At Vince Lombardi High School, principal Evelyn Togar (Mary Woronov) maintains a strict anti Rock 'n' Roll stance that doesn't sit well with the students.
Rock 'n' Roll High School is a humorous and very clever homage to the old Rock 'n' Roll films of old but filtered through a contemporary lens. Playing like a mixture of Grease with some of the Shenanigans of Animal House, the movie is a romanticized youth in revolt story that knows exactly what it is. There's some very good comedic work on display including some humorous sight gags, well choreographed dance numbers, and a generally cartoonish approach that makes the movie a joy to sit through. P.J. Soles and Dey Young are endearing and lovable as our leads a Romones fan and science wiz respectively, and there's some very good supporting work from Clint Howard as the High School's black marketeer who operates his business out of the boys room complete with a professional looking office and a secretary. But stealing the scene everytime she's on screen is Mary Woronov as Principal Evelyn Togar. Playing her role like a mixture of a warden from a women in prison movie and a Nazi Commandant , Wornov's performances is delightfully serious and leads to some hillarious gags as she approaches the absurdity of the situation with stone faced seriousness.
The movie's pacing does drag a bit towards the middle as the movie puts its comedy on the back burner in favor of showcasing more of the music, but it makes up for this light lag in pacing with a climax that is so delightfully over the top it'll make even the most cynical of us crack a smile.
Rock 'n' Roll High School is a sincere, heartfelt, but also very silly tribute to not only Rock 'n' Roll, but also to high school and the teenage experience. It's a (mostly) good natured exercise in wish fulfillment that works as both a nostalgia trip and a musical showcase.
Rock 'n' Roll High School is a humorous and very clever homage to the old Rock 'n' Roll films of old but filtered through a contemporary lens. Playing like a mixture of Grease with some of the Shenanigans of Animal House, the movie is a romanticized youth in revolt story that knows exactly what it is. There's some very good comedic work on display including some humorous sight gags, well choreographed dance numbers, and a generally cartoonish approach that makes the movie a joy to sit through. P.J. Soles and Dey Young are endearing and lovable as our leads a Romones fan and science wiz respectively, and there's some very good supporting work from Clint Howard as the High School's black marketeer who operates his business out of the boys room complete with a professional looking office and a secretary. But stealing the scene everytime she's on screen is Mary Woronov as Principal Evelyn Togar. Playing her role like a mixture of a warden from a women in prison movie and a Nazi Commandant , Wornov's performances is delightfully serious and leads to some hillarious gags as she approaches the absurdity of the situation with stone faced seriousness.
The movie's pacing does drag a bit towards the middle as the movie puts its comedy on the back burner in favor of showcasing more of the music, but it makes up for this light lag in pacing with a climax that is so delightfully over the top it'll make even the most cynical of us crack a smile.
Rock 'n' Roll High School is a sincere, heartfelt, but also very silly tribute to not only Rock 'n' Roll, but also to high school and the teenage experience. It's a (mostly) good natured exercise in wish fulfillment that works as both a nostalgia trip and a musical showcase.