not feeling cool enough and being pushed around. The characters go through all these things, from Dewey feeling like a loser, Mullins is under a lot of pressure as she tries to live up to the expectations of the students’ parents, Zack isn’t allowed to listen to rock music and has trouble letting loose because of his uptight father, Tomika feels insecure for being plus sized, Lawrence feels like he’s not cool enough because nobody talks to him and Ned not only has a lazy roommate but he has a controlling girlfriend who doesn’t let him express his creativity, sure she’s not wrong that Dewey needs to take responsibility but at the same time, she clearly is dating Ned to control him and accuses him of letting others walk all over him, yet she’s doing it herself, just to seem better. The movie not only succeeds in helping viewers relate to these problems, but they also show how we can overcome them.

Leadership and Dewey’s Character

The film also shows a great example of good leadership. At first, Dewey doesn’t seem like a good leader, he was hogging the spotlight in his old band, he considered himself the most important member of the class band, and the song he wanted the band to play at the Battle Of The Bands was pretty self centred (though it was still pretty catchy as Summer said). However, once he did start working with the kids in their “project”, his good qualities came out, he gave each kid an important in the band, even the kids who weren’t playing instruments or singing were given a job, like security or roadies, showing that they still are important despite not being on stage. When Billy asked to be the band stylist, not only did Dewey allow him to do so, but he didn’t show annoyance. He also did well at complimenting the kids, like when Lawrence played, “Touch Me” by the Doors, not only did Dewey sing along, but he also told him he was awesome, which made him smile, he even told Lawrence he is cool, and taught him a secret handshake. When he held “auditions” for backup singers, he told Marta and Alicia that they sounded great (Alicia even nearly moved him emotionally) and he did try not to tell Summer that she sounded terrible, he only cringed when she wasn’t looking. When Tomika showed Dewey that she could sing, not only was he very impressed but he instantly gave her the role as a singer, showing he can be adaptable, willing to make changes for the team. His teaching gig also helped him be more responsible, the part that shows it, is when he finds out Freddy went out with some posers in their van, the first thing he does, is go looking for him, once he found him, he called the posers out and told Freddy that he shouldn’t live like them. It’s also important to point out that before Dewey taught the class, he might’ve been living like that, showing that he’s willing to confront his past self and be better and take more responsibility. It also got better when he found out that Zack wrote a song, he genuinely wanted the band to learn and play the song, he even made some suggestions while still making sure Zack is okay with that, showing he knows the importance of sharing the spotlight, it was also shown on the day of Battle Of The Bands, he said that they should play Zack’s song and asked if everyone was okay with it too. He even taught lessons and took the time to talk to the kids, which I’ll explain later. The movie does well in showing how Dewey grows as a person, by the end he finds out what he really wants, to share his love of rock music with the next generation. This movie is a great example of how leadership is not really about being in charge and bossing others around but it’s about everyone collaborating and supporting others, and as Steve Jobs said, empowering others to do things they never thought they could do and that’s just what Dewey did with the kids.

Heartfelt Messages

So earlier, I mentioned how the situations the characters face are relatable, well the way the characters overcome their problems are just amazing and it’s Dewey that helps them overcome them. The talk Dewey has with Tomika when she tells him privately that she feels nervous about her size, is such a heartfelt moment, I like how Dewey doesn’t tell her she’s not fat, instead he tells her that she is a great singer and even tells her about big people who sing wonderfully and perform well, like the late Aretha Franklin, which makes Tomika feel better and more eager to perform. There’s a reason this scene has been resurfaced and went viral online a few years ago, this moment joyfully speaks against society’s toxic views and expectations on how you should look, especially in a world where beauty magazines exist, which are just papers that bully people based on their looks and it can make them feel so insecure that they would do things that can cause serious damage on their bodies (think of the episode of Full House when DJ tried to starve herself to lose weight), this talk is very refreshing, as a plus sized girl myself, I appreciate that moment more than ever! Dewey’s teaching also helps some of the other kids too, like with Lawrence, with the aforementioned handshake and giving him the nickname, “Mr. Cool” it helped him feel more confident and shine in his keyboard playing. Dewey also made a positive impact on Zack, by helping him overcome his inability to embrace and enjoy what he loves, when he saw Zack’s dad giving him a hard time for listening to rock music, it inspires him to teach the kids a lesson about how to “Stick it to the man”, asking them to share what makes them angry and asks Zack what he would say to a bully or if someone was pushing him around, though he’s hesitant, he does eventually come up with an answer, which is, “Step Off,” which not only results in a hilarious scene but it also makes Zack so happy that not only does he compliment Dewey for the lesson, but this is what inspires him to write the song too. Plus, after Dewey has his talk with Tomika, this not only makes her feel more comfortable performing, to the point of getting her own solo during the final performance but as someone pointed it out, it made her more courageous in general, as evidenced by the part when she threatens to shove the drumsticks down Freddy’s throat if he messes with Lawrence. Dewey’s lessons not only rubbed off on the kids, but also on Miss Mullins and Ned. Spending time with Dewey, might’ve given Mullins the guts to stand up to the parents when they were angry at her for hiring a fraud to teach their children, she ordered them to give her one second to get some time alone, it’s awesome to see, since she mentioned earlier to Dewey how much pressure she’s under from the parents. Ned also gains some confidence as evidenced by two scenes. After Dewey was exposed as a fraud, and he and Patty argue, it’s Ned who orders them to stop. Then, when he decides to go to the show and Patty starts berating him, he answers her by slamming the door and breaking up with her, showing he’s not going to be her puppet anymore. These moments are not only great, but they can also inspire anyone with these problems to find ways to overcome them.

