SCHOOL OF ROCK [2003] Jack Black ; Rated PG

It would be fair to say, with the exception of his break out role in John Cusack's 'High Fidelity', Jack Black has never quite been able to, on screen at least, live up fully to his off screen persona. However with the success of his band Tenacious D, and his ever growing popularity both in film and music, it was never really doubted that eventually 'Black would manage to bring his full exuberant personality properly onto the big screen. With a role specifically tailored for 'Black, 'School of Rock' finally lets Wonder Boy (as he is affectionately known) break out big style, in one of the most memorable and truly masterful performances of his career to date. 'School of Rock' sees 'Black's character masquerading as a substitute teacher in an attempt to fulfil his dreams of being a rock star. With a simply superb supporting cast, the majority of which are of course of the child like variety, 'Black is given the ideal stage to take us on a heart warming and genuinely funny journey, through self-discovery and the much underrated art of creating Rock music. The movies direction is swift, and the gentle build to the films final performance is undeniably expertly paced, with almost every angle, dimension and thought explored before the films close. 'School of Rock', though hardly original in terms of story conventions, is a movie that entertains from start to finish. A warm, funny, genuine and ultimately very impressive piece of main stream cinema, with a performance by its leading man worthy of at least an award or two. 'School of Rock' rocks! Simple as that.

5/5