School of Rock

Dewey Finn (Jack Black) wants to be a rock star, but he briefly sets aside that dream to pose as his nebbishy substitute-teacher roommate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White), in order to earn past-due rent money. The film at once honors and subverts the conventions of Hollywood comedy, and Black’s manic energy and droll overenunciation score laughs from even the most banal material.