School of Rock: the 2003 comedy where fifth-graders formed a rock band

On October 3, 2003, Richard Linklater's School of Rock was released in theaters. The American comedy was written by Mike White, produced by Scott Rudin, and starred Jack Black.

Black plays guitarist Dewey Finn. He is kicked out of his band, and to pay rent he poses as a teacher and gets a job at a prestigious school. Hearing the students play, Dewey forms a rock band out of the fifth-graders to perform at the "Battle of the Bands" and get back at his former bandmates.

Filming and music

White's idea drew on the Langley Schools Music Project. Filming began on December 2, 2002. Linklater searched the country for thirteen-year-old musicians to perform the rock music for the soundtrack and the film. A separate story involves Led Zeppelin's song "Immigrant Song": the band rarely allowed its recordings to be used in films, and the director shot a video in which Black asks for permission, after which the musicians agreed.

Box office and reviews

The film's budget was 35 million dollars, and its worldwide gross exceeded 131 million. It was called the highest-grossing music comedy in history, until Pitch Perfect 2 surpassed it in 2015. Critics received the film well, especially praising Black's performance: on Rotten Tomatoes it has 92 percent from 199 reviews, and on Metacritic 82 out of 100.

After the premiere

The story was brought to the stage and to television. The Broadway musical began performances in December 2015, ran for 1,309 shows and grossed more than 160 million dollars. A series based on the film aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons, from March 2016 to April 2018. In August 2013, a 10th-anniversary screening was held in Austin, attended by Linklater, Black, White and the grown-up cast members.

Image: Carol M. Highsmith Public domain

Translation editor: Ловушкин А.