School of Rock was one of my favorite movies growing up. I remember how funny I thought Jack Black and the little kids were. Of course nothing is more entertaining to a kid than watching the sassiness of other kids on TV, while watching them do exceptional things. Rewatching it now as an adult who has experience working with kids, the portrayal is really spot on. Kids can be little smart asses that know too much for their own good, but they’re also entertaining and refreshing to be around. One thing I didn’t fully appreciate as a kid watching this movie though was how invaluable it is for kids to have teachers like Jack Black’s character (Dewey Finn) who’s unconventional teaching method allows him to form a unique bond with the students in the class. He’s able to be supportive of the students, push them, and encourage them to do things that are outside the typical school curriculum.
I understand why there’s such an emphasis on discipline within the school system. Over the past year or so I’ve worked at an elementary school, and I know firsthand how crazy kids can get. That being said, it can take a toll if there’s not some kind of balance between discipline and creative outlets for the students. When Dewey Finn first gets to the school he’s a stark contrast to the strictness and blandness of the school. Aesthetically in the movie, the school looks dark and intimidating, almost like a haunted house. Principal Mullins perfectly encapsulates this energy as the uptight woman in charge (or The Man as the students later call her) who’s shown inadvertently making a student cry early on in the movie. There’s this repressing energy in the school that manifests in the students that Dewey has in his class. It seems like all of the kids in the movie are scared to make a misstep, too afraid of the possible repercussions from principal Mullins or from their parents if they did what they really wanted. Dewey’s openness and unrefined nature was like a brilliant flash of light across an otherwise bleak sky.
A significant portion of the movie highlights Dewey’s impact on the school overall. Obviously with his students, but with other teachers, and Principal Mullins too. Dewey does a lot to improve the atmosphere and community aspect of the school and the movie does a good job of showing that. There are also a lot of scenes showing that Dewey actually cares for the students and likes being around them. The scenes of them practicing and getting the materials they need together for their show serves to show them improving their skills and coming together as one unit. Their “classes” end up feeling more collaborative than a normal class would which shows the respect that Dewey has for the students. Dewey also encourages the kids to think creatively and express themselves freely. At the end of the movie when the students escape from their school to find Dewey and convince him to still perform in the show, it feels earned because of the prior scenes that displayed their growing comradery.
Another thing I appreciate is the character development. This is going to sound hyperbolic but I really believe that this movie is one of the best examples of overall character development of any movie I’ve seen. Let’s start with the obvious, Dewey starts off as a loser that was a part of a band that didn’t want him, that lived with roommates that wanted him to move out, and was a man willing to use identity fraud to get quick cash. He was an egomaniac who wanted to highlight himself at the expense of the band. By the end of the movie he’s a legitimate mentor to a class full of kids. He was willing to sideline himself so that the kids could have the best show possible. Dewey went from looking for a way to exploit the kids for money to looking for ways to help fully realize their potential as musicians and as people. In turn, the students made Dewey feel appreciated, respected, and wanted, instead of being treated like a loser like everyone else in his life treated him.
There’s a lot of pressure as an adult to make it in the world, to somehow find financial stability and possibly happiness too. Well when you work with kids for a living there’s even more pressure because now you have to look out for the well being of the kids too, while also juggling what the parents want for their children. As I stated earlier, Principal Mullins starts the movie as an uptight, no nonsense woman, but this persona was forced upon her due to her position at the school. The pressure she faced caused her to change into a person she didn’t like, and the time she spent with Dewey helped her change her ways. After being alone and ostracized for so long, Dewey’s openness and willingness to accept Principal Mullins and even hang out with her outside of school hours helped her loosen up a bit. By the end of the movie she was able to gain respect for the unorthodox connection that Dewey was able to form with the kids.
I really loved the character development of the students in this movie too. All of it was directly sparked by Dewey. Whether it’s Dewey helping Tomika overcome her self perceived weight issue and finding her voice (figuratively and literally), or helping Lawrence find his confidence and make friends, or helping Zack overcome his meekness to showcase his incredible talents as a songwriter and artist, Dewey undoubtedly had an impact on the lives of those students. I love the scene at the end when they’re about to perform their big show and their parents show up, understanbly livid at the situation, and then we watch their parents’ anger turn to admiration when they see their children perform and appreciate how much they’ve grown.
It’s crazy to me how much being around kids can change you, and vice versa. Dewey may not have been an actual teacher, but he made his students feel seen and respected, he was their biggest fan, and he wanted them to be the best versions of themselves. The students saw this and returned the love right back. Even when they knew he was lying about his identity, they knew he wasn’t lying about his belief in them. Part of the reason that teaching is so fulfilling for people is because you can see the students grow in front of your eyes and knowing you played a part in that is a great feeling, but another underrated feature of teaching is the students’ belief in you. Kids are naive, but their naivety is what helps them see their teachers for who they are. The students are able to see Dewey for who he is and still choose to believe in him and appreciate him. For the students, Dewey helped unlock talents and aspects of their personality that may have gone untouched forever. For Dewey, the students helped to make him more mature and selfless. The impact that one person can have on the lives of a group of kids just by respecting their opinions, encouraging them, and talking to them as peers is off the charts. I believe this movie depicts that aspect beautifully.
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