Music

The songs that play in the movie are just awesome! They play classic rock songs like Back In Black, Moonage Daydream, Bonzo Goes To Bitsburg and even the Immigrant Song! They have the band cover classic rocks songs too, from Dewey teaching Zack how to play, Iron Man, Smoke On The Water and Highway To Hell, not only do they sound awesome but Dewey bopping his head and rocking out to it, is both funny and infectious. The bit where Lawrence plays Touch Me by the Doors, and Dewey sings along to the tune and the smile on Lawrence’s face, just gold! I bet a lot of you sing it the way Dewey does whenever you hear the song, I know I do! Plus, the bit where the band does a small cover of Smoke On The Water was so well done, and hilarious with the way Dewey was rocking on the guitar. And who can forget the ending when the band performs Long Way To The Top, where the kids get their instrument solos (though I wish Katie got her bass solo) and the girls getting vocal solos, (fun fact, the girl who played Alicia was actually the voice of Sidetable Drawer in Blue’s Clues, another character who loves to sing) and Dewey making funny noises and being his goofy and funny self, it’s a great way to end off such a great movie. Plus, the songs made for the movie are iconic. Legend Of The Rent is as hardcore as Dewey says it is, Step Off is such a great moment, not only does it show a healthy way to let your anger and frustration out with music, but it’s also hilarious. I like to sing along when the students join Dewey in saying the title of the song, but I can’t say the last part because I break into giggles every time. Of course, the highlight has to be Zack’s song, Teacher’s Pet, the way the band played the song, they really put a lot of passion into it, from Tomika doing a solo (with her parents looking so happy) and Zack doing an awesome guitar solo and Dewey finally nailing the stage dive and the parents, Mullins and Ned being really impressed with the performance. Everything that lead to this moment pays off brilliantly. It’s sure to put a smile on your face as it does to me!

Jack Black

This next paragraph is dedicated to the star of School Of Rock, the always awesome and talented, Jack Black! This guy is excellent as Dewey, the way he makes sounds when imitating instruments or singing along to the songs, or how he was rocking out to Zack’s covers, the way he was screaming along to the Immigrant Song, knowing that Jack has his own band, Tenacious D and has a passion for rock music just adds to the charm of his character, this role was made for him. Plus the way he encouraged the kids is just so sweet. I have heard about the hardships Jack dealt with in life from his parents divorcing and losing his big brother (who actually introduced him to rock music) to AIDS, he probably knew what it was like to feel worthless, even in his acting career he felt like a loser, so he was able to use encouraging words in the movie to help the kids and the audience feel great and see their worth. Whenever I see School Of Rock videos on YouTube, I see comments saying that Jack wasn’t acting, he was just being himself and I agree, that makes his performance as Dewey so awesome and charming. This point I made also leads up to something else, when I first saw this movie, it made me really see how awesome Jack Black really is. Before I saw the movie, I saw Jack either voice act on multiple occasions or get tortured by the Muppets, I did enjoy these performances and thought he was great before, but it was this moment that made me see how great he truly is and my love for the movie just got stronger as the years went by. Jack Black is one of my favourite actors, he does great movies, he nails his roles whenever he can be funny or serious and he’s willing to embrace his insecurities and imperfections to make people feel less insecure, like how at the Cannes promotion for the first Kung Fu Panda, his co star Angelina Jolie was pregnant with twins and was insecure about coming like this due to being a victim of labels, so Jack put his stomach against her baby bump so she would feel more comfortable. These pictures don’t only make me laugh but they also touch my heart, the fact that he did this for someone who’s not only a good friend to him but also someone who truly knew him, he was able to make Angelina smile, similar to how Po eventually got Tigress to smile. Some people have said it best, JB has great energy, he has kindness (he sang Legend Of The Rent to a terminally ill teenager) and positive energy, and he’s a big kid at heart and not afraid to show it. He even likes to wear outfits or costumes related to the movie promotions whether it was this panda like outfit he wore at recent Kung Fu Panda project promotions, the Bowser suit he wore on the Kelly Clarkson show, or even the Bowser like outfit he wore whenever he sings the Peaches song on stage! I can relate to that one as whenever I go to the movies, I sometimes like to dress in clothing related to the movie I’m seeing, like I wore black to look like a ninja when I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3, I dressed like a cowgirl when I saw Toy Story 4 and the first movie when it was part of the Disney 100 lineup, I wore blue at the Finding films or when I wore a panda shirt with a red skirt when I went to see Turning Red last month. Jack is a great role model, we need more people like him, someone who embraces their imperfections and encourages others to be the best versions of themselves and not be ashamed of their quirks, if we had more people like him, our world would feel like being in the Disney Parks. Jack, I don’t know if you will read this, but if you do, you are awesome! Your films like School Of Rock and Kung Fu Panda remind me to be my true self and embrace it, you make me laugh and inspire me too! I hope I can meet you one day, but until then, continue to be as awesome as you always are and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise! Oh and your cover of Kung Fu Fighting with Cee-Lo is gold, maybe better than the original song, and the Peaches song is a hoot!

