Plot
A wannabe rock star in need of cash poses as a substitute teacher at a prep school, and tries to turn his class into a rock band.
Release Year: 2003
Rating: 7.1/10 (91,927 voted)
Critic's Score: 82/100
Director:
Richard Linklater
Stars: Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack
Storyline Down and out rock star Dewey Finn gets fired from his band, and he faces a mountain of debts and depression. He takes a job as a 4th grade substitute teacher at an uptight private school where his attitude and hijinx have a powerful effect on his students. He also meets Zack, a 10-year-old guitar prodigy, who could help Dewey win a "battle of the bands" competition, which would solve his financial problems and put him back in the spotlight.
Cast: Jack Black
-
Dewey Finn
Adam Pascal
-
Theo
Lucas Papaelias
-
Neil
Chris Stack
-
Doug
Sarah Silverman
-
Patty Di Marco
Mike White
-
Ned Schneebly
Lucas Babin
-
Spider
Joan Cusack
-
Rosalie Mullins
Jordan-Claire Green
-
Michelle
Veronica Afflerbach
-
Eleni
Miranda Cosgrove
-
Summer Hathaway
Joey Gaydos Jr.
-
Zack Mooneyham
Robert Tsai
-
Lawrence
Angelo Massagli
-
Frankie
Kevin Alexander Clark
-
Fred
(as Kevin Clark)
Filming Locations: Buckley Country Day School - I.U. Willets Road, Herricks, Long Island, New York, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $35,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $19,622,714
(USA)
(5 October 2003)
(2614 Screens)
Gross: $81,257,845
(USA)
(29 February 2004)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
When Dewey is demonstrating his "Sing Song" method of teaching, he concludes with "That's right, I was testing you, it's nine... and that's a magic number." which is a reference to the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song 'Three is a Magic Number'.
Schoolhouse Rock! was a series of PSAs that aired during ABC's Saturday morning cartoons and taught American history, grammar, multiplication and science through song.
Goofs:
Continuity:
In the beginning of the movie the middle of the blackboard is clear. But when we see Dewey assigning the band, we see a math poster in the middle of it magnifying the digits of the number one million.
Quotes: Lawrence:
[to Freddy]
You're an idiot. Freddy:
Shut up! Lawrence:
You shut up! Freddy:
You wanna go? Tomika:
You touch him, I'll shove those sticks down your throat.
User Review
Jack Black is Back! Better than Ever!
Rating: 10/10
Finally! Somebody has done right by Jack Black. Somebody has actually
made a movie where Jack Black can be the man and show off his talents.
This is Jack Black at his best and I feel privileged to be alive while
this guy's star continues to skyrocket!
Dewey Finn (Jack Black) loves rock and roll. He is the consummate fan
who knows every worthwhile group and song. He is a singer, songwriter,
and guitarist in his own band called "No Vacancy." But other members of
the group have grown tired of his immature stage antics, such as
20-minute solos and stage-dives. They vote him out and hire someone to
replace him for an upcoming Battle of the Bands contest.
Downcast and distraught, Dewey doesn't know what to do. Plus, his
usually patient roommate Ned (Mike White), a schoolteacher, is being
pressured by his aggressive girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) to make Dewey
pay the money he owes for rent or get out. When a call comes in to Ned
asking him to serve as a substitute teacher at the prestigious Horace
Green Elementary School, Dewey decides to assume his identity and take
the job.
Of course, faced with a class of fifth-graders all nicely clothed in
their school uniforms, this rocker doesn't have a clue as to what to
do. So he tells them to chill out and enjoy some downtime. This scheme
works for a little while but then Dewey visits the orchestra class.
Lights go off in his head and bingo! -- the new class project is to
form a rock band. He decides to teach them everything he knows about
rock with lectures on its history, the evils of "The Man," and the
essentials of playing rock songs.
Dewey's spirits are lifted when he realizes that there are some
talented musicians in the class including Zack (Joey Gaydos, Jr.), the
lead guitarist; Katie (Rebecca Brown) on bass; and Lawrence (Robert
Tsai) on keyboards. Freddy (Kevin Clark), the class rebel, turns out to
be an eager learner on drums, and Tomika (Maryam Hassan) surprises him
with her unusual singing talent. The smartest girl in the class, Summer
(Miranda Cosgrove), gets her chance to excel as band manager while
others serve as back-up singers, special effects wizard, head of
security, and the official selectors of the band's name.
The humor quotient of the film is heightened by the funny performance
of Joan Cusack as the uptight and unlocked principal of Horace Green
Elementary School. When Dewey discovers that she is a secret fan of
Fleetwood Mac, they are able to connect as friends. The rock fan gets
his wish when he has the class entered in the local Battle of the
Bands. By the end of this rollicking film, you'll happily be chanting,
"For those about to rock, we salute you!"
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