Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) movie review - Sneak Previews with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel

[@hwy61rv]

I remember this review when it came out. Thank you forever Gene your presence. 2 weeks later we were playing at midnight in Chicago.45 years later we are still playing, yes we are a Very Very big Cult. This review had a BIG effect on my career and life............ps I'm Allan Arkush

[@ronaldh8446]

Good call, Gene. It is, indeed, a genuine cult film.

[@WinslowLeach1974]

42 years later and "Rock and Roll High School" is indeed an evergreen beloved cult film that is well made, has a fantastic cast, is loads of fun and features an incredible soundtrack, and of course one of the greatest bands of all time, The Ramones. Gene nailed it, and Roger, who usually loves a great B-movie, missed the mark a bit, which kind of surprised me here.

[@Sam-lm8gi]

Are you kidding? Roger Ebert was too pretentious for most B-movies. I can think of a dozen other major cult classics that Ebert totally trashed because they weren't "sophisticated" enough for his lard-brain. Even more frustrating is that he openly admits to "enjoying" the film, and yet he still gives it a thumbs down! Like, isn't the whole point of entertainment to entertain you? Ebert was a perpetual over-thinker.

[@WinslowLeach1974]

@@Sam-lm8gi Not saying I'm a big Ebert fan, but I give credit where it's due. Just a few examples, on an S&E show dedicated to "guilty pleasures" Ebert named "Massacre at Central High" as his (he even called it one of the best films of 1976), gave "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" three stars out of four, and is an admitted old-school Godzilla fan (which is why you saw Toho monster pics in the intro of early episodes). Heck, he even wrote a Russ Meyer movie. Again I'm not saying he's Mr. B-movie, but he liked his share.

[@Sam-lm8gi]

@@WinslowLeach1974 Fair enough. And he definitely had some good things to say about filmmakers like Scorsese, Welles, and Herzog, etc. I don't hate the guy, but I find him beyond frustrating, because far too often he shit on great movies -- even if he "enjoyed" them -- simply because they did not reinvent the wheel, as if every movie has to be the next "Citizen Kane." He was just too snobby and picky in my opinion, except, apparently, when it came to Godzilla movies. Go figure.

[@DisneyFan-eg3oz]

Be sure to see the movie that Roger wrote beyond the Valley of the dolls! 😂

[@ericdavidson6138]

Yeah, I mean he co-wrote arguably THE cult film of all time, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Would’ve figured he’d love RnR High School.

[@edwardtoyebo9690]

Way to go Gene and for Roger giving this one a credited nod. There were times when both could reach out to thoses who love this kind of movie. I Love Rock and Roll High School and will see it everytime it is played on a Big Screen.

[@gymnastix]

Roger Ebert could sometimes be a snob when it came to his reviews of good schlock films, ironic, or perhaps because of the fact he co-wrote the screenplay (with the film's director, Russ Meyers) for a schlock film himself, 1970's "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls." I had at one time thought I used to agree with Ebert more than I did with Gene Siskel about films. But Siskel actually often seemed more open-minded and less angry than Ebert did.

[@xdmaster7888]

@@gymnastix Gene was very upfront about liking erotic films, or at least R-rated mainstream films with sex and nudity, and equally upfront about having a low tolerance for movies with what he felt was excessive gore and/or abuse of female or children characters. He didn't automatically give thumbs ups to all of the former films or thumbs-downs to all of the latter, but he was honest about his baseline for making it more or less likely he'd appreciate genre films.

[@davidscott7626]

PJ Soles is awesome!!!

[@frankielucero8372]

I Remember Her From 2 Horror Movies. Carrie (1976) & Halloween (1978)

[@sinjin88]

She was really cute in Stripes.

[@frankielucero8372]

@@sinjin88 Oh I Forgot About That Movie.

[@bassliveevil]

A terrific movie, plain and simple

[@bareknuckles2u]

Fun movie with great music. Gene was right!

[@xdmaster7888]

Note to viewers: There are other clips of this review (some of them just this review, others of the entire 1979 show it appeared on) that can't use the actual Ramones music during the "mouse explodes from sonic blast" scene. Don't bother with any of those vids. This one is much better and less distracting.

[@davidscott7626]

I love this movie. It has indeed become a cult classic.

[@TheHoopyscoopy]

"Cult Classic" is overused... Wiki calls anything over 20 years old a cult classic.

[@frankielucero8372]

The Warner Home Video Edition Of Rock N Roll High School Said Midnight Movies On The Upper Right Side Corner Of The Video Box.

[@disneyfan8178]

In fact, according to Danny Peary's book "Cult Films", "Rock and Roll High School's" initial release was, in fact, on the Midnight Movie circuit.

[@chrisfinch8637]

Ebert was basically half and half with this movie; of course he said he couldn’t recommend it to anyone at the time of his review, but since he knew that punk rock music from The Ramones and other similar bands was gonna be a trending genre of music, leading up to the 80s, he was totally honest in telling people to not miss out on seeing that movie.

