One day you’re one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, and the next, you’re the embodiment of everything loud, cringey, and wrong with the entertainment industry. It’s no wonder some stars find themselves completely disoriented—just ask Jack Black.
The cheeky and eccentric star of School of Rock and Kung Fu Panda recently found himself at the center of controversy following the release of the trailer for Minecraft: The Movie. The big-budget film adaptation of the iconic video game features Black as “Steve,” a once-blank avatar now injected with Black’s trademark personality. But to be honest, fans weren’t having it. The social media backlash was immediate and harsh. One widely shared post read: “I think it’s time we admit Jack Black is basically Chris Pratt now.” (Pratt, best known for Jurassic World, is often criticized for starring in lackluster blockbusters and having such low approval ratings that if he were a politician, he’d need a PR miracle.)
Black’s role in Minecraft: The Movie isn’t the only project that’s drawn criticism. He also lent his voice to Borderlands, yet another poorly received video game adaptation that many are already calling the worst film of 2024. In July of that same year, he also had a public falling-out with his long-time musical partner Kyle Gass from Tenacious D. During a concert, Gass made an ill-advised joke about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Black didn’t take it lightly and reportedly canceled the remaining tour dates, casting doubt over the future of the band. (Though he later suggested they might reunite, he admitted the damage to the group’s image had already been done—an unfortunate consequence of a conflict that, had it been handled differently, might have quickly blown over.)
Never before has Jack Black’s reputation taken such a hit. Yet, for all his acting talents, this career slump feels like it’s been a long time coming.
The truth is, Jack Black has always walked a fine line when it comes to winning over audiences. Even his most acclaimed performance in School of Rock teetered between brilliant and overbearing, charming and insufferably self-indulgent. His first breakout role was as a loud-mouthed record store clerk in High Fidelity. Then came Dewey Finn in School of Rock—a failed rocker turned fake substitute teacher—that cemented Black’s screen persona as a manic, immature, and obsessive character. But even at his peak, he was never particularly picky about his roles. School of Rock stands out in a filmography filled with box office flops like Shallow Hal, Nacho Libre, The Holiday, Year One, and Gulliver’s Travels. Over the years, he leaned heavily into family-friendly fare, starring in titles like Goosebumps, the Jumanji reboots, Super Mario Bros., and a never-ending parade of Kung Fu Panda sequels. So in reality, his recent misfires aren’t so much a downfall as they are a continuation of a pattern.
And that’s a shame, partly because Jack Black has long stood apart from the typical Hollywood star. Few celebrities have spent hours making chaotic but endearing YouTube content about video games, as he did on his now-inactive channel JablinskiGames. (In fact, his love of video games might help explain why he keeps signing onto terrible film adaptations of them.) He also deserves credit for challenging the industry’s rigid body standards. Unlike many of his peers, he’s taken on leading roles that neither mock nor fixate on his appearance.
But most of all, it’s disappointing because somewhere beneath Black’s cartoonish antics lies a truly talented actor. In 2011, he gave a revelatory performance in Richard Linklater’s Bernie, a dark comedy based on a true story. His portrayal of a lively, eccentric outsider who befriends—and eventually murders—a bitter widow (played by Shirley MacLaine) was layered, compelling, and unlike anything we’d seen from him before. He’s tried to tap into this more restrained side elsewhere, like in Peter Jackson’s King Kong and Linklater’s animated Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood. But Bernie remains the clearest glimpse of the actor Jack Black could be. That was over a decade ago. Today, his name is more likely to conjure up memories of him grinning in front of a Borderlands poster or making an awkward cameo with Lizzo in The Mandalorian—a moment many fans labeled the low point of the Star Wars spin-off.
The silver lining? His career isn’t over yet. In Hollywood, one great performance is all it takes to win audiences back. Black still has the talent for a comeback, and despite the online hate, there’s a huge fanbase that’s ready to root for him again. But for now, one thing’s clear: something needs to change. Otherwise, “a Jack Black movie” might become the film industry’s most unfortunate warning label.
