THE SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003) **1/2 Jack Black carries this baby all by himself. Well, not entirely by himself: he taps the most positive revolutionary consciousness of the past half century and enjoys musical aid from the likes of the Ramones, Led Zeppelin, and Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers; but it would have all seemed terribly out of place if Jack Black had been. But he's not. You can see him feel the power of rock welling in his veins and rushing to his brain, even if you don't believe in it yourself (in which case, go file something, loser). I have to admit that I had never considered that "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" might properly serve as the musical centerpiece for a film aimed at liberating the minds of 21st century youth and so I, too, have underestimated the power. Mea Culpa. Yeah, so maybe it's all a little bit hokey (in an ultra-hip way), and the denoument reeks of what Pete Townshend called "that rock 'n' roll dream that never came down." I like it. "I'm gonna go form my own band, and we're gonna start a revolution. I feel sorry for you people."
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