Review of Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) by James O — 01 Jul 2011

Roger Corman's goofy 1979 romp is as funny and entertaining as ever. P.J. Soles is great as Riff Randall, the rebellious youth who just wants to rock. Mary Woronov is equally great as the evil Miss Togar who sets out to make students live and breathe school and education.

When the two collide, movie magic occurs. Paul Bartel, Clint Howard, Vincent Van Patten, and Dey Young all give stellar performances, and Clint Howard's portrayal of Eaglebauer is spot-on and makes him my favorite character.

Now onto the big attraction...The Ramones. They're all here: Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Marky. This was before they hit the big time, and that's probably the only reason Corman managed to get them.

I think because of this movie, they made it big, so all the haters have to give it credit for something. The soundtrack is another big reason to see this. Paul McCartney, Chuck Barry, Devo, and of course The Ramones all contribute, among others.

Probably the main reason I love this film is the sense of nostalgia. Every teenager has wanted to completely trash their high school, ride motorcycles through the hallways, throw the lunch at the lunch ladies, and throw the hall monitors out the window.

Here, these fantasies become a reality. It's great fun, even if some of the humor doesn't work.