Rock'n'Roll High School

 Rock’n’Roll High School 1979

• Director: Allan Arkush
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: PJ Soles, Vincent Van Patten, Clint Howard, Dey Young, Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Don Steele, Alix Elias
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• PJ Soles – Private Benjamin
• Dey Young – Frankie & Johnny, Pretty Woman
• Dick Miller – Terminator
• Why? The Ramones
• Seen: Once before. Now 21 October 2021.      

       Why are we watching this? I really don’t like American high school films. (Except sometimes). But the Ramones are in it, and I seem to remember enjoying it the first time.

       Nerds, jocks, bookworms, rockers, rebels, teacher’s pets, idiots and geniuses – rock’n’roll is the answer to all their needs. They’re pursued by the evil new principal Miss Togar (Woronov) who sees rock’n’roll as the ultimate evil. Potential? A tad clichéd? With the right actors it might have worked. Maybe as a stage musical.

       But honestly, how could I possibly have liked this the first time?  It’s simply dreadful. The Ramones deserve a much better film than this. They get 1* but the film gets 0*.      

 

1 * of 5