Directed by Allan Arkush
Written by Richard Whitley & Russ Dvonch and Joseph McBride (screenplay), Joe Dante & Allan Arkush (story)
Cast: P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard, Dey Young, Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Don Steele, The Ramones
I have to admit, I am very inclined to like this film, because it’s directed by, not just New Jersey’s own, but a fellow Bergen County kid, Allan Arkush.
Arkush went to Fort Lee High School in the 1960s, and used to daydream that The Beatles or The Rolling Stones would show up one day and play for the students in the school’s courtyard.
Fast forward a decade or so, and he slowly but surely convinced Roger Corman to morph one of his usual exploitation scripts (reportedly titled Girls’ Gym; I can’t possibly imagine what that would have been about) into a PG-rated rock and roll musical.
Add a healthy dash of Punk, and you’ve got Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.
Now, look, I don’t think the movie is great, and I’m not sure it even really qualifies as a cultural touchstone, but what it is is a whole lot of fun, so if you can vibe with it on that level, you’ll enjoy it just fine. Some of the humor is dated, to be sure, but I think Arkush has a fairly unique sense of comedy. I’d compare it to UHF, but whereas that movie really only gets surreal during the fantasy sequences, Arkush is unafraid to push farcical elements into the world of his movie (this equally applies to his Get Crazy, which is sadly near-impossible to find on home format).
On a slightly more serious note, the centerpiece of the film is a Ramones concert at the Roxy, where we get about ten minutes (so, you know, five songs) of “live” musical performance (in contrast to the more fantastical music segments), and that is great. I’m not sure if the audio was recorded live or not, but at the very least they’re not just syncing to the original recordings of the songs.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t even mention the star of the movie, P.J. Soles as Riff Randell. She’s spunky, she’s funky, she’s coolly rebellious; everything you need in a protagonist for this movie (although, to be honest, I found myself gazing more at her friend Kate, played by Dey Young). And, naturally, as this is a Roger Corman production, Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov are there in wonderful supporting roles (as well as a cameo from Dick Miller).
All-in-all, as I said, it’s fun, and that’s all it really needs to be.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)
P.S.
Even though I got stuck in traffic and wasn’t a particular happy camper by the time I got there, I was so glad I made the trip to the Mahoning Drive-In to see this, as we were treated to a brief in-character bit from Clint Howard, and a beefy introduction from Allan Arkush himself. It was a lovely experience that I’m sure I’ll think of now whenever I’m reminded of the movie.