Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Good concept, poorly executed.

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I am in love with film. It inspires me every single day. And so does rock and roll. I have a few rock and roll rules that rule my life and I'll share one with you: if you don't like The Ramones, I really don't trust you.Sure, you can tell me every Ramones song sounds the same. And I'll tell you that you're an asshole - Bonzo Goes to Bitburg sounds nothing like Pet Sematary and those two songs sound nothing like Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue. The Ramones got me through my first year of advertising, keeping my sanity as I worked eighty hours a week and I will forever be in their debt.This movie makes me insanely happy because it posits a world where The Ramones are the biggest band in the world, big enough to cause a major stir when they come to town. Roger Corman originally wanted Cheap Trick or Todd Rundgren for this, but come on. Only one band could make this work.The students of Vince Lombardi High School are as good at driving educators insane as they are bad at actually learning. Foremost among their number is rock and roller Riff Randell (has P.J Soles ever been lovelier?) who dreams of writing songs for the Ramones and meeting Joey Ramone.When new Principal Togar (has Mary Woronov ever not been great in a film?) takes her ticket to the concert away from her, she and her best friend Kate have to figure out how they'll get to meet their heroes, win true love and escape the drudgery of high school.There's a moment here where Riff imagines Joey in her bedroom singing "I Want You Around" to her. It breaks my heart in the best of ways - pure teen worry and angst and then there's Joey - geeky, gangly, goofball Joey - the hero who comes to her room and there's this pure puppy love bliss. No other band could have been in this film and communicated punk rock swagger and danger while still having this tender sweetness.I love PJ's clothes in this film. That may be because the low budget of the film meant that they couldn't afford decent clothes for her, so she spent her entire salary on her outfits.Between Don Steele, Clint Howard, Dick Miller and Paul Bartel, the only members of my favorite actors club not in this film are weirdo Italian gore icons like John Saxon, Ivan Rassimov and George Eastman to make it perfect. Screw that - this is perfect. The end of the film, where Miss Togar snarls at Joey, "Do your parents know you're Ramones?" makes me get up and cheer out loud.Talk about punk rock - The Ramones were only paid a total of $25,000 for acting in this, so they had to play shows every night to make up for it. Meanwhile, Dee Dee fought a roadie, OD'd in jail and woke up in the ER with a $3,000 medical bill. But that's OK - Dee Dee was such a bad actor in this that he only got two lines: "Hey, pizza!" and "Hey, pizza! It's great! Let's dig in!"There's also a giant mouse and mouse children that somehow go to this school for some reason. Who cares!I love the end of this movie, when the school violently explodes as The Ramones rock out and Screamin' Steve Stevens goes wild. It's absolutely, totally perfect - and makes me wish that in my teen years, when no one in my high school knew or cared who The Ramones were, that Dee Dee would come and get me so high I'd wake up in the emergency room with one awesome story. Gabba gabba hey, indeed.

ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL is a Roger Corman-produced mix of musical and high school comedy, mainly working as a showpiece for The Ramones, a popular punk band of the 1970s. After some mild plotting and various random comedic set-pieces throughout, the film basically descends into one big, chaotic concert set-piece at the climax. How much you enjoy it really depends on how much you like The Ramones; it felt very much like an ANIMAL HOUSE knock-off to me. Still, this being a Corman movie, there's plenty of entertainment value waiting to be discovered, not least various supporting roles filled by familiar faces: Clint Howard, Paul Bartel and Dick Miller show up alongside lead P.J. Soles, while Mary Woronov has the best role as the film's strict antagonist.

Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Entertaining, if extremely brain dead film set in a high school where a new principle has started and she refuses to let the kids dance, sing or have fun. When The Ramones come to town, their #1 fan Riff Randell (P.J. Soles) will do whatever it takes to get tickets and to make sure the school is ready to rock. If one is looking for plot then it's best to skip this film because it's rather shocking to see how little of it there is. Basically we have a mean principle wanting to hold the kids down and all the kids want to do is listen to rock music, have sex and make sure everything is fun. I must admit that there's a certain charm this movie has and I'm really not sure what it was. The majority of the acting is bad, the story, well, there isn't one and I'm not a major fan of The Ramones. Yet, for some reason the film really put its hooks in me and I was swept off my feet and thrown into the fun side of the film. I think a lot of credit has to go to P.J. Soles who was simply delightful as the #1 fan. Yes, you could argue that the "performance" wasn't "great" but I think it was good enough to really sell the spirit of the film and its message. I also thought Clint Howard was a lot of fun and especially during a sequence where he's teaching two losers how to make out. The music of The Ramones and others are put to good use and there's no question that you'll be tapping your feet during the musical numbers. ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL isn't brain surgery and it's not a classic but there's an innocent charm that makes it worth viewing.

"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is clearly a bad film. The acting ranges from very bad to very broad--and there isn't much else. The plot is practically non-existent. And, the film is just cheap--very, very cheap--which isn't surprising since it's a Roger Corman film. Corman managed to make a ton of money on nearly every one of his 400 or so films--mostly because with minuscule budgets, it was practically impossible NOT to make money! So when you watch the film, don't expect an Oscar-contender! It's just a very cheap film that was intended for a very narrow audience...teens. But it's also a cult film--one that has some very devoted fans. While I don't think the film is wonderful, it's far more than just a cheap-o film--there are some things about it that are actually rather enjoyable.The film is set at Vince Lombardi High School. The principal is a fun-hating fascist and the students are mostly interested in sex, drugs and rock and roll. And, that really is THE plot of the film--in addition to including the punk group The Ramones. I am a huge Ramones fan and STILL am amazed they agreed to do the movie. After all, they had no respect for authority (that was their shtick) and yet here they appear in a film that is filled with LOTS of lameness. Lame...very lame. But it's nice they were in the film because although there isn't a plot, it is nice to hear their songs--and many of their best songs. My advice is to ignore the plot, listen to the songs and enjoy the goofy moments. My favorite goofy parts were every minute Clint Howard was in the film as well as every time a mouse appeared as well! You just have to see the film to understand what I mean.Overall, for enjoyability I'd give this one a 7. For quality of production, perhaps a 2. Overall, a 5 seems reasonable. Now the film is NOT for all tastes. There is lots of inappropriate behavior by the teens, so I assume a lot of folks wouldn't understand the film. Also, if you are a young person who knows little of the late 70s, you'll probably just laugh at the ridiculous fashions and dopiness of the film. BUT, if you are a middle-aged guy like me who thinks the Ramones are one of the greatest groups in history, then are you in for a treat!