7 out of 10
 

A Refreshing Comedy

From the director of Dazed & Confused and writer of Orange County comes a new comedy starring Jack Black (Ice Age, Shallow Hall) as unemployed guitarist Dewey Finn. Hoping to strike it big with the Battle of the Bands, Finn finds himself replaced as lead guitarist, behind on his rent and desperate for money, so he poses as his roommate Ned Schneebly and accepts a position as a substitute teacher at Horace Green Academy.

School of Rock features some fabulous performances by unknown newcomers, including Miranda Cosgrove as precocious Summer Hathaway, Kevin Clark as laid back drummer Freddy Jones, Robert Tsai as Lawrence the keyboardist and Brian Falduto as Billy the band's stylist. Black's physical humour and rapport with his students is captivating and also notable are supporting performances by Joan Cusack and Mike White.

The timing is excellent and brings back some nostalgia of the 1970's and 1980's when heavy metal was king and the soundtrack is an integral part of the film as the cast, featuring songs by AC/DC, Metallica, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Ramones and The Doors.

Overall humorous, well edited and fun to watch, School of Rock is entertaining and we will salute you.