Jack Black's career began with small roles on TV shows like The X-Files, but he quickly rose to fame by playing slightly immature but comedic characters. Still, these were not the roles he connected to, with Black preferring characters with more emotional depth. Jack Black's best roles are the ones that give him a lot of freedom, such as Po in Kung Fu Panda and Dewey Finn in School of Rock. 1970s Best Picture winner featuring a combination of outrageous personalities.

Jack Black's Favorite Movie Is One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Jack Black Explained "I Love To Watch People Who Think Way Outside The Box"

In Cindy Pearlman's book, You Gotta See This, Jack Black said that his favorite movies are psychological dramas, particularly the 1975 psychological comedy One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. The movie starred a young Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, a new patient in a psychiatric hospital.

While the ending of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is harrowing, the movie has its comedic moments. McMurphy makes friends while leading a rebellion against the terrifying Nurse Ratched, and Black praised Nicholson's performance, adding "I do love people who don’t think in the so-called normal way."

Black explained what he loves about One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, saying "I love to watch people who think way outside the box, and in Cuckoo’s Nest, it’s almost like they’re in a zoo.” One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is one of Jack Nicholson's best movies, and his character thinks outside the box to avoid hard labor in prison.

Believing he'll have an easier sentence in a psychiatric hospital, he fakes mental illness but finds that getting into the hospital is easier than getting out. The movie is an intense story with a cast of outrageous characters, which could describe many of Jack Black's projects.

How One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Must Have Influenced Jack Black's Career

School Of Rock Is Jack Black's Favorite Of His Own Movies

In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, some characters struggle with mental illness, while others try to escape society's prejudices by hiding in the hospital. McMurphy's loud laugh and refusal to conform inspired the other patients, who rebel against Nurse Ratched's regime. Like McMurphy, Jack Black's characters usually have a wild and rebellious side, and ignore social conventions while staying true to themselves. While many of Black's roles are initially underestimated, like Kung Fu Panda's Po and Nacho Libre's Ignacio, they often grow to inspire the other characters and the viewers.

Jack Black playing the guitar on stage as Dewey Finn in School of Rock

Jack Black Wants To Make School Of Rock 2, But Under One Condition

More than 20 years after the release of the original, Jack Black is ready to make School of Rock 2, but there’s one condition that must be met.

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Of all Jack Black's characters that think outside the box, defy social conventions, and end up inspiring people, School of Rock's Dewey Finn fits this description perfectly. Finn began as a struggling musician and became a respected, if unconventional, teacher. He was such a popular character that Jack Black named School of Rock as his favorite movie that he starred in, and he wants to make a sequel. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest may also have inspired Black's storytelling, because while McMurphy's fate is tragic, Jack Black's movies are usually optimistic, giving the zany underdogs a happier ending.