Obviously since this is a mainstream family movie I was skeptical about Jack Blacks ability to be entertaining without Black swearing like a drunk sailor to communicate his disillusionment with the establishment. However, one wonders, where does disillusionment with authority (or as Black puts it the man) begin? In school of course. So therefore who better to teach a bunch of impressionable youngsters to question the hegemony of the man then Jack Black, who is keen to wildly instill a sense of rebellion as he turns his class into a fully fledged rock band. As always, Black pretty much plays himself but with a sensitive tinge when he consoles the various rock and roll acolytes when they doubt themselves. To me this is more than just a feel-good comedy with a stadium rock twist (which it's pretty good at) but it's a modern day parable about how children and adults alike have forgotten their dreams, forgotten how to have fun and forgotten even how to rebel (This is shown in how the flamboyant and wild metal bands of old which Black touts are unknown to the children and repressed by the adults). This film is cleverly analogous of how modern day rockers have forgotten the purpose of Rock and Roll (his students suggest the point of rock and roll is to score chicks or to get loaded). This film curiously embodies the true spirit of Rock better then most music videos ever could in that it shows the characters are able to once again forget their inhibitions, question authority, express themselves and ultimately stick it to the man because that, my friends, is what Rock is all about.