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Your piece of shocking news for the day:
School of Rock is good and you should see it.
I know. I was alarmed too. But I checked for other signs of the Apocalypse and didn't see any, so I think we're safe.
Here's why it's better than it should be:
* It doesn't go for the cheap joke nearly as often as you'd think it would.
* Jack Black's character is great with kids. Seriously. Black plays it with sincerity, so when he tells the kids the nice things that will get them to do what he wants, he's not just manipulating them - he damn well means every word. His love and passion for rock informs his interaction with the kids, so it comes off as meaningful and charming rather than cheap and seat-squirmingly embarrassing.
* The kids can act. This is so important. Nothing hurts a production that's largely about children worse than bad child actors.
It has some stupid crap, of course, but that's only to be expected, and there's far less of it than you'd expect. This is the second movie I've seen this year that is far better than it has any right to be.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Amazon.com and dither over whether to spend the money on the soundtrack.
(PS: For any interested parties, Down With Love comes out on DVD tomorrow. Rent it. Just an order suggestion.)
School of Rock is good and you should see it.
I know. I was alarmed too. But I checked for other signs of the Apocalypse and didn't see any, so I think we're safe.
Here's why it's better than it should be:
* It doesn't go for the cheap joke nearly as often as you'd think it would.
* Jack Black's character is great with kids. Seriously. Black plays it with sincerity, so when he tells the kids the nice things that will get them to do what he wants, he's not just manipulating them - he damn well means every word. His love and passion for rock informs his interaction with the kids, so it comes off as meaningful and charming rather than cheap and seat-squirmingly embarrassing.
* The kids can act. This is so important. Nothing hurts a production that's largely about children worse than bad child actors.
It has some stupid crap, of course, but that's only to be expected, and there's far less of it than you'd expect. This is the second movie I've seen this year that is far better than it has any right to be.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Amazon.com and dither over whether to spend the money on the soundtrack.
(PS: For any interested parties, Down With Love comes out on DVD tomorrow. Rent it. Just a
