School of Rock (2003)
Coming Out at 3 October 2003 in theaters.
Comedy, Music
School of Rock is comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman, and Miranda Cosgrove. Black plays struggling rock guitarist Dewey Finn, who is kicked out of his band and subsequently disguises himself as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After witnessing the musical talent of his students, Dewey forms a band of fifth-graders to attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands and pay off his rent.
School of Rock was released on October 3, 2003, by Paramount Pictures, grossing $131 million worldwide on a $35 million budget. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Black’s performance. It was the highest grossing music-themed comedy of all time, until it was overtaken in 2015 by Pitch Perfect 2. A stage musical adaptation opened on Broadway in December 2015, and a television adaptation for Nickelodeon premiered on March 12, 2016.
Rock band No Vacancy performs at a nightclub three weeks before auditioning for a Battle of the Bands competition. Guitarist Dewey Finn creates on-stage antics, including a stage dive that abruptly ends the performance. The next morning, Dewey wakes up in the apartment he lives in with his friend, Ned Schneebly, and Ned’s girlfriend, Patty Di Marco. They inform Dewey that he is overdue on his share of the rent, and that he must make up for it within one week or move out. When Dewey meets No Vacancy at a rehearsal session, he finds out that he has been replaced by another guitarist named Spider. Later, while attempting to sell some of his equipment for rent money, Dewey answers a phone call from Rosalie Mullins, the principal of the Horace Green prep school, inquiring for Ned about a short-term position as a substitute teacher. Desperate for his rent money, Dewey impersonates Ned and gets the position. On his first day at school, “Mr. S” (the name Dewey adopts when realizing he doesn’t know how to spell Schneebly) spends it behaving erratically, much to the class’ confusion.
Director: Richard Linklater
Writer: Mike White
Stars: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman, Miranda Cosgrove
Cast:
| Jack Black | … | Dewey Finn |
| Adam Pascal | … | Theo |
| Lucas Papaelias | … | Neil |
| Chris Stack | … | Doug |
| Sarah Silverman | … | Patty Di Marco |
| Mike White | … | Ned Schneebly |
| Lucas Babin | … | Spider |
| Joan Cusack | … | Rosalie Mullins |
| Jordan-Claire Green | … | Michelle |
| Veronica Afflerbach | … | Eleni |
| Miranda Cosgrove | … | Summer Hathaway |
| Joey Gaydos Jr. | … | Zack |
| Robert Tsai | … | Lawrence |
| Angelo Massagli | … | Frankie |
| Kevin Alexander Clark | … | Freddy Jones |
| Maryam Hassan | … | Tomika |
| Caitlin Hale | … | Marta |
| Cole Hawkins | … | Leonard |
| Brian Falduto | … | Billy |
| James Hosey | … | Marco |
| Aleisha Allen | … | Alicia |
| Zachary Infante | … | Gordon |
| Becca Brown | … | Katie |
| Jaclyn Neidenthal | … | Emily |
| Suzzanne Douglas | … | Tomika’s Mother |
| Eron Otcasek | … | Musician |
| Carlos Velazquez | … | Musician |
| Kimberly Grigsby | … | Mrs. Sheinkopf |
| Lee Wilkof | … | Mr. Green |
| Kate McGregor-Stewart | … | Mrs. Lemmons |
| Wally Dunn | … | Gym Teacher |
| Tim Hopper | … | Zack’s Father |
| Michael Dominguez-Rudolph | … | Art Student |
| Crash Cortez | … | Max |
| Nicky Katt | … | Razor |
| John Highsmith | … | Tony |
| Heather Goldenhersh | … | Sheila |
| Timothy ‘Speed’ Levitch | … | Waiter |
| Scott Graham | … | Punk Rock Guy |
| Sharon Washington | … | Alicia’s Mother |
| Kim Brockington | … | Leonard’s Mother |
| Marty Murphy | … | Concerned Father |
| Kathleen McNenny | … | Freddy’s Mother |
| Joanna Adler | … | Summer’s Mother |
| Robert Lin | … | Lawrence’s Father |
| Barry Shurchin | … | Cop |
| MacIntyre Dixon | … | Bus Driver |
| Amy Sedaris | … | Mrs. Haynish |
| Mary Fortune | … | Teacher’s Assistant |
| Mandy Siegfried | … | Female Employee |
| Elle Key | … | Concert Goer |
| Carlos J. Da Silva | … | Security Guard |
| Ian O’Malley | … | Radio Exec |
| Chris Line | … | Radio DJ |
| Kyle Meaney | … | Toby |
| Lauren Adler | … | Concert Goer |
| Myriam Blanckaert | … | Waitress |
| Kelly Anne Burns | … | Groupie |
| Leanne Cabrera | … | Concert Goer |
| Catherine A. Callahan | … | Concert Attendee |
| Brooke Campbell | … | Extra |
| Cedric Cannon | … | Leonard’s Dad |
| Mike Clemente | … | Crazed Fan |
| Anivile Daniel | … | Concert Goer |
| Jane DeNoble | … | Billy’s Mom |
| Paul Evans | … | Extra |
| Erin Glass | … | Beatrice |
| Riley G. Matthews Jr. | … | Blood Brothers MC Biker |
| Jada Montemarano | … | Student |
| The Mooney Suzuki | … | Themselves |
| Mateo Moreno | … | Concert Goer |
| Lian Moy | … | Student |
| Karen Nazarov | … | Groupie |
| Ryan O’Connor | … | No Vaccancy’s Biggest Fan |
| Scott Ross | … | Concert Goer |
| Caileigh Scott | … | Girl at Concert |
| Johnny Sullivan | … | Guy in Crowd Who Catches Dewey |
| Jamie Vergan | … | Concert Goer |
| Joe Wachowski | … | Concert Goer |
| Frank Whaley | … | Battle of the Bands Director |
| Angus Young | … | (archive footage) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia