School of Rock 20th Anniversary Steelbook Blu Ray Review (Paramount)

School of Rock is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Slacker, A Scanner Darkly, Boyhood, and Bad News Bears). It was written by Mike White (Dead Man on Campus, Orange County, Nacho Libre, The White Lotus, Enlightened, and The Good Girl). It was produced by Scott Rudin (First Cow, No Country for Old Men, The Social Network, Lady Bird, The Truman Show, Uncut Gems, Mid90s, and Annihilation). The budget was $35 million and it grossed $131.3 million worldwide at the box office!!!! Struggling rock guitarist Dewey Finn (played by: Jack Black from King Kong, Shallow Hal, High Fidelity, The Super Mario Bros Movie, and Jumanji franchise), who is fired from his band No Vacancy and subsequently poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school under his best friend’s name Ned Schneebly (played by: writer Mike White from The D Train, Brad’s Status, and Zombieland) . He is always catching hell from Patty Di Marco (played by: Sarah Silverman from Battle of the Sexes, Saving Silverman, Gravy, and Popstar) and he starts to bond with principal Rosalie Mullins (played by: Joan Cusack from In and Out, Grosse Point Blank, Toy Story franchise, and Shameless). After witnessing the musical talent of the students, Dewey forms a band of fourth-graders to attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands and use his winnings to pay his rent. As time goes on, he actually respects his students and he makes all of their lives better with his influence. His scam turns into a real passion. Is it too late to be honest???? School of Rock is Jack Black’s greatest performance and role of his successful career. Honestly, he’s very hit or miss when it comes to acting but he knocked it out of the park here. He turns an unlikable character into someone that inspires a group of misfit to see their potential. School of Rock has a fantastic script that’s hilarious and full of heart. It’s a charming underdog story. Director Richard Linklater always provides an excellent soundtrack when it comes to his work and this one is no different. I love the personal touch he adds to all of his films. He’s always passionate about each project no matter how different it is. School of Rock has a solid supporting cast that includes Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Nicky Katt. Plus all of the kids are so much fun and entertaining here. This comedy gets better and better on each revisit. The replay value is very strong for this one. Paramount delivers another awesome back catalog home video release, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from Paramount Pictures! This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer looks impressive on blu ray. The production design and locations stand out here. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, and Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the disc. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the laughter is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. The soundtrack sounds amazing here. It has English SDH, French, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles. School of Rock is another high quality technical home video release from Paramount Pictures!!!! Let’s talk about the special features from Paramount Pictures! It has an “Audio Commentary” with Jack Black and Richard Linklater. It has a “Kids’ Kommentary” with Joey Gaydos, Kevin Clark, Maryam Hassan, Rebecca Brown, Miranda Cosgrove, Caitlin Hale, and Robert Tsai. Both audio tracks are so much fun and very informative. I love that they are both completely different from each other. “Lessons Learned on School of Rock” is almost 25 minutes. It’s a nice inside look with lots of information about the production. “Jack Black’s Pitch to Led Zeppelin” is a little over 3 minutes. It’s exactly what you think it would be. “School of Rock Music Video” is a little over 3 minutes. “Kids’ Video Diary: Toronto Film Festival” is a little over 8 minutes. It shows the kids experience at the classic film festival. “MTV’s Diary of Jack Black” is a little over 16 minutes. You get to see what it’s like to be Jack Black in a day. “Dewey Finn’s History of Rock” is a fun interactive extra. Last but not least, it has the “School of Rock Theatrical Trailer”. It comes with a digital copy. This 20th anniversary limited edition steelbook release has top notch packaging. I really dig the artwork and layout for this home video release. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!