Movie review – “School of Rock” (2002) ***1/2

Jack Black finally made the transfer to full fledged star with this entertaining comedy especially geared to Black’s talents. He has a brilliant time as the erratic teacher who finds a genuine gift in bringing the gospel of rock to kids – not rap, or musicals but good old fashioned rock. The other delight of the film is the little kids. A film about a “rock school” you’d expect it to feature students who were teenagers, and there’d be a little romance and all that stuff. But the decision’s been made here to have them actually be little kids, played by actors who are little kids. And it works a treat. The kid actors are amazingly good – the precocious organiser, the rebel, the chubby Chinese kid, etc. They’re all fabulous – well, except for the pretty bland bass player who seems like a 'tween MTA. Loosely plotted but full of memorable sequences and this gave me new appreciation for Stevie Nicks.