Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Rock 'n' Roll High School

      PG Released Aug 24, 1979 1h 33m Musical List
      81% 27 Reviews Tomatometer 75% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score A teenager (P.J. Soles) and her friends get even with their principal to music by the Ramones. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Jul 18 Buy Now

      Where to Watch

      Rock 'n' Roll High School

      Fandango at Home Peacock Prime Video Apple TV

      Rent Rock 'n' Roll High School on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

      Audience Reviews

      View All (671) audience reviews
      Josh G This is a super fun promotional tool for the band at the time but less of a film and more of a SNL sketch combined with a concert a cult classic but less of a film. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/24 Full Review Ola G Vince Lombardi High School keeps losing principals to nervous breakdowns because of the students' love of rock 'n' roll and their disregard for education. The leader of the students, Riff Randell (P. J. Soles), is the biggest Ramones fan at the school and also the worst behavioral problem, in that her disciplinary record fills an entire filing cabinet. She waits in line for three days to get tickets to see the band, hoping to meet Joey Ramone so she can give him a song she wrote for the band, "Rock 'n' Roll High School". When the tyrannical Principal Togar takes her ticket away, Riff and her best friend Kate Rambeau have to find another way to meet their heroes: winning a radio contest... This Roger Corman high school musical comedy b-movie is a slight mess with The Ramones as the focal point. Nice to see the charming PJ Soles in the lead, but the rest is quite forgettable. Trivia: Corman originally wanted Cheap Trick or Todd Rundgren to play the band, but due to a conflict of schedules, he was forced to find an alternative. The Ramones were suggested by Paul Bartel, one of the actors in the film. (Via Wikipedia) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/25/23 Full Review Kenneth L I enjoyed this as a kid. Watching it as an adult was good nostalgic fun. It is by no means a good movie, but it is entertaining. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/16/23 Full Review Dave B This fun campy movie brought the Ramones to the fore front. Great movie so many great gags Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/08/23 Full Review Chris M Considering this was a movie to show off the Ramones someone should have told Principal Togar that it's not 1950s any more. Which makes her one note as a villain. The plot is good, not great. At the time of writing the review was the first time first time hearing the Ramones music. I'm impressed. As a vehicle for the Ramones, it does it job well. I wasn't expecting much but I was impressed. It was way better than I expected. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/04/23 Full Review Steve D Ramones fans will love it. Absolutely ridiculous, which is what it means to be. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      0% 54% Roller Boogie 22% 37% Can't Stop the Music 17% 20% You Light Up My Life 17% 90% Sparkle 26% 69% The Jazz Singer Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Hit Movie Songs from the 1970s Five Favorite Films with Roger Corman Video Exclusive: Jamie Bell talks Hallam Foe, accents and Equus with RT

      Photos

      View All Rock 'n' Roll High School photos

      Rock 'n' Roll High School

      Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (27) Critics Reviews
      Dave Kehr Chicago Reader It's more cleverly cut than shot -- which means that it moves quickly and energetically even as the concepts and characters disintegrate. Apr 14, 2009 Full Review Time Out For all its throwaway humour, this is basically just a pleasant reworking of the kids versus adults rock'n'roll movie format of the '50s. Feb 19, 2007 Full Review John Rockwell New York Times The pity is that with a bit more care and flair, it could have been a really sweet little movie. Rated: 2.5/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com It is a simple, joyous film that offers the viewer a good time and a bunch of smiles. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 21, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Thanks to a superb soundtrack, a quip-packed screenplay (my favorite: "Do your parents know you're Ramones?"), and P.J. Soles' boundless energy, it's near-impossible to resist this film's goofy charms. Rated: 3.5/4 Nov 30, 2019 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed A bonafide love letter to the punk juggernauts that ruled music in the seventies and eighties. Jan 3, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A teenager (P.J. Soles) and her friends get even with their principal to music by the Ramones.
      Director
      Allan Arkush, Joe Dante, Jerry Zucker
      Producer
      Roger Corman
      Distributor
      New World Pictures
      Production Co
      New World Pictures
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Musical
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Aug 24, 1979, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      May 3, 2018
      Runtime
      1h 33m
      Sound Mix
      Mono
      Most Popular at Home Now