alleywayambush Before I saw this film I considered The Ramones to just be :-a) A T-shirt band (that is after all where most of their revenue has come from !)b) A 'Punk' band (ie: vulgar trendy bohemian Top Of The Pops fad in the 70's !)c) That band with that naff, kitschy sing-along "Hey-ho; Let's Go" song.HOW WRONG I WAS !! 2 years ago (Spring 2016) I stumbled across a copy of this; a film I'd never even heard of. Just by looking at the DVD cover I could see they were being portrayed a anything but a crappy punk band ! I bought it, watched it and loved it; I INSTANTLY BECAME A RAMONES FAN ! This film portrayed them as a neutral, universal Rock 'n' Roll band; the film bared no reference to punk whatsoever ! References throughout the film to The Stones, Led Zeppelin and Ted Nugent aided in ranking them alongside other Rock 'n' Roll greats, neutral of contemporary 'scene' fads like punk, heavy metal, etc. As for the story, so OK, maybe it's not particularly original or witty. Sort of a metaphor for Nazi cultural oppression; think Tipper Gore's doppelganger of a school principal attempting to establishing an academic regime, free of Rock 'n' Roll and any other alternative socio-cultural sectors, where the kids - and the school music teacher - rebel through dancing, gigging and arson ! The Actual Ramones appear and perform throughout the film. An extensive gig scene, complete with pogoing rats, subtitled lyrics and 'Gabba-Gabba-Hey' placard, is a perfect introduction to their music for people - myself previously included - unfamiliar with the band; 'Teenage Lobotomy', 'Sheena...' and the title track are all present. The Ramones aside, a 29-year-old P.J. Soles plays a 17/18-year-old dominant student Riff Randell, at a school where Rock'n'Rollers are cool and jocks/cheerleaders are dorks !Overall, this film is not only fun, wild, loosely satirical and generally uplifting, but as I say, a really genuine portrayal of The Ramones, beyond all the fads the media associate them with. I think the people who disapprove of this film are the posers who do consider them a part of this punk tripe and think of them on the same wavelength as all that Jam-Clash-Pistols-Subs UK crap !

hellraiser7 One of the things that always got me though the drudgery of high school has always been music. Just hearing the music of a favorite band or even soundtrack from a film it just made most of my days feel alright.This film is one of my favorite comedies and it's one of the only teen films that are actually good in my book. Roger Corman's company always was famous for producing and making a lot of colorful B movies, this film is another of my favorites from his lot.Not much I can really say, the film is kinda a wish fulfillment fantasy, because in a way it's sort of takes a lot of things that most of us as teens we sometimes think or dream about and put them all in this movie. From having a favorite rock band visit your local school, rebelling and overcoming unfair authority and anyone that puts you down for what you love, teens actually stepping up being empowered by what they believe in, as well as destroying the school itself. What's not to love.I like the characters like Riff (P.J. Soles) whom is a fun protagonist she just has so much energy. She's a mega fan of Rock n Roll and the Ramones, hence her name. And she's rebellious as she isn't going to stand for anyone or anything trying to ruin her good time and rock n roll. She sort of represents ourselves because I really can emphasize with her with her enthusiastic and unending fandom for rock music, it's sort of like mine is with movies.Though my favorite is Eaglebauer (Clint Howard) whom is a sly business man that runs a business that is more or less legal in the school from helping some get though the day like supplying test answers in case there's that dreaded test they have to study for but most importantly helps underdogs and outsiders like nerds, geeks, or any other luckless teens in the school. Personally I think this kind of business is a cool idea, shame I didn't have this kind of business in my high school or collage for help.Mary Wornov as Miss Evelyn Togar is a fun villainous you love to hate, it's sort of ironic that she also got to play the main villainous in "Rock n Roll High School Forever" but that's a different story. Her character is a sadistic b.... that just doesn't give a crap about education let alone the students, she simply just wants to make life a living hell in the school for no reason. And of course once she presses that wrong button with Riff as well as ourselves, you know she's got to go down.The comedy I think is very good, the best and most hilarious of course is the high school takeover which despite occurring at the last minutes of the film are clearly the highlight and payoff of the film. I really love the soundtrack, this film is one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever, it has so many great memorable songs. In a way this film is sort of a musical as we constantly hear rock songs, one musical sequence from P.J. Soles and the other students, but most of all songs from the band "The Ramones". It's also in a way almost the ultimate fan film as this film is no doubt favoring the "Ramones" band whom are clearly the highlight of the film. Their songs are just fantastic, they sing one of my favorite theme songs of all which of course is the title itself.I even like that in a way the film has a good message showing that music and anything else in entertainment are rights and aren't the cause of social problems.Rockin Roll High School hits all the right notes.Rating: 3 and a half stars

allencurl-1 This movie is SOOOO funny!!! The acting is WONDERFUL, the Ramones are sexy, the jokes are subtle, and the plot is just what every high schooler dreams of doing to his/her school. I absolutely loved the soundtrack as well as the carefully placed cynicism. If you like monty python, You will love this film. This movie is a tad bit "grease"esk (without all the annoying songs). The songs that are sung are likable; you might even find yourself singing these songs once the movie is through. This musical ranks number two in musicals to me (second next to the blues brothers). But please, do not think of it as a musical per say; seeing as how the songs are so likable, it is hard to tell a carefully choreographed scene is taking place. I think of this movie as more of a comedy with undertones of romance. You will be reminded of what it was like to be a rebellious teenager; needless to say, you will be reminiscing of your old high school days after seeing this film. Highly recommended for both the family (since it is a very youthful but also for adults since there are many jokes that are funnier with age and experience.

sarah-dmonrx I seriously love this film so much, I never get sick of watching it. The only line I really can't stomach in this is when Riff calls herself a teenage lobotomy but other than that, everything else is perfect. I've never been a fan of PJ Soles and it didn't help to hear that she didn't even know who the Ramones were until she filmed this movie, but I can ignore her snarly little face for the most part. Most people who watch this over and over are fans of the Ramones and really.. that's the only reason I love it so much. I never get tired of seeing DeeDee mess up his Pizza lines or Joey mess up the name of the teacher over and over, haha. One of the best parts of the film is seeing them sing do you want to dance , down the halls of the high school.. I love it. The special edition DVD has a good retrospective, surprisingly PJ Soles isn't on it. Maybe she was working on another project *laugh* Anyway, great film, even better if you're a Ramones fan.