“School is in session. Today’s assignment: kickin’ ass!”

Taking the top spot in the box office, “School of Rock” proved to be a quality flick. It has qualities that capture the attention of parents, preteens, teens and college students, featuring the full range of Jack Black’s talent.

Black has long been a footnote in Hollywood, making small appearances in movies and on TV dating back to 1992, all the while playing music in the band Tenacious D. He really began to shine in “High Fidelity” and “Saving Silverman,” as well as by making a Tenacious D HBO special and releasing an album.

In all of this, we see Black’s comedic prowess. Then, there was a shift. In”Orange County,” we saw Black’s true acting skills. “School of Rock” features the best of both worlds.

-The plot? Dewey Finn (Black) dreams of rock ‘n’ roll glory. But a few weeks before the “Battle of the Bands,” he is kicked out of his band for being too wild and falls into depression. When he can’t find a new band, he takes a substitute teaching job, posing as his roommate Ned Schneebly (Mike White) in order to pay his rent.

His new “gig” lands him as a fourth-grade teacher at Horace Green Elementary, an upper-class prep school. There, he stumbles upon some very talented child musicians, including “Zach Attack” (Joey Gaydos), a 9-year-old guitar prodigy. He tries to bring the class together to form a band with him, one he believes can win the “Battle of the Bands.”

Black has established himself as a great musician and a great actor. He has a solid presence on the silver screen and easily holds the attention of the audience. Not only that, he is quite versatile as a comedic presence. He makes kids laugh and adults put their tongues in their cheeks.

Another pleasant surprise was the young musicians who actually are as talented as depicted in the movie.

This movie does a great job of entertaining its audience, but I have several suggestions. For one, I don’t think it would be the best movie for your girlfriend. It just doesn’t fit the bill for dating, unless you are a preteen and there were plenty at the show I attended.

Secondly, if you’re a college student, go see the late show – after the bedtimes of the aforementioned preteens. Finally, be comfortable with laughing. Because of the wide variety of people in the audience, different jokes appeal to different members of the audience. One joke will make only the baby-boomers laugh, whereas the next joke will make only the preteens giggle. It’s very surreal.

All in all, “School of Rock” is a crowd-pleaser. Finally, a movie exceeded my expectations. Thus, I give my first positive recommendation of the year.