The kids are losing their minds...Blitzkrieg Bop!
"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is one of the finest cult comedies ever made, and one of the ultimate "middle finger to the face of authority" tales that there is. It's utterly infectious, packed with gags galore and full of great music (oldies as well as rock hits of this particular period). Its energy level is so high, and its performances so engaging, that one can forgive the occasional example of supreme silliness (like the giant mouse, created by a young Rob Bottin).
P.J. Soles, in her first top-billed role, is extremely winning in the role of "rock 'n' roller" and # 1 Ramones fan Riff Randell. She leads her fellow students at Vince Lombardi High School in a revolt against the repressive attitude represented by tough-talking new principal Miss Togar (Mary Woronov), winning their support by buying SCORES of tickets to a Ramones concert; the boys just happen to be in town.
Director Allan Arkush gleefully updates the high school B movies of decades past with this gonzo entertainment. Here, he shows that, like his fellow Roger Corman factory alumni Joe Dante, he has a natural flair for irreverence and anarchy (not to mention destruction). The film was the brainchild of Arkush and Dante, although the plot originally involved *disco* music, of all things.
It's just too much fun taking in details like local entrepreneur Eaglebauer (Clint Howard, in a role originally intended for Eddie Deezen), who operates out of a set of washroom stalls fashioned into an office. There is also the recurring business regarding the humiliation of an unnamed freshman, a gag worthy of a Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker parody (some trivia for you: Jerry Zucker was one of the second unit directors).
Generous footage is devoted to the Ramones' performances of their classic tunes, although the less said about their abilities as thespians, the better. The rest of the cast is delightful: Vincent Van Patten as amiable hunk Tom, Dey Young as perky and pretty chemistry expert Kate, Paul Bartel as the goofy music teacher (it's *priceless* seeing him bust moves to Ramones music), Dick Miller as the police chief, and The Real Don Steele, the most hilariously annoying D.J. to be found in cult cinema.
Glorious fun overall, maybe dated in some respects, but its universal theme of defying authority will remain of interest to cult movie lovers for a long time to come.
Followed by "Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever" in 1991.
10 out of 10.
"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is one of the finest cult comedies ever made, and one of the ultimate "middle finger to the face of authority" tales that there is. It's utterly infectious, packed with gags galore and full of great music (oldies as well as rock hits of this particular period). Its energy level is so high, and its performances so engaging, that one can forgive the occasional example of supreme silliness (like the giant mouse, created by a young Rob Bottin).
P.J. Soles, in her first top-billed role, is extremely winning in the role of "rock 'n' roller" and # 1 Ramones fan Riff Randell. She leads her fellow students at Vince Lombardi High School in a revolt against the repressive attitude represented by tough-talking new principal Miss Togar (Mary Woronov), winning their support by buying SCORES of tickets to a Ramones concert; the boys just happen to be in town.
Director Allan Arkush gleefully updates the high school B movies of decades past with this gonzo entertainment. Here, he shows that, like his fellow Roger Corman factory alumni Joe Dante, he has a natural flair for irreverence and anarchy (not to mention destruction). The film was the brainchild of Arkush and Dante, although the plot originally involved *disco* music, of all things.
It's just too much fun taking in details like local entrepreneur Eaglebauer (Clint Howard, in a role originally intended for Eddie Deezen), who operates out of a set of washroom stalls fashioned into an office. There is also the recurring business regarding the humiliation of an unnamed freshman, a gag worthy of a Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker parody (some trivia for you: Jerry Zucker was one of the second unit directors).
Generous footage is devoted to the Ramones' performances of their classic tunes, although the less said about their abilities as thespians, the better. The rest of the cast is delightful: Vincent Van Patten as amiable hunk Tom, Dey Young as perky and pretty chemistry expert Kate, Paul Bartel as the goofy music teacher (it's *priceless* seeing him bust moves to Ramones music), Dick Miller as the police chief, and The Real Don Steele, the most hilariously annoying D.J. to be found in cult cinema.
Glorious fun overall, maybe dated in some respects, but its universal theme of defying authority will remain of interest to cult movie lovers for a long time to come.
Followed by "Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever" in 1991.
10 out of 10.