[@thomasgrable1746]

I just rewatched this film on DVD, and it remains a cult classic. PJ Soles is excellent as Riff Randell, number 1 fan of the Ramones, and Mary Woronov was delightfully over the top as Principal Togar. Joey and the gang were awesome, of course! Gene got it right, even if Roger failed to appreciate the film.

[@movieman104]

this a classic im glad at least one liked it

[@davisphillips993]

I like Roger’s chuckle at 0:34 😆

[@ohnose4455]

Bottom line is that both of them loved the Ramones

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Roger really doesn't explain why this was a "near miss".

[@chrisfinch8637]

I think it was a near miss for Ebert, because when it comes to movie criticism or movie critics in general, the plot/story of the film, the overall scenes in it, and certain characters involved, are what they often look for. Since he didn't quite make his take 100% clear for us, he still mentioned that the movie was like the old CBS sitcom, "Our Miss Brooks" (which features Grease's own Eve Arden) with The Ramones added, in which he was probably not too fascinated with throughout, even though he still admired them, and P.J. Soles. But even with all that throughout Ebert's mind, he was still honest in telling people to "not" miss out on seeing the film.

[@LetsGoMetsGo33]

Way to go Gene Siskel on RNRHS! Surprised Ebert didn't go for it more. Ebert was hip to punk for sure, he actually was working with Malcolm McClaren on writing early drafts of the screenplay to the Sex Pistols movie "Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle". And he's always liked cult movies, like he loved "This is Spinal Tap".

[@BDUBZ49]

Gene always seemed old. I get the impression he's nearly 50 here. (He was only 33 at the time). Maybe because he uses the blanket term "young people" so often in his reviews.

[@newwavepop]

WOW, i mean im surprised. im turning 48 in a couple days and totally still see him as older than i am.

[@thegreatreverendx]

They always seemed to emulate middle-aged respectability even when they were young. Must have been their upbringing in old-school journalism.

[@mikesilva3868]

Fun movie 👍😊

[@jorgezarco9269]

Rock and Roll High School(1979) is a fun B-movie. P.J. Soles was cast as the World's Biggest Ramones fan. Roger Corman wanted some disco songs on the soundtrack.

[@newwavepop]

whats kind of funny about it to me is that Roger was partially involved in writing a dumb film for the sex pistols. i have to be honest i dont really care much about the film either way, i mean if friends are watching it i will watch but i never seek it out on my own. if the Ramones were not in it i definitely wouldnt have even that little bit of interest in it and from what i recall they arent in it that much. but i consider that scene of them arriving at the show one of cinemas greatest moments LOL. along with those fighting skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts.

[@SRV2013]

Any film with Grady Sutton in it gets a thumbs up from me.

[@ThinkLascivious]

Nailed it.

[@pandaeyes42]

Hey. Up Yours, Siskel And Ebert!

[@frankielucero8372]

I Saw It On HBO So Many Years Ago.

[@reneedennis2011]

Same here!

[@Sam-lm8gi]

If you ENJOY a movie, but still give it a THUMBS DOWN, then you might be Roger Ebert.

[@chrisfinch8637]

This is probably the opposite, but I suppose I was a "Roger Ebert" for the movie, "Home Alone 3", except that it was not as good as the first two with Macaulay Culkin, but I still gave it a thumbs-up, like he did (in which he actually said was "better than the other two").

[@andrewlair5917]

Gene was right rock n roll highschool did and is a cult classic

[@ventues9751]

Gene Called it !!!

[@only257]

Fun movie 🍿

[@Hannibal_Lectern]

Certainly has.

[@p.l.h.9661]

RAMONES

[@brettthebassist]

Yep Gene was right

[@kiernanthomas6006]

Roger is being wishy washy. This Movie Rules The School!!!!! Siskel is Gabba Gabba Hey Ho Corect!

[@howardmenkes2926]

Great cast, weak story. And what did they have against Vince Lombardi?

[@MAMoreno]

The Ramones are truly terrible in this film. PJ Soles is great, as always.

[@imbluz]

This was not a B-Movie, but more like a Grade C movie.

[@TheHoopyscoopy]

Watching these Sneak Preview videos all in a row really shows you what a fake laugh Ebert had and often used... Anyway, this movie always looked kinda sweaty and stupid to me. It seems to have caricatures instead of characters.

[@creepyskulldini581]

Well, it's a COMEDY, not a DRAMA.

[@hwy61rv]

It's an homage and a satire of 1950's rock movies like Shake Rattle and rock which I did a remake of in homage to rnrhas. It's a Meta world.

[@mikefarmer6515]

This looks really dumb!

[@MikeHunt90731]

You suck good sir lol

[@mikefarmer6515]

@@MikeHunt90731 Hey what do I know, I've never seen it, maybe it's a classic I've missed out on

[@MikeHunt90731]

@@mikefarmer6515 watch it!

[@KOSMICKEN09]

Cheap Trick got asked to do this movie - that would have been cool too

[@AntiderivativeJill]

DUMB, everyone's accusing me! 😅❤🎵🎶🎵