The story starts out with Dewey Finn (Black), a drunken loser getting kicked out of his band. They tell him he is a good guitar player, but he is an embarrassment. Upon returning to his apartment, we come to find out that he is freeloading off of his pushover-substitute-teacher friend, Ned (screenwriter Mike White), who finally tells him to come up with some rent or hit the road. With no band and no money, Dewey becomes desperate.
One morning, he receives a call from a very expensive private school that needs his friend as a sub, so Jack decides to pose as Ned to make some money to pay rent. When he gets to the school he finds students are a total opposite to everything he is, until he hears them in music class and inspiration hits, and Dewey decides to form his own band with the kids to win a Battle of the Bands contest. Hilarity ensues as the class is transformed into a complete band, with security, backup singers and even groupies.
This movie made me laugh more than almost any comedy this year. You either love Jack Black or you hate him, and he’s among the best slapstick comedians of the past 10 years. Comedy was rampant, but more importantly, the most abundant commodity of this movie is Rock. Any fan of rock and roll will find that this movie is the best thing since the last Led Zeppelin concert. Jack Black happens to be a talented guitar player, and jams out numerous times in the movie. He’s not the only one either. Apparently every player in the band really does play their instrument, and very well for that matter. It was quite amazing to see 10 year olds outperform bands I’ve seen on MTV.
All in all, the movie was well worth the $6.50 I paid to see it. Great comedy combined with a decent plot makes for a worthwhile movie. If you’re a fan of Jack Black, and you liked him in Shallow Hal, you’ll dig him in this. If you don’t like Black, go see it for the 10 year old kids who play instruments, and make sure you stay for the credits, funny stuff.