Kyle Wit

10/10. A superbly crafted romance filled with Shakespearean, Freudian, and Hollywood easter eggs, and it rewards re-watching. It mocks the idea of pretending to historical accuracy, and is only possible because of this. It is a highly self-aware film. It even avoids the fatality of many other reproductions of Shakespeare by coming off as pretentious or condescending. Instead, when Henslowe, Shakespeare's patron, asks the distracted poet when he will finish the play he is supposed to be writing, Shakespeare almost begins to ramble verbosely: "Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move." And just then, Henslowe sharply interjects: "No, no, we haven't the time. Talk prose."

Not only does School of Rock give us superb performances on the part of Jack Black, Joan Cusack, and the kids (some of whom went on to highly successful acting careers), as well as being highly entertaining as a musical and theatrical joyride, the essential gem in this classic piece is the pedagogical message in it: that we should teach our children about the value of individuality and teamwork, practice and passion, and courage and perseverance, more so than getting the highest grades.