OVERLAY REPORT

In the 2003 film *School of Rock*, the primary conflict is a multi-layered struggle centered on the protagonist, **Dewey Finn** (Jack Black). While the film features several interpersonal tensions, the core conflict is between **Dewey’s desperate, fraudulent lifestyle and the rigid societal/academic expectations** represented by his roommates and the prestigious Horace Green prep school. ### 1. The Primary Conflict: Dewey vs. Patty and "The Man" The main interpersonal conflict is between **Dewey and Patty Di Marco** (Sarah Silverman), the girlfriend of Dewey’s best friend and roommate, **Ned Schneebly** (Mike White). * **The Conflict:** Patty is a responsible, career-oriented woman who views Dewey as a "lazy freeloader" and a "manipulative moocher." She demands that Dewey pay his mounting back rent or move out, while Dewey views Patty as the embodiment of "The Man"—a soul-crushing authority figure who has suppressed Ned’s rock-and-roll spirit. * **The Internal Conflict (Ned):** Ned serves as the middleman, torn between his loyalty to his old bandmate and his desire to please his domineering girlfriend. ### 2. How It Started: The Catalyst The conflict is set in motion by two specific events at the beginning of the film: * **Expulsion from No Vacancy:** Dewey is kicked out of his own band, **No Vacancy**, just weeks before the **Battle of the Bands**. His bandmates, tired of his ego and erratic on-stage antics (such as a 20-minute guitar solo and a failed stage dive), replace him with a guitarist named Spider. This leaves Dewey both emotionally devastated and financially destitute. * **The Rent Ultimatum:** Upon returning home, Patty confronts Dewey with a stack of unpaid bills and a "pay up or get out" ultimatum. She pressures the meek Ned to stop supporting Dewey’s lifestyle. ### 3. The Escalation: The Stolen Identity The conflict escalates into a "man vs. society" struggle when Dewey commits a crime to solve his financial problems: * **The Intercepted Call:** While Ned is out, Dewey answers a phone call from **Rosalie Mullins** (Joan Cusack), the principal of Horace Green. She is offering Ned a high-paying substitute teaching position. * **The Impersonation:** Desperate for the money (specifically to pay the rent and eventually to fund a new band for the $20,000 Battle of the Bands prize), Dewey accepts the job by **impersonating Ned Schneebly**. ### 4. Conflict with the School (The Fraud) Once at the school, a new conflict arises between **Dewey’s "Rock" philosophy and the school’s academic rigor**. * **Dewey vs. Principal Mullins:** Dewey must maintain his charade as a professional educator while secretly turning his class of overachieving 5th graders into a rock band. * **The Climax:** This conflict reaches its peak when Ned receives a paycheck in the mail addressed to him from Horace Green, revealing Dewey’s fraud. This leads to the infamous "Parents’ Night" confrontation where Patty calls the police, and Dewey is forced to admit he is not a teacher. ### Summary Table of Conflict | Character Pair | Nature of Conflict | Origin | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Dewey vs. Patty** | Financial & Lifestyle | Dewey's refusal to pay rent and Patty's demand for responsibility. | | **Dewey vs. No Vacancy** | Professional | Dewey's "ego-maniacal" stage behavior led to his firing. | | **Dewey vs. Principal Mullins**| Fraud/Ideological | Dewey's fake identity vs. the school's high academic standards. | | **Dewey vs. The Parents** | Ethical | Dewey "kidnapping" the kids to perform at a rock concert without consent. |