RocknRollHighSchool

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)

Two things that I need to let everyone know right from the start here. First is that I’m a big fan of Roger Corman and the second is that I’m an even bigger fan of the Ramones. So when you put the Ramones in a Corman produced movie you know I’m going to love it! Rock ‘n’ Roll High School is the classic story of good vs. evil. In this cast the students of Vince Lombardi High vs. the evil principal Miss Togar and her Hall Monitor toadies. Miss Togar does everything in her power to stop the children of the high school from listening to rock and roll music; including some scientific experiments that prove listening to the Ramones will cause mice to explode! Undaunted the students of Vince Lombardi High manage to get tickets to the big Ramones concert, including number one fan and school troublemaker Riff Randell. This leads to a showdown/big party at the high school where the Ramones show up to help the kids defeat the devious Miss Togar.

I love this movie! The story is thin and exists for the sole purpose of telling a few jokes and getting to the musical numbers. Which is exactly what the story should be. If ever there were an example of a movie that is just a silly good time this is it. The cast isn’t asked to do much beyond show up and have a good time, which they do very well. And boy is this a great cast. P.J. Soles (Halloween) is perfectly cast as the high energy Riff Randell, with cult movie favorite Mary Woronov (Night of the Comet) portraying Miss Togar. Also keep an eye out for Corman regulars Dick Miller, Don Steele, and Paul Bartel. Hell the legendary Clint Howard (Ice Cream Man) even shows up in a supporting role! The only performances that matter are those of the Ramones, who while pretty bad actors do several musical numbers that are a blast.

Technically this is a really well done movie. In spite of budget by the late 70s Roger Corman has collected a group of regulars that were not only talented, but would go onto much bigger films. Director Allan Arkush (directed tons of television) keeps the energy high and the action moving. Cinematographer Dean Cundy (too much to mention, this guy is prolific) shoots the movie in such a way that it captures the fun. The odd camera angles and close-ups of Joey Ramone during the concert are strange and fun to watch. Hell the giant mouse was designed by Rob Bottin (The Thing) for crying out loud. I just wanted to drop these names to show how much talent was behind this movie, which is a true cult classic. Oh and when Allan Arkush was sick the last day of shooting some guy on set named Joe Dante was available to help out. Some low budget company eh?

In the one extra from the DVD that I own Roger Corman refers to this movie as lightning in a bottle. This is the best way to describe a movie like Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. From picking the Ramones to be the musical act, to the killer 70s vibe, to the talent that was available to work on the film this was one of those movies that happened at the right place and time. I highly recommend that everyone check out this true cult classic.

3 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer