School of Rock-a Unique Comedy Then and Now

School of Rock feels unique as a comedy of its era. Usually, with a comedy of this era and a premise like it has, it's easy to fill it with over-the-top performances and flat or overly flashy filmmaking. But, through Richard Linklater's trademark naturalistic filmmaking style and the top-notch performances, the film never feels too flat or over-the-top, which allows the film to amplify what's already a sharp script with an incredibly earnest and heartfelt story.

Linklater's direction here is unlike that of most movie comedies before and after its release. There are few of the flat shot-reverse-shot compositions of most movie comedies. Instead, Linklater's camerawork lingers and follows the characters naturally in long takes and tracking shots that are visually impressive but never appear too flashy.

It helps that the performances here are equally natural. There's none of the over-the-top performances of your standard movie comedy performances. Instead, every performance feels genuine, like that of real people. Each performance never feels too over-the-top, even when playing comedic archetypes, be it the entire cast of child characters or Joan Cusack as the tight-knit, stuck-up authority figure. The performances here take comedic archetypes and make them feel authentic and natural while simultaneously being hilarious. The performance that feels like an outlier is Jack Black, who's practically playing himself, but he's such an electric presence throughout, and his dynamic with each kid feels so down-to-earth and genuine that you can't help but get swept up by the charm of his performance.

Even without the top-notch filmmaking and performances, there's something so heartfelt and moving about the story. It's the story of a man at a directionless point in his life who discovers a new sense of purpose while teaching his passions to a group of kids, who then, in turn, learn a sense of individuality amongst themselves. Like every other aspect of the film, the writing feels honest and authentic, with complete sincerity to every emotional beat.

The film does fill its narrative with plenty of tropes and cliches, most notably the "liar revealed" trope. But, as the film goes on, it focuses less on the tropes of its story and more on the charm of its characters, which is when the film is at its most endearing.

In the modern comedy landscape, School of Rock sticks out. It's a sincere comedy that plays every aspect, be it the filmmaking, performances, or writing, so naturally, it makes it all work as well as it does. Revisiting this film, I was even more swept up by its charms.

Now Streaming on Paramount+ and available to watch free on YouTube in the U.S.