Join us as we kick off the 2026 season of Ijams Nature Center’s Movies Under The Stars series with this 2003 family favorite, with support from Knoxville’s own School of Rock! 

Overly enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) gets thrown out of his bar band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolizes and emulates — much to the consternation of the uptight principal (Joan Cusack). As he gets his privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock ‘n’ roll animals, he imagines redemption at a local Battle of the Bands.

Please note this event takes place on the lawn outside the Ijams Visitor Center, NOT at Central Cinema! Gates open at 7pm and the movie will start at sundown, giving you plenty of time to take advantage of food trucks, a beer tent and the expanse of trails & exhibits that make Ijams Nature Center such a treasure. Tickets are just $12 per person; please bring a chair/blanket (and a leash for pups!) but no coolers or outside alcohol. Movies Under The Stars 2026 is sponsored by Pacifico, Nirvana Comics and Sierra Nevada.

Showtimes