Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his students the finer points of rock ‘n’ roll. The school’s hard-nosed principal is rightly suspicious of Finn’s activities. But Finn’s roommate remains in the dark about what he’s doing.
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Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

• Dewey Finn: Jack Black
• Rosalie Mullins: Joan Cusack
• Ned Schneebly: Mike White
• Patty Di Marco: Sarah Silverman
• Mr. Green: Lee Wilkof
• Mrs. Lemmons: Kate McGregor-Stewart
• Theo: Adam Pascal
• Tomika’s Mother: Suzzanne Douglas
• Summer Hathaway: Miranda Cosgrove
• Freddy Jones: Kevin Clark
• Zack Mooneyham: Joey Gaydos Jr.
• Lawrence: Robert Tsai
• Alicia: Aleisha Allen
• Billy: Brian Falduto
• Marta: Caitlin Hale
• Tomika: Maryam Hassan
• Doug: Chris Stack
• Michelle: Jordan-Claire Green
• Katie: Rivkah Reyes
• Spider: Lucas Babin
• Eleni: Veronica Afflerbach
• Frankie: Angelo Massagli
• Leonard: Cole Hawkins
• Marco: James Hosey
• Gordon: Zachary Infante
• Emily: Jaclyn Neidenthal
• Musician: Eron Otcasek
• Musician: Carlos Velazquez
• Mrs. Sheinkopf: Kimberly Grigsby
• Gym Teacher: Wally Dunn
• Zack’s Father: Tim Hopper
• Art Student: Michael Dominguez-Rudolph
• Max: Crash Cortez
• Razor: Nicky Katt
• Tony: John Highsmith
• Sheila: Heather Goldenhersh
• Waiter: Timothy “Speed” Levitch
• Punk Rock Guy: Scott Graham
• Alicia’s Mother: Sharon Washington
• Leonard’s Mother: Kim Brockington
• Concerned Father: Marty Murphy
• Freddy’s Mother: Kathleen McNenny
• Summer’s Mother: Joanna Adler
• Lawrence’s Father: Robert Lin
• Cop: Barry Shurchin
• Bus Driver: MacIntyre Dixon
• Mrs. Haynish: Amy Sedaris
• Teacher’s Assistant: Mary Fortune
• Female Employee: Mandy Siegfried
• Concert Goer: Elisa Pugliese
• Security Guard: Carlos J. Da Silva
• Radio Exec: Ian O’Malley
• Radio DJ: Chris Line
• Toby: Kyle Meaney
• Battle of the Bands Director: Frank Whaley
• Concert Goer: Lauren Adler
• Groupie: Kelly Anne Burns
• Concert Goer: Leanne Cabrera
• Concert Goer: Catherine A. Callahan
• Neil: Lucas Papaelias
• Leonard’s Dad: Cedric Cannon
• Crazed Fan: Mike Clemente
• Concert Goer: Anivile Daniel
• Billy’s Mom: Jane DeNoble
• Concert Goer: Caileigh Scott
• Groupie: Karen Nazarov
• Blood Brothers MC Biker: Riley G. Matthews Jr.
• Student: Jada Montemarano
• Concert Goer: Mateo Moreno
• Student: Lian Moy
• No Vaccancy’s Biggest Fan: Ryan O’Connor
• Concert Goer: Scott Ross
• Guy in Crowd Who Catches Dewey: Johnny Sullivan
• Concert Goer: Jamie Vergan
• Concert Goer: Joe Wachowski

Film Crew:

