This movie shouldn't have been this good. Who would figure a zany Jack Black comedy where he finds himself teaching music at a school funny? This is not fertile movie territory. Consider that Sister Act 2: Back In the Habit and Kindergarten Cop are among the best movies in this vein. You see what I mean.

But it works, I suppose because its love for music is infectious, and the kids are people rather than props and plot devices. Jack Black's enthusiasm for rock music is never treated as a comic foible but a genuine passion. We can understand it and why and how it enriches his life, and so we root for him to succeed when he decides to try to share that love with his students.