Yesterday, Anya and I found ourselves with a decision to see a movie she wanted to see (Scary Movie 3) or to see a movie I wanted to see (Shattered Glass). I am definitely the type of person that can see multiple movies in one day, and this decision was made easier since the two movies in question were polar opposites of each other. But then, looking up at the board at Grapevine we noticed that "School of Rock" was still playing.

As you can tell by the title of this post, we chose to see "School of Rock." We both figured that our window of opportunity to see "School of Rock" in the big theater was rapidly drawing to a close.

I don't want to get too involved into this review. But overall I'd say that it was one of the best family movies I've seen this year. Why this movie was PG-13, I'll never know. If you're looking for a good movie with valuable lessons about life and music, then you should check out this movie.

Jack Black was perfect in the role of the rocker turned substitute teacher turned rock teacher. No other actor out there could have captured the feel of being a rocker while being a warm hearted teacher at the same time. One of the reasons this role was suited perfectly to Jack Black is that Jack Black IS the character.

But at times, Jack Black's antics got a bit tiring. I think that sometimes, he'd try to do too much of his "schtick." It never got too annoying, but sometimes I kept wanting for Jack Black to just settle down.

If I take anything away from this movie it's that life passes by too fast for you not to slow down and smell the roses. The lesson behind this movie is that sure Academics are important, but it's also important to enjoy the finer things in life.

In this case, the finer things in life are realized through rock and roll. Through Rock and Roll, a person can break from being an automaton and be a real person. Through rock and roll, a person can "stick it to the man," and live their own life and be what they want to be.

I like that this movie understood completely what rock and roll means. There were two major bands in this movie, one being Jack Black's former rock band, and the other being his "School of Rock" band of 12 year old kids. And quite honestly, the 12 year old band understood Rock and Roll on a level that the older aged bands did not.

This review is kinda scatter brained so maybe I should quit while I'm ahead. Overall an excellent family movie.

matt out