• Director: Richard Linklater
• Editor: Sandra Adair
• Producer: Scott Rudin
• Casting: Ilene Starger
• Executive Producer: Steve Nicolaides
• Screenplay: Mike White
• Music: Craig Wedren
• Director of Photography: Rogier Stoffers
• Art Direction: Adam Scher
• Executive Producer: Scott Aversano
• Set Decoration: Karin Wiesel
• Costume Design: Karen Patch
• Production Design: Jeremy Conway
• Hairstylist: Alan D’Angerio
• Music Coordinator: Jim Dunbar
• Stunts: David Shumbris
• Assistant Editor: Andrew Weisblum
• Makeup Artist: Bernadette Mazur
• Stunts: Peter Epstein
• Unit Production Manager: Joseph E. Iberti
• Stunts: John L. Sullivan
• Script Supervisor: Julie Oppenheimer
• Stunts: Stephanie Finochio
• Stunt Coordinator: Jery Hewitt
• Assistant Hairstylist: Jerry Popolis
• Costume Supervisor: Kate Edwards
• Costume Supervisor: Cheryl Kilbourne-Kimpton
• Makeup Artist: Felice Diamond
• Foley Artist: Nancy Cabrera
• Location Manager: Robert T. Striem
• Seamstress: Stephanie Biear
• Casting Assistant: Zoe E. Rotter
• Stunts: Shawnna Thibodeau
• Stunts: Don Hewitt Jr.
• Makeup Artist: Roz Music
• Seamstress: Debbie Lucas
• Makeup Artist: Michele Paris
• Costumer: Joseph La Corte
• Assistant Makeup Artist: Don Kozma
• Production Coordinator: Karen Koula Sossiadis
• Costumer: Sandi Figueroa
• Casting Associate: Valerie Lindquist
• Stunts: Bob Colletti
• Casting Associate: Janice Wilde
• Production Coordinator: Samantha Prindle
• Makeup & Hair Assistant: Dina Sliwiak
• Additional Hairstylist: Jeffrey Rebelo
• Sound: Michael Holmstrom
• Stunts: Vince Cupone
• Stunt Coordinator: Don Hewitt Sr.
• Assistant Costume Designer: Chris Ann Pappas
• Costumer: Niki Strippoli
• Assistant Editor: Adam Geiger

Movie Reviews:

• John Chard: You are not hardcore unless you live hardcore.

  The perfect vehicle for Jack Black, a film to show that given the right material he’s a bona fide comedic actor of some worth. Plot has Black as Dewey Finn, a wastrel musician who has no job prospects and who spends his time mooching off of his best mate Ned Sheebly (Mike White). When Dewey is fired from his rock band he’s left in limbo and in danger of being homeless. But when he answers a phone call offering Ned a job assignment, Dewey decides to take it upon himself to impersonate Ned and take the employment himself; as a schoolteacher!

  So it’s Jack Black in a classroom full of kids, it probably shouldn’t work, and even might seem like some sort of cruel and unusual punishment to anyone with an aversion to Black, but this is feel good nirvana and a paean to rock and roll. It’s perhaps unsurprising that it’s crammed with clichés from the classroom splinter of moviedom, the kids a roll call of characters we have seen numerous times. The spoilt swot, the roughneck, the one suffering parental peer pressure, the weight issue one and on it goes, but boy can they play music when Dewey takes them out of classical mode and into rock central.

  How nice to find that director Richard Linklater and writer Mike White have managed to rise above the clichés and avoid syrupy fodder, there’s such a zest and earnestness to it all, and the kids acting is high in quality as well, led by the big kid himself, Black on full tilt. But most of all, even as the morals and life affirming threads come wading in with the pulsing rock soundtrack, it’s a very funny picture, the gag quota enormously high. Be it Black trying to bluff the kids, the kids trying to bluff everyone else – or the wonderful Joan Cusack as the scatty stickler for the rules Principal Mullins – a laugh is never far away. Rock on! 8.5/10

• daisyrowley: Our family loved this movie. While the language is a little strong, compared to other movies that are rated the same, it is relatively mild. If your children like rock, it is a lot of fun. If you are a family who tolerates no swearing whatsoever, or if “kick some ass” would shock or offend you, then it’s not for you. The overall message is that uptight kids use their skills to create a rock show, a slacker finds a calling and realizes what is really important in life, and forgiveness abounds.