Everyone with a sense of humor loves Jack Black. The comedian has been making moviegoers erupt with laughter ever since he launched onto the scene back in 2000 with High Fidelity, doing so with such regularity that he even turned into one of the comedy genres go to leading men. But there was one film that made Jack Black realize he could excel and still feel fulfilled as a comedian even when he was acting in a children's film. That film was School Of Rock, and Black insists that his work in the 2003 comedy played a big role in him signing up for Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle.
Jack Black made this admission to me and a group of film journalists during our set visit to Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle in Hawaii back in October. After being asked whether he needed to make any kind of adjustment for Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, after starring in Goosebumps in 2015, Jack Black thought long and hard before explaining,
Interesting. Was Goosebumps like horror film Jumanji? Now that you mention it, it kind of was. No, there was no problem going from one child's book adaptation to another. I feel very comfortable in the genre. Ever since School Of Rock I have felt like I can kind of party in a kids movie and make it really funny, and make it really entertaining for me, too. So I loved the script, I loved the part, I wanted to play it really badly. So I'm just glad I am here.
It makes perfect sense that Jack Black would feel so comfortable in a kids move after School Of Rock, because, for many moviegoers, that's actually his definitive performance. Black is pretty flawless in the comedy, and even though his character is selfish and dim he is still always lovable and hilarious.
Simply put the film wouldn't exist without Black, as he is literally the only actor that could have brought the character of Dewey Finn to life. Audiences clearly thought so, too, as School Of Rock went on to gross $131.3 million at the box office, which made it the highest grossing musical comedy of time. That was until Pitch Perfect 2 overtook its total.
The presence of Jack Black in Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle immediately sparked excitement, especially as it meant that he would be paired opposite another comedy heavyweight, Kevin Hart. With both Hart and Black in Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle there is no way that the film won't at least make audiences chuckle. However, that should just be the beginning. Because the trailer for Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle suggests that there will be plenty more to be enthralled by in the blockbuster.
We'll get to see if that's the case when Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is released on December 20.
