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As the previous reviews have mentioned this film is not Oscar material. The acting’s more wooden than the average plank and the storyline is obscure to say the least (how often did rock & roll stars turn up at your high school?)… but that’s the joy of the film. It’s not big, it’s not clever, it’s not trying to be.
What makes this film worth buying is the Ramones. All sins of this film are forgivin as soon as they pick up their instruments.
It also features some classic lines… “Do you parents know you are a Ramones?”. The funnest scene has to be Joey serenading the main character, with Dee Dee playing the bass in the shower and Johnny rolling his eyes. Poor Marky had to sit out the garden with the drums.
This really has to be a cult classic… with the greatest sound track ever!
Rating: 5 / 5
Okay, so most people liked “Grease” when it came to high school musicals. But I always had a preference for “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.” Did “Grease” have the Ramones? Did “Grease” have the school being rocked to the ground? Did “Grease” have a giant mouse worried about its children? This is the 1950’s rock and roll teen movie updated to 1979 and instead of Annette we have P.J. Soles, in her one starring role of prominence after memorable appearances in “Halloween” and “S*T*R*I*P*E*S.” P.J. is Riff Randell, the #1 Fan of the Ramones, which is just one more thing to be inscribed on her permanent record as far as Vince Lombardi High’s principal Miss Togar (Mary Woronov) is concerned. Riff is aided and abetted in her never ending battle against the fascist policies of Miss Togar by her friend, Kate Rameau (Dey Young), who is cute, sweet and in need of a boyfriend. Fortunately, all of life’s problems can be solved with the help of Eaglebauer (Clint Howard) and the Ramones. Of course, if Mary Woronov is in this movie, you know Paul Bartel must be nearby and he plays Mr. McGree, the only teacher who is hep to the Ramones.
There are standard juvenile antics, ratcheted down a level or two for the purposes of this film, which is redeemed when the Ramones show up and save the day by destroying the school. “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” is a film that embraces its shortcomings and total lack of pretentions. As with all good cult films, this DVD edition caters to the whims of its peculiar fanatics, offering up the concert footage of the Ramones shot for the film, decent commentary from the director, producer & writer, and an interview by Leonard Maltin of Roger Corman (sure, why not?). They were not trying to make a good movie here, which is why this is not a bad film but a staple of late night weekend programming. And did I mention it has the Ramones?
Rating: 4 / 5
Nobody could accuse this film of being deep or subtle, but there is some damn fine rock n’ roll being played. PJ Soles is somewhat overshadowed by Mary Todorov, and of the Ramones Marky comes across best. However, the decidedly ropey acting is forgotten whenever the Ramones pick up their instruments and ratchet out the best rock n’ roll ever seen in a film of this type. And who could forget the moment when PJ goes to have a showemr only to find Dee Dee playing his bass there?
Rating: 4 / 5
The quality of the moive may be crap but the content is excellent. You get to see live Ramones footage and them as actors(not so great). PJ soles is also great and the movie is fun all the way through. This is total rock ‘n’ Roll
Rating: 4 / 5
The pupils of Vince Lombardi High School have trouble on their hands when the new principal arrives. Miss Togar (Mary Woronov) is as strict as she is anti-rock ‘n’ roll, and sees Riff Randall (P.J. Soles) as her greatest rival. All Riff cares about is the Ramones, and she’s determined to get to see their next concert when they’re in town – will Miss Togar stop her?
Was there ever a more perfect marriage of music and film than the Ramones and Rock ‘n’ Roll High School? Well, maybe – this exuberant, daft comedy, written by Richard Whitley, Russ Dvonch and Joseph McBride, is the equivalent of those A.I.P. Beach Party movies of the sixties, with its good natured humour, plentiful breaks for music, and overage teenagers versus adults storyline which sees the pupils take their revenge on the teachers for all that homework they hand out.
As played by the sunny P.J. Soles, Riff is a walking exercise in obsession, and nothing will get between her and her favourite band. She’s even written a song for them (the title track), and is determined to get it to them so they can perform it. Which they do, because it’s that kind of film. Riff’s best friend Kate (Dey Young) is more bookish, and wants a date with the socially inept captain of the football team, Tom (Vincent Van Patten).
It’s fair to say that the first half of the film is the funniest, but it balances out because the second half has most of the good music. We’re treated to witnessing the effects rock ‘n’ roll music has on mice, Riff’s excuses for missing school to stand in line for concert tickets (“My goldfish died”), and the school’s fixer-upper (Clint Howard) demonstrating how to go on a date (with the help of a blow up doll). In the second half there is the concert itself, which is great, and you can sing along with “Teenage Lobotomy” if you wish – the lyrics are printed on the bottom of the screen.
The teachers should have been made more menacing – it’s a lot of fun to see Woronov being authoritarian, but she’s not nasty enough. We never see the parents except as an anonymous crowd near the end and Paul Bartel’s music teacher even becomes a convert! But I suppose burning Ramones records would indeed be the last straw for most right-thinking people, hence the explosive finale. The high spirits are catching, and if you don’t agree with that school-threatening act of destruction, at least you can sympathise with the sentiment.
Rating: 5 / 5