I’m always surprised by the depth of a given streaming services’ scroll capacity.
Just when you think you’ve reached the end of the landing page, a buffer symbol appears and there’s tens more titles to add to your watchlist. While the infinite scroll means we’re spoilt for choice, it can make isolating a singular film feel like something of a chore, even though in reality you’re just sprawled on your couch with a mouthful of UberEats.
But that won’t be the case tonight (UberEats excluded), because we’re choosing exactly what to watch in our latest Executive Decision. This week, it’s the screamo-laden exploits of Jack Black and his students in Richard Linklater’s School of Rock. Those who don’t already know the story of the fraudulent substitute teacher who forms a rock band of prep-schoolers need to 1.) take a long hard look in the mirror and 2.) read on for five reasons to (re)watch School of Rock tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TExoc0MG4I4
The music…duh.
As the title suggests, School of Rock is just as much a love letter to Jack Black’s signature screwball comedy as it is to the genre of rock and roll. Some of the film’s best musical sequences come not from the soundtrack’s legendary credits like The Who and Led Zeppelin (although they are a drawcard), but from Black’s off-hand riffs. So important was the film’s rock-focus that the entire cast played actual instruments on set as opposed to mimicry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN4XbRiHv0Q
To hang out with an otherwise-annoying protagonist.
In the real world, the zaniness of Dewey Finn means you could only interact with him in small doses, but for the purposes of a comedy film, he’s just right. At a brief 1.5 hours, School of Rock doesn’t overstay its welcome, meaning the would-be rockstar lives on as the hero long before becoming the villain, so much so that Dewey’s pipedream of superstardom is one of the film’s most endearing qualities.
To stick it to the man.
There’s a bunch of life lessons in School of Rock, but perhaps the biggest takeaway is the importance of sticking it to the man, which is also reflective of rock and roll more broadly. Dewey upsets the traditions of his private school employers in pursuit of his dreams, underscoring the crux of the film’s message. There’s no romantic subplot or unrealistic ending, but a much more humble (albeit loud) finale in which he leads a band of fellow dreamers to small-scale victory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEN4Lp_prkc
The nostalgic evolution.
Given that it’s almost twenty years old, School of Rock has become something of a classic, which makes looking back on the then-young cast of schoolers a complete nostalgia trip. Of course, Jack Black, Sarah Silverman and Joan Cusack would all go on to have extremely successful careers, but School of Rock also forged Miranda Cosgrove as one of Nickelodeon’s main poster children. And, in news that’ll tug at the heartstrings, castmates Caitlin Hale and Angelo Massagli, who played Frankie and Marta, are a real-life couple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf8INiBDgVg
The end credits scene.
Nowhere is Jack Black’s spot-on ode to rock and roll culture more hilarious than in School of Rock’s credits scene. Sporting an array of wincey facial expressions and mouthing the words to AC/DC’s ‘Long Way To The Top’ with slapstick effect, the scene is a feel-good ending, complete with Black writhing on the floor in melodic harmony.
