Jack Black Pack (2002)

School of Rock
Turbo-charged comic Jack Black shakes School of Rock to its foundations, wailing with born-again metalhead passion as Dewey Finn, a guitarist who gets kicked out of a band because he grandstands too much--or, to put it another way, enjoys himself. Through an intercepted phone call, Finn gets a job as a substitute teacher for a fifth grade class at a private grade school. Neither students nor teacher quite know what to do with each other until Finn discovers that some of his young charges can play instruments; at once he starts turning them into a blistering rock-n-roll troupe that can crush his former band at an upcoming competition. School of Rock is silly and formulaic, but director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused), writer Mike White (The Good Girl), and especially Black and co-star Joan Cusack invest the formulas with such glee that the movie is irresistibly fun. --Bret Fetzer

Orange County
While it invites charges of Hollywood nepotism, Orange County overcomes that stigma with a delightful cast of newcomers and veterans alike. It's no better or worse than many teen comedies, but director Jake Kasdan (son of director Lawrence Kasdan) astutely combines teen-flick staples (stoner gags, raucous parties) with a biting undercurrent of southern California absurdity. This comedic texture helps Colin Hanks (son of Tom) and Schuyler Fisk (daughter of Sissy Spacek) to prove their big-screen promise. They play (respectively) an Orange County teen and aspiring writer named Shaun who yearns for admission to Stanford, and his sensible girlfriend who knows just how to nurture his dreams. Much of the comedy arises from the foibles of Shaun's dysfunctional family (played to perfection by Jack Black, Catherine O'Hara, and John Lithgow), while unbilled cameos by Ben Stiller and Kevin Kline add zest to a movie that tries to be different, and mostly succeeds. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Both Movies are Great But . . .

It's actually cheaper to buy them individually.
Although, School of Rock is a great movie. The PG-13 rating is wrong. It's appropiate for younger kids, but at the same time it is not a kid movie. It's for everybody because everybody has got to rock!
Orange County is pretty funny. The scenes with Jack Black definitely are the stand outs, but the entire movie is funny. Sure, it's a bit watered-down, but it does have heart and any aspiring writer can relate to the main character. July 2, 2004

Jack Black Rules

Okay if you don't all ready have both movies this isn't a bad deal. But if you can wait a little while I would bet this set will drop to twenty dollars. Either way, fans of Jack Black will love them both, he after all is 90 percent of the comedy in each one. School of Rock is great. When Jack pretends to be a substitute teacher at a private school he teaches a lesson about music those students will never forget. Orange County may not be as good but it still fairly funny thanks to Jack Black and some cameos by some other comedians. Get them! March 2, 2004

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