IMDb RATING
6.6/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Ramones fanatic and delinquent Riff Randell battles it out with the strict new principal of Vince Lombardi High School, Miss Togar, with help from the Ramones.Ramones fanatic and delinquent Riff Randell battles it out with the strict new principal of Vince Lombardi High School, Miss Togar, with help from the Ramones.Ramones fanatic and delinquent Riff Randell battles it out with the strict new principal of Vince Lombardi High School, Miss Togar, with help from the Ramones.
Barbara Ann Grimes
- Cafeteria Lady
- (as Barbara Ann Walters)
Featured reviews
It's amazing that actress P.J. Soles didn't become a big star after playing Riff Randell, #1 fan of the punk rock group the Ramones, in "Rock 'n' Roll High School". Soles is so exuberant, you don't mind she's obviously too old to still be a student in high school (that fact is leveled out by having all the kids look 25). The movie is a fast-paced frolic that doesn't cop-out; everything gets blown to smithereens at the end, and that's just as it should be. Mary Woronov, a kinky and funny presence as the Nazi-like principal, gets a great, one-of-a-kind bit at the beginning where Frisbees fly dangerously close to her head (how many takes did they use on that, or was it a fluke?) and Dey Young is very appealing as Randell's best friend, Kate Rambeau. The weakest link, ironically enough, in this "High School" chain-gang is the Ramones. They can't act, they're not funny, and their concert segment goes on too long. One Ramones song, "I Want You Around", is treated as a fantasy and is well-captured; other incidental songs are good, particularly a rare Paul McCartney ballad, "Did We Meet Somewhere Before?" Great fun! *** from ****
Yet, another cult movie made by B-movie great Roger Corman. Unlike those ridiculous B-Movies he made prior to this one, Rock 'n Roll High School is actually cool! In this one, the protagonist is a teen girl who is a hard-core Ramones fan, and she and her fellow classmates are up against a dictator-like principal who wants to make the school a living hell. The girl, Riff wants to write music for her favorite band as well.
Rock 'n Roll High School is a really fun, edgy, tongue-in-cheek, feel good kind of movie! It's a teen movie I actually enjoy! Even today's teens can like this movie, too! The soundtrack is really enjoyable, and full of songs from The Ramones, Brownsville Station, Alice Cooper, and all those greats from the 1970's! It was cool to see Joey Ramone and the others make an appearence. Sadly, last year we lost Joey to cancer.
Want to see a real teen comedy? Then see Rock 'n Roll High School! This movie puts all those pathetically unfunny teen comedies of today (i.e. American Pie) to shame! I give this 5 stars!
Rock 'n Roll High School is a really fun, edgy, tongue-in-cheek, feel good kind of movie! It's a teen movie I actually enjoy! Even today's teens can like this movie, too! The soundtrack is really enjoyable, and full of songs from The Ramones, Brownsville Station, Alice Cooper, and all those greats from the 1970's! It was cool to see Joey Ramone and the others make an appearence. Sadly, last year we lost Joey to cancer.
Want to see a real teen comedy? Then see Rock 'n Roll High School! This movie puts all those pathetically unfunny teen comedies of today (i.e. American Pie) to shame! I give this 5 stars!
Rock'n'Roll High School is arguably the freshest, fastest, funniest, most ROCK AND ROLL teen movies ever. If you love The Ramones you'll love this one! And hey, if you don't love The Ramones, you're already dead, so get outta here. Halloween's P.J. Soles really hits the spot as The Ramones number one fan Riff Randell, and Clint Howard will always be Eaglebauer to me. No suprise that b-grade legend Roger Corman had a hand in this, and as an added bonus Corman cronies Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel and the God-like Dick Miller round out the supporting cast. Great Ramones set and lots of other cool music featured (MC5, Devo, Eno, Todd and Eddie and the Hot Rods "Teenage Depression") puts this at the top of the Rock'n'Roll heap.
Too cool for school!!
Too cool for school!!
93 minutes of mindless fun from 1979. So what if P.J. Soles was damn near 30 when this was made...she can rock my high school any time she wants! Now that we're down to only one original Ramone (and even he isn't in this), we have to salute the Boys by watching this movie. It's the way we want to remember 'em best, blowing up a high school.
So screw you Principal Togar, and all your exploding mice! WE JUST WANNA ROCK! P.S.---R.I.P. Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, Mr. McGree, & Screamin' Steve. And if anybody knows whatever happened to Angel Dust (Lynn Farrell-who made 3 movies in 1979 and seems to have dropped off the planet since) please post it on the R&RHS message board.
So screw you Principal Togar, and all your exploding mice! WE JUST WANNA ROCK! P.S.---R.I.P. Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, Mr. McGree, & Screamin' Steve. And if anybody knows whatever happened to Angel Dust (Lynn Farrell-who made 3 movies in 1979 and seems to have dropped off the planet since) please post it on the R&RHS message board.
I have to say that I was really surprised by this movie. It's a lot of fun, especially for fans of Eating Raoul....(Paul Bartel as an uptight music teacher who really loosens up to the Ramones and Mary Woronov as an insane principal with a real vendetta against rock n' roll, and the Ramones in particular). The movie is so high-spirited that I didn't mind its cheesy, ultra low budget look. The Ramones themselves looked pretty bewildered most of the time (especially Joey) but somehow they fit in to the high energy level of the other actors (especially P.J. Soles, who really should have made more movies) and the various shenanigans, many of which are pretty bizarre.
Did you know
- TriviaThe on screen concert was attended by actual Ramones fans, whose uncontrollable, raucous behavior terrified lead P.J. Soles.
- GoofsWhen Tom calls Riff from his van, he mentions that he is listening to the "new Ramones album." The song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" can be heard in the background. The problem is "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is from the Ramones' first album "Ramones" (1976). Had Tom actually been listening to their newest album, he would have been listening to "Road to Ruin" (1978)...which does not include the song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend".
- Quotes
Tom Roberts: The only thing I'll ever lay is a rug!
- Alternate versionsUK cinema and video versions were cut by 1 min 39 secs to remove all footage of cocaine and reefers. The cuts were fully restored for the 2002 Prism DVD.
- ConnectionsEdited into Ramones: Do You Wanna Dance? (1979)
- How long is Rock 'n' Roll High School?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $300,000 (estimated)
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