REVISITING CLASSICS: 3

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Today we delve into the mind of Richard Linklater and his classic movie; School of Rock. School of Rock is one of Linklater's underrated films and he is known more for the iconic film, Boyhood. But School of Rock holds an important place of its own. The film started on a premise of a failed Rock Band singer trying to fit himself into the mainstream (make some money to earn a living) and in the process fakes as Temp teacher to get into a premier and elite Private School (as a proxy to his friend) and thereby gathering the momentum amongst a deadbeat set of students already loaded with the parochial and archaic pedagogy of modern education (a kind of ridicule on the modern education which is incentivized at every step).

School of Rock is not a regular music based film but goes beyond the realm of it to showcase how passion is important in things that you want to do. An iconic Jack Black (Dewey Finn) was just the right guy to play the failed musician and his energy, passion and love for the genre is palpable. Jack Black runs his own band, by the way that goes with the name; Tenacious D. 

Linklater was always clear that the school kids playing the parts MUST know the instruments they are playing and that sets the tone for the movie. The rehearsals further helped and a lot of jamming being done made it into the final cuts of the films. Especially the time when Dewey Finn is setting up the band. Sample the genius of Linklater; The character played by Miranda Cosgrove (Summer Tinkerbell) a trained musician had to learn how to sing out of tune to play her part. And all of this smaller detailing in the film shows as it gradually starts to unfold.

School of Rock had the fear of being an out an out Jack Black film but the amazing screenplay ensures that the different characters played by the kids and even the bands that come in as an ensemble cast does amazing wonder to the screen time. The song selection are out of the world and the piece de resistance has to be getting Led Zeppelin to allow them to use their cult the "Immigrant song" (see IMDB trivia to know how Jack Black got Led Zep to let them use the song). There are scores of other numbers by AC/DC, Ramones, Metallica, The Who, The Doors... 

School of Rock could an easy going film to watch or it could be an amazing oeuvre to the Rock Genre or it could be about passion making way for everything or it could be about how an education system tie-ing us down and it takes one man to find a way for all to understand that when life gives you lemon make lemonade out of it. 

Go watch! It just premiered on Netflix India.    

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