Here's a picture of me doing a sort of Jack Black cosplay, to show how he's one of my heroes

Impact

The movie from what I heard, made a positive impact on the actors who played the kids, they have stayed in touch over the years and maintained close friendships, so much so that the kids who played Frankie and Marta are dating, it’s honestly so sweet. They’ve all had reunions over the years whether it was in person or on Zoom, it must’ve felt great for them. When Kevin Clark, who played Freddy died in an accident, his co stars shared stories about him on Instagram, showing how well they got along when working on this movie. It’s honestly such a lovely thing to know.

Others

The movie became so great that it lead to Andrew Lloyd Webber adapting it onto Broadway. On my first trip to New York, my mom and I went to see it at the Winter Garden Theatre (I had no clue that in 5 years time, I would be back there to see The Music Man where I could see Hugh!) and it was awesome! I really enjoyed the musical numbers and the kids especially did really well, which is amazing knowing that they learnt how to play their own instruments (which also happened in the movie too, it was how director Richard Linklater cast the kids, if they could learn or play their own instruments), plus there’s a part in the play when the kids come to convince Dewey to do the show even after he was exposed as a fraud, Tomika sings to him about how she was insecure and emotionally in pain but only Dewey ever listened and it’s enough to get Dewey to get up and do the show. Some people comment about how it does a better job with the convincing than in the movie, where in the movie it was Freddy and Lawrence who talked to him. As much as I adore the bit, the way Dewey saw how they got their, I do agree that it was so punk rock, I will admit, as someone on YouTube commented, that it would’ve been more impactful if the ones to convince him were Zack, Lawrence and Tomika, since he made a positive impact on them the most, however, it is a great moment that I’m willing to let it slide. If the show does play anywhere around you, I highly recommend you see it, you’ll love it just as much as the movie. It’s personally my favourite stage show along with the Nemo musical at Disney World, Little Shop Of Horrors and the 2022 revival of The Music Man!

My mom took this picture before the show, before we started rocking!!

I also had the pleasure of seeing it in theatres twice! The first time was when one of the vintage cinemas in my hometown had School Of Rock as their “Throwback Cinema” for September 2022 (it’s an event where they play a movie from the past and share fun facts about it and even make posters too!), I just couldn’t resist the chance. I dressed in rocker like clothes and went into the cinema and had a blast from hearing interesting facts, hearing people laugh at some parts, stuffing my face with popcorn, while trying not to choke from laughing and being able to rock out to the end credits as the lights went on and applauding with everyone who stayed for the credits, sometimes I felt like I was going back to 2003, even though I didn’t know about it at the time. It was also so awesome, speaking to some people about how great it was and they agreed, I felt so happy and even more determined to follow my blogging dream because of how it puts me in a good mood and how Dewey encouraged the kids. I could not stop smiling as I left the cinema that’s how awesome it was! I even bought the poster that they made to remember this day by.

The second time was near the end of September of last year, because it was the 20^th anniversary of the movie, I told myself that if it did play in cinemas that year I would gladly go. Once I found out my local cineplex was playing it in September as part of their Family Favourites screenings (every Saturday they play a family movie for $2.99) I was determined to go. It was the same kind of experience as the other time but it was still fun, especially since I saw it at the same cinema where I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 (my favourite of the KFP movies and it was a day I won’t forget) and where I saw Finding Nemo at years ago, especially since the latter had celebrated the 20^th anniversary too (earlier that month I got to see Finding Nemo at the same vintage cinema on Labour Day to celebrate the milestone). I am thankful for both of those experiences.

Conclusion

All these points and memories are why I think School Of Rock rocks! It’s a great movie with relatable problems, and great solutions, great performances, especially from Jack Black, great music, positive impacts, a great show and more! Even though it took me almost a decade to see it, I’m so happy I did. If you feel like a loser, worthless, insecure or anything, give this movie a watch, it’s a great love letter to those who feel like nothing, not only will it put you in a good mood, but it will also make you feel special, determined to follow your dream and enjoy what you do!

All you readers rock!