Rock Academy

The best thing that could have happened to the genre of a family-oriented story about a determined school group is Jack Black. His enthusiastic performance is the main driving force, along with the excellently crafted soundtrack and Linklater's reliable direction. My favorite music genre effortlessly brought a contagiously positive film. (12/06/2007)

School of Rock unfolds like a standard movie about a character undergoing a positive personal transformation, this time set in an uptight elite elementary school, and in doing so, it confirms the validity of this category’s viewership, even though what makes it likable is mainly the casting and directorial approach rather than superficial emotional manipulation. Linklater understood the unrestrained force of nature that he had at hand in the form of Jack Black and he adapts the filming of the scenes in very long shots that firmly plant Black’s frantically clownish persona in an otherwise rigid environment. Though Black’s protagonist is the chaotic centrepiece of School of Rock, the film as a whole stands on the shoulders of the brilliantly and non-formulaically cast and directed child actors. (16/07/2023)

A brilliant one-man show by Jack Black, whose infectiously vibrant acting captivates from the start. When he's skillfully supported by the little rascals, with an amazed expression on your face, you'll forgive the film all its flaws, including the biggest one - undoubtedly the sugary ending. Rock music rulezz! (01/07/2004)

This time, Richard Linklater, with the most relaxed and positive attitude, serves up an extremely fresh comedy about an enthusiastic rocker-outsider who turns everyday life in a "traditional" school completely upside down. It's funny, it's got the excellent Jack Black and you're flooded with positive feelings throughout. Most of all, it works repeatedly as a nice fun movie that I just can't get enough of. One of those films I'll watch from time to time to improve my mood. (19/01/2019)

As expected, the absolutely flawless Jack Black and a bunch of superbly chosen kids move the evolving comedy forward without a single hesitation. It's a joy to watch, it's a joy to listen to the music, and I enjoyed it all as if I was sitting in the front row. Right now I can’t think of any film that has such excellent closing credits. (07/03/2021)