ath isn't important in Dewey Finn's class. Music is all that counts. Rock music. When down and out singer/guitarist Dewey (Jack Black), finds himself desperate for money with no gigs in sight, he talks his way into a job as a substitute teacher at an elementary school. The students will never be the same again. Borrowing his roommate's teaching identity, Dewey becomes Mr. Schneebly, wildman of the classroom. The actor was thankful director Richard Linklater was always there to keep him in check. "He reins me in," explains Black, "which is important because I'm always going 10 miles too far over the top. So when I go a little too crazy, he brings me back to reality." Within a few weeks, Mr. Schneebly's class has jammed and rehearsed enough to get accepted into a Battle of the Bands |
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contest. In real life, several thousand
youngsters auditioned in 10 different North American cities to win starring
roles in the film. "We cast children who could actually play these
instruments and sing," says casting director Ilene Starger. |