School of Rock (2003)
80%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: 8 wins & 23 nominations
Black’s exuberant, gleeful performance turns School of Rock into a hilarious, rocking good time
School of Rock is like a musical version of The Mighty Ducks, but instead of hockey, it’s all about rock and roll. Jack Black is the perfect frontman for this band of misfit kids, and his energy is infectious. The plot may be a bit predictable, but who cares when you’re having this much fun? It’s a feel-good movie that will have you tapping your feet and air-guitaring along. So turn up the volume and let’s rock!
Production Company(ies)
Du Art Film and Video Nothing But a Man Company,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Buckley Country Day School – 2 I.U. Willets Road, Herricks, Long Island, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some rude humor and drug references
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 48m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2004
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $131,095,990
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $212,489,786
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 662
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 23,172,278
US/Canada gross: $81,261,177
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $131,713,946
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 578
US/Canada opening weekend: $19,622,714
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $31,805,903
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 419
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $56,730,511
Production budget ranking: 714
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $30,549,380
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $125,209,895
ROI to date (est.): 143%
ROI ranking: 783
Aoi Miyazaki – Kozue
Masaru Miyazaki – Noaki
Yoichiro Saito – Akihiko
Ken Mitsuishi – Shigeo
Gô Rijû – The Killer
Shinji Aoyama – Director, Writer
Takenori Sento – Producer
Director(s)
Richard Linklater
Writer(s)
Mike White
Producer(s)
Scott Rudin
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
8 wins & 23 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (200) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (183) | Rotten (17)
School of Rock just doesn’t rock. It has no appetite for destruction. No raw power. It’s like late Whitesnake. Tidied-up, over-produced. Jack Black is not, sad to say, Jack White.
December 20, 2017
Antonia Quirke
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Standout Jack Black in nerd-becomes-cool comedy.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
School of Rock made me laugh harder than any movie I’ve seen this year.
November 1, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
A cathartic class comedy for kids of all sizes, it’s Bugsy Malone in rock pomp, Slacker meets Spy Kids.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It would be a shame if only kids went to see this film. Adults who can still plug in to their inner rocker, if only to play air guitar, will love it, too.
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
A raucous crowd pleaser with a pumping soundtrack, some awe inspiringly talented kids, and perfect comic performances.
May 14, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
Chris Hewitt (UK)
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Powered almost entirely by Black’s infectious charisma and eccentricity, School of Rock is raucous and heartwarming comedy.
October 22, 2021
Toussaint Egan
Polygon
It feels futile to really tell you why you should watch this one. Either you’ve seen it already and this is a reminder of its brilliance and how you should go rewatch it immediately.
May 10, 2021
Charlotte Harrison
Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies
The concept by Mike White is paper thin and takes a while to move beyond [Jack] Black’s manic mugging, but it all falls into rhythm for the big emotional guitar solo.
April 6, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
School of Rock works despite its flaws. It’s a film that proves when you get a lot of talented people together, you can overcome practically anything, including a familiar script.
November 15, 2019
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
Thanks to Mike White’s clever and witty script, Black is no longer relegated to being a goofy sidekick and successfully segues to center stage focusing in on his innate sense of musical mania.
November 15, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Black turns it up to 11 in every scene, throwing shapes, striking poses and zealously preaching the healing power of rock, never once selling-out to the threat of cute, kiddie-friendly fare.
September 27, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)…
Plot
After being kicked out of his rock band, guitarist slacker Dewey Finn faces a mountain of debts and depression. He shares an apartment with his best friend, Ned Schneebly, an old band member who is now a substitute teacher. Dewey accepts a job as a substitute teacher at a snobbish private elementary school where his attitude and hijinks have a powerful result on his students. He learns they are talented young musicians, and he decides to form a rock band with them to win the $10,000 prize money in a local band contest. Once Dewey wins a competition called “Battle of the Bands”, the prize money would solve his financial problems and put him back in the rock music spotlight.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
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