{4.5\/5} “Dude, I service society by rocking, OK? I’m out there on the front lines liberating people with my music!”<\/p>\n
School of Rock<\/strong>, released in 2003<\/p>\n Dewey Finn’s band fires him, and he’s trying to find some new bandmates. When a private school calls for his roommate who’s a substitute teacher Dewey takes his place, thinking it will be easy money. At first Dewey tells the class it’s recess all the time, but then he comes up with a different plan — he will form a band with his students and win “Battle of the Bands.”<\/p>\n This is Jack Black’s movie — his obvious enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. He’s absurdly over the top but in this case it works. In fact, this movie probably wouldn’t work without him.<\/p>\n The kids are great — they can all play the instruments they’re seen to be playing. The songs that the band plays are terrific.<\/p>\n I still think it’s very funny. You can’t quite think of this story as taking place in the real world — but that’s probably true of all comedies.<\/p>\n