This movie is literally just Jack Black telling children it's okay to be yourself. It's done in such a heartwarming way without being preachy. It should get more recognition for its greatness.
Yes, you sense that Lawrence is immensely intelligent but struggles socially, and Dewey, in just one encouraging talk with him brings him out of his shell.
Robert Tsai, the actor who played Lawrence, didn’t think he was cool enough to be in the movie, the directors were inspired by that to add this scene. So it makes sense that when he says that it sounds really sad... but I’m so happy that, as other people have pointed in the comments, this movie is mostly Jack Black telling kids that they’re good being who they are.
I love how Dewey made the clear distinction between real rockers and “posers”. He saved these kids from thinking they needed to do drugs and break the law to be “cool”.
This movie was full of heartwarming messages about believing yourself and being true to who you are without getting too sappy. This scene and the scene where he talks to the black girl about how being recognized for your talent and how everyone wants to "party with Aretha" are awesome.
@@hellogoodbye4061 What also made the film perfect was Black's character arc. He starts by saying 'do whatever you want, have recess.' Yet he ends up chastising drinking gambling rock players demanding they act like a responsible adult because now he cares about Freddie's well being. Initially he calls Summer 'tinkerbell' and mocks her obsession with grades and achievements but then makes her band manager puts her in charge of everything and declares her the first female president of the United States at parents night.
@@patriceaqa288 Jack Black instills in these children so much more than mere books can ever teach them....here, he reassures Lawrence that he BELONGS in the band, later scenes he does the same with backup singer Tamika who has stage fright and low self esteem due to her weight issues, he gives Zack confidence to not let others dictate his future and follow his own dreams, he keeps rebellious Freddie from straying from the straight and narrow by hanging with the wrong crowd....on and on it goes. Yet he also teaches not just individuality, but also the importance of teamwork. Hard to believe that, what appears at first sight to be little more than a one-trick pony gag vehicle movie for Black, says so much more.
Jack Black instills in these children so much more than mere books can ever teach them....here, he reassures Lawrence that he BELONGS in the band, later scenes he does the same with backup singer Tamika who has stage fright and low self esteem due to her weight issues, he gives Zack confidence to not let others dictate his future and follow his own dreams, he keeps rebellious Freddie from straying from the straight and narrow by hanging with the wrong crowd....on and on it goes. Yet he also teaches not just individuality, but also the importance of teamwork. Hard to believe that, what appears at first sight to be little more than a one-trick pony gag vehicle movie for Black, says so much more.
To all the Lawrences out there, look up some successful metal bands and see how many of their members were "not cool enough" as kids. Coolness is fiction, it's finding your passion and sticking to it that can overcome that.
Mine too. I remember being popular in High School mostly, but I definitely had my share of days when I could say the same thing. Those memories put tears in my eyes. But how well did the movie script writers handle it?!!
@@haroldmoser76 In elementary I was like Lawrence. Then in Highschool, I was oddly popular the first two years but I didn't like it. Everyone was silly and stupid and it just wasn't my thing to be jocky or whatever. I loved playing sports, Basketball was fun. I really like this film and Dewey is one of my favorite characters.
I can sympathize with Lawrence as a fellow Asian, and even though he was used in a stereotypical role (classical piano, accent, shy, strengths in math/science), he became "Mr. Cool" and became one of the four instrument players of the very rockin' band! Thank you, Jack Black! You made him into a star!
This movie was probably the most influential movie of my life to me. Changed my whole perspective on life. Extremely blessed to watch this with my dad for the first time. He was a rocker back in the day and knew all the songs and bands. It blew me away as a kid my dad never struck me as a guy who would know all the songs and stuff, it was the first thing other than maybe lotr that my father and I truly bonded over. He offered me a deeper dive into all the artists mentioned in this movie. “Don’t tell me you’ve never gotten the Led out” is the one quote that sticks out to me more than anything. He laughed so hard when he heard that line, zepp is his favorite. He gave me all his albums and started me down the path of ROCK! I think he loved the movie just as much as me:) This movie instantly put jack black on my favorite actor list, I started looking into his other stuff. Then I found tenacious d.... their studio album is the first album I purchased back when iTunes was still a thing. The album heavily influenced my comedic preferences and I sought out friends with the same preferences. The band seemed to have a godly reverence for a man named “dio”. I didn’t understand why.... until I listened to it. Thanks to tenacious d I was introduced to RONNIE JAMES FUCKIN DIO. Turned me into a metal head for life 🤘🤘🤘🤘 thank you jack black
Love it man. And it goes beyond rock. There’s no greater gift to man than ART - where age, gender, color, economic status, popularity, etc are meaningless.
That kid Lawrence in the Jack Black movie School of Rock was just like me in middle school. That token Asian guy that had low self esteem and didn't think I could cut it. The type of guy no girl really wanted to be my Valentine. And the guy that was just invisible and didn't feel right. Then my mom bought me a Fender guitar and amp and I began playing. Eventually at age 15, I started my own local rock band in SF and been doing it since. I am the frontman of that band I formed. I don't regret a thing! These days, I'm an indie level semi-pro actually. Still underground, but have my band's music all over the Web.
Really cool that they included this scene. Bring the only Asian kid in a primarily white school was tough at first being viewed as a strange or alien person. Luckily I’m a first generation Asian American so I didn’t have to deal with the whole language barrier as badly as exchange students but even so being first gen meant my first language was something other than English which gave me a lot of trouble learning early on in kindergarten and what not
IRL, Robert Tsai who played Lawrence had a similar talk with the producers, as he felt he wasn't right for the role he was playing. The producers told him his feeling of insecurity actually made him perfect for the role. In more recent years, he mostly sticks to classical piano, but he's returned for the reunions back on the electric keyboard.
I love this film, and how it's okay to be yourself. It's lovely to see the way his characters becomes more connected with the kids throughout the film. One of the best films ever!
If you watch the directors commentary they talk about how this scene was written into the movie because the actor who played Lawrence actually approached the director like this about not thinking he should be in the movie because he “wasn’t cool enough”. It sounds like bullshit but you can go check it out, and it makes this scene a lot more heartwarming in hindsight.
"nobody ever talks to me" my heart just melts every time felt so bad for Lawrence he was cool as hell actually him and Freddie were the coolest and my favorites in the film
As a lil "nerd" that became a lover music this is beautiful this movie taught me that open people that are good at their career can teach others even though it's supposed to be a funnyish movie
Tomika, Lawrence and Zack were very low profile kids, Dewey pick them for the band and gave them security for trust in themselfs... while Summer had tons of confidence, great personality and he didn't choose her for play in the band... I love that.
I think we all knew that kid in school that was like Lawrence. The socially awkward kid that just seemed to be an outcast. Doesn't mean they should just be avoided by everyone.
