The 70’s were an odd time for the
teen movie genre. Torn between the
radicalized sentiments of the 60’s in its early years and the later period
idolation of the 1950s, it was a rare movie that managed to present itself as
entirely original and reflective of the period in which it was filmed. Daring drive-in grindhouse pictures and
adult fare like Midnight Cowboy gave way to disco pastiches and callbacks to
other eras, as if the trauma of war, political turmoil, riots and had exhausted
the nation to the point of sadness. People
just wanted to have FUN. And yet the
closest it ever got to a beach for the entire decade was in the opening scene
of Grease.
The girls of summer in this decade
were actually the girls of all seasons; Grease covers a full school year at
Rydell High – thanks to its California setting there’s nary a parka in sight –
and American Graffiti takes place over one late spring night just before
graduation. The big summer movies were
out in space, set during a disaster or hidden deep within the ocean’s heart. The closest the seventies ever got to a
female-led summer movie about teenage life was in Roger Corman’s cult classic,
Rock N Roll High School.
In keeping with the outlandish
worldview established by pop movies of the time, very little that happens in
R&RHS makes sense in the grand scheme of things. How the heck is our protagonist Riff Randall
(played by the punky and spunky P.J. Soles, Carrie’s tormenter Norma and Mike
Meyer’s victim Linda) going to make a career out of being the Ramones’ number
one fan? Why would the Ramones take enough interest in
the ramshackle little school that can barely keep its kids in the seats, let
alone graduate them, even if they’re wildly obsessed with rock music? How the hell has Vince Lombardi High managed
to keep their accreditation, what with all of their principals keep
experiencing nervous breakdowns? For
the hour plus of the movie’s running time we’re firmly entrenched in a Roger
Corman grindhouse picture; your mind should check out right at the door if you
want to maximize your enjoyment of the preceding story.
This is a movie about Riff, her
desire to attend a Ramones concert, her total obsession with Joey Ramone, and the hardass principal who stands in her
way. To be fair, Principal Togar's conducted a few experiments on the effect of rock music on lab mice, and it didn't go too well for the mice, so she thinks it's a perfectly reasonable to use draconian methods on her students. It’s also about the rock-paranoid
parents who fear their kids might be worshipping the devil, and a story about the nerdy Kate
Rambeau, Riff’s straight-laced best friend, who loves the boring Tom Roberts, who is obsessed with Riff, who doesn't notice him because of her Ramones thing. Will they become coolified through Riff's influence? Well, it ends in a mutiny, pirate radio, radio-jamming, a student
rebellion that would make Victor Hugo spin in his grave, Riff meeting her idols and good old Lombardi
High blowing sky-high. All in a day’s
work, right?
If you’re not a Ramones fan,
you’re probably watching this one for P.J. Soles’ performance, and in that
you’ve made a wise choice. Riff is an excellent example of a heroine, rebellious but good natured, and obsessed with the joy of music and spreading it along. Punchy, witty, silly, and fully aware of her
own value as a person – she’s got a
sense of humor, a major crush on Joey Ramone, and an intriguing and enjoyable
personality that buoys the movie. She’s
every awesome punk fan you split a joint with in a high school bathroom, and
she’s actually a lot brighter than she gives herself credit for.
On the other hand, there’s poor
Kate, Riff’s best friend and the dull as dishwater stiff for whom Riff acts as
an agent provocateur. We have her story
so the audience can better transpose themselves into the plot, but Kate isn’t
as interesting as Riff, and Tom (played by also-ran 70’s hunk Vince Van Patten)
is about as interesting as paste no matter who he’s bouncing off of.
Even though all of this is true,
the script, direction, performances and general spirit of the movie makes it quite an enjoyable ride. It may not be a classically beachy summer movie, but “Rock and Roll High School” is more than worth a
look, even if you’re not as big a Ramones fan as Riff.
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