Perfect Casting

In America alone there are literally hundreds of thousands of films created every year, and even more if you count You Tube submissions. I've been told that good writing--like cream--rises to the top. The same can be said for films. Over the weekend I saw a film that made me think of perfect casting where the film's main character is perfectly cast for the character he/she plays.

Off the top of my head, I thought of three films that illustrate my point precisely. I've focused on male actors...I'll have to think more about female actors for I know that there are films where the female lead is also perfectly cast. This is the first blog to express these opinions and for my first example, I've chosen perhaps the most perfect of the three that came to mind. The film is "School of Rock" and the actor is Jack Black.

I need to say from the start that I do not know these actors personally. I can only give my opinions of what I think a person is like. Actors and the marketing machines behind them work tirelessly to portray a certain image of the person's personality. They allow us to see what they want us to see and if the marketing machine does their job, that's all the general public sees. Jack Black has spent his entire career showing us a side of him that we think we know, a character that is Dewey Finn.

Watching Black as Finn is simply a treat. Seeing him interact with the young musician actors and actresses convinces the audience (me) that his passion for rock and roll is real, genuine, pure. The filmmakers could have thrown away all the drama of the roommate's issues, the love interest with Joan Cusack's character, and even the battle of the bands storyline where the underdog triumphs over the forces of evil disguised as adult rockers. I would have enjoyed watching Finn spend two hours teaching those talented kids a rock song--that alone--would have been enough for me. And I think if Jack Black opened a music conservatory and that's all he did, he would be a happy man.

Of course, I could be completely wrong with this summation, or my opinion of Black, but on film, the man is so convincing that is casting for that particular film is perfect.

As always, PLEASE tell me what you think.

Am I right/wrong?

Who do you think was perfectly cast?

All photos used w/o permission from IMBd, School of Rock website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332379/mediaindex