One of Jack Black’s best movies, School of Rock, is now available to stream on Peacock, and it’s dominating the platform’s charts. Directed by Richard Linklater from a script penned by The White Lotus creator, Mike White, School of Rock stars Black as Dewey Finn, a failing rock musician posing as a substitute teacher. In a desperate attempt to earn money to pay his rent, Dewey poses as his roommate Ned (White) to get a substitute teaching job at a prestigious private school. When Dewey discovers his class is full of talented musicians, he forms a new band to enter a local Battle of the Bands competition.
School of Rock is one of the defining comedies of the early 2000s and helped cement Jack Black as a movie star, following his career as one half of the rock-duo Tenacious D. Alongside Jack Black and Mike White, School of Rock also stars Joan Cusack, and Sarah Silverman. An old adage in Hollywood is to never work with animals or children, but the young actors in School of Rock absolutely steal the show. From the teacher’s pet Summer (Miranda Cosgrove), to the rebellious drummer Freddy (Zack Clark), every young performer in the movie holds their own on screen, acting alongside established screen presences like Black and Cusack.
If its bonkers concept, incredible cast, talented director, and endless jokes weren’t enough to convince you to watch School of Rock, the movie features a stunning soundtrack that befits its title. Containing more needle drop moments than a James Gunn movie could handle, School of Rock is a love letter to the rock genre, featuring hits by T. Rex, The Doors, Led Zepplin, Cream, Ramones, Stevie Nicks, The Who, AC/DC, The Clash, and the list goes on. But it’s the original songs that steal the show. As the class band prepares for the Battle of the Bands, shy guitarist Zack (Joey Gaydos Jr.) reveals he’s written his own song, which they all decide to play at the tournament. “School of Rock (Teacher’s Pet)” is one of the most iconic original songs ever written for a movie, and will play on a loop in your head for weeks after watching the film.
A School of Rock Sequel Could Happen in the Future
Over 20 years after its release, the buzz around a School of Rock sequel has resurfaced. Earlier this year, director Richard Linklater released his newest movie, the action/comedy Hit Man, starring Glen Powell. Marking the director’s return to outlandish comedies, Linklater was asked about a potential School of Rock 2. Linklater said that he would love to work with Jack Black again on a second movie. However, they have to come up with a story that warrants returning for a sequel.
“…there’s got to be a reason… There’s got to be something. Don’t do it unless there’s an idea, the reason we did two Before’s is there was a good idea screaming out, there’s something to express about this.”
As well as being regarded as one of Jack Black’s best movies to date, resulting in the cast reuniting twice over the last two decades to perform some of the songs from the movie, School of Rock has been turned into a long-running Broadway musical. School of Rock‘s influence on pop culture runs deep, and the movie was responsible for introducing a whole new generation to 20th Century rock ‘n’ roll.
School of Rock
is currently streaming on Peacock.
