Post by klep on Aug 9, 2021 10:57:50 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/9: School of Rock
MOTLEY CREW WEEK!
When we think of Richard Linklater the films we first think of frequently tend to be Dazed & Confused, Boyhood, or the Before trilogy - all films marked by a certain naturalism we tend to think of as one of Linklater's calling cards. In that sense, School of Rock is something of a departure for him. It's heightened from reality in the way so many comedies are - people are able to get away with things that are at best implausible in real life and consequences for things like fraud are minor at most.
But there's another feature of Linklater's work that I find running through most of his films, and that's a certain amount of heart and compassion. Linklater isn't blind to the faults of his characters, but it's clear that he loves them nonetheless (well, most of them - the abusive stepdad in Boyhood certainly doesn't get a lot of affection). And that's apparent in School of Rock.
Dewey (Jason Black) is a loser. He's lived his life for rock when it was clear rock didn't love him back too much, and he's now an adult mooching off his best friend Ned (Mike White) and sleeping in a corner of Ned's apartment. But when Ned's girlfriend Patty (Sarah Silverman) puts her foot down to get Dewey to shape up and Dewey's band kicks him out for his antics he's forced to look for a change.
Unfortunately, the change he chooses is to pretend to be Ned and take a substitute teaching position at a prestigious prep school. And it looks like it'll be exactly the disaster you'd think. He just wants to be hungover in peace and collect a nice check. But when he learns some of the kids have musical talent he strikes on a crazy scheme to have them be his band for the upcoming Battle of the Bands.
What's really great about School of Rock though is that Dewey never really needs a come-to-Jesus moment where he realizes he's cynically exploiting these children and changes his stripes. He wants them to help him achieve his goals, yes, but he also believes in them every step of the way. He's awed by their talent, and looks for ways for everyone to contribute and feel like a part of the band - whether they're singing, playing an instrument, doing crew work/costumes, managing, or just making sure the Principal (Joan Cusack) doesn't interfere with their plans.
Dewey was never that bad a guy; he was just never that good of a rock star. For all of the intense devotion he had to the music and the spirit of rock, his own meager talents at playing and songwriting couldn't ever get him to where he wanted to go. He was a loser not because he was aimless, but because he could only see one way to live doing what he loved and was unwilling to give that up for some job he hated. Because Linklater (and writer Mike White) loves Dewey he understands this, and finds a way to showcase both Dewey's passion and his fundamental decency.
Dewey's evolution is less of a scumbag-turns-good arc and more an arc of someone accepting that his passions exceed his talents and figuring out how he can still use his passions to make a positive contribution to society. By the end of the film, he's become the teacher he was pretending to be - a good educator attentive to his students' needs, supportive of their interests even if he doesn't share them, and invested in their general wellbeing. He helped bring out the best in those kids and they love him for it. The adage goes that those who can do while those who can't teach, but what that idiom leaves out is that the best teachers are the ones who inspire.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/16: Big Trouble in Little China
PULP ADVENTURE WEEK!
For Pulp Adventure Week we'll be taking to the streets of San Fransisco's Chinatown for a pulp-flavored tale of martial arts, mysticism, and an oafish American who thinks he's the protagonist. Join us Monday for our discussion of John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China, available for rent at the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 8/10: Excalibur
Next up the podcast tackles a pairing on adaptations of Arthurian legend, starting with the 1981 John Boorman film Excalibur. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of Excalibur, available for rent at the usual places.
MOTLEY CREW WEEK!
When we think of Richard Linklater the films we first think of frequently tend to be Dazed & Confused, Boyhood, or the Before trilogy - all films marked by a certain naturalism we tend to think of as one of Linklater's calling cards. In that sense, School of Rock is something of a departure for him. It's heightened from reality in the way so many comedies are - people are able to get away with things that are at best implausible in real life and consequences for things like fraud are minor at most.
But there's another feature of Linklater's work that I find running through most of his films, and that's a certain amount of heart and compassion. Linklater isn't blind to the faults of his characters, but it's clear that he loves them nonetheless (well, most of them - the abusive stepdad in Boyhood certainly doesn't get a lot of affection). And that's apparent in School of Rock.
Dewey (Jason Black) is a loser. He's lived his life for rock when it was clear rock didn't love him back too much, and he's now an adult mooching off his best friend Ned (Mike White) and sleeping in a corner of Ned's apartment. But when Ned's girlfriend Patty (Sarah Silverman) puts her foot down to get Dewey to shape up and Dewey's band kicks him out for his antics he's forced to look for a change.
Unfortunately, the change he chooses is to pretend to be Ned and take a substitute teaching position at a prestigious prep school. And it looks like it'll be exactly the disaster you'd think. He just wants to be hungover in peace and collect a nice check. But when he learns some of the kids have musical talent he strikes on a crazy scheme to have them be his band for the upcoming Battle of the Bands.
What's really great about School of Rock though is that Dewey never really needs a come-to-Jesus moment where he realizes he's cynically exploiting these children and changes his stripes. He wants them to help him achieve his goals, yes, but he also believes in them every step of the way. He's awed by their talent, and looks for ways for everyone to contribute and feel like a part of the band - whether they're singing, playing an instrument, doing crew work/costumes, managing, or just making sure the Principal (Joan Cusack) doesn't interfere with their plans.
Dewey was never that bad a guy; he was just never that good of a rock star. For all of the intense devotion he had to the music and the spirit of rock, his own meager talents at playing and songwriting couldn't ever get him to where he wanted to go. He was a loser not because he was aimless, but because he could only see one way to live doing what he loved and was unwilling to give that up for some job he hated. Because Linklater (and writer Mike White) loves Dewey he understands this, and finds a way to showcase both Dewey's passion and his fundamental decency.
Dewey's evolution is less of a scumbag-turns-good arc and more an arc of someone accepting that his passions exceed his talents and figuring out how he can still use his passions to make a positive contribution to society. By the end of the film, he's become the teacher he was pretending to be - a good educator attentive to his students' needs, supportive of their interests even if he doesn't share them, and invested in their general wellbeing. He helped bring out the best in those kids and they love him for it. The adage goes that those who can do while those who can't teach, but what that idiom leaves out is that the best teachers are the ones who inspire.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/16: Big Trouble in Little China
PULP ADVENTURE WEEK!
For Pulp Adventure Week we'll be taking to the streets of San Fransisco's Chinatown for a pulp-flavored tale of martial arts, mysticism, and an oafish American who thinks he's the protagonist. Join us Monday for our discussion of John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China, available for rent at the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 8/10: Excalibur
Next up the podcast tackles a pairing on adaptations of Arthurian legend, starting with the 1981 John Boorman film Excalibur. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of Excalibur, available for rent at the usual places.