King of the B movies, Roger Corman, has produced a number of cult favorites, but none that are as fun as Rock and Roll High School—a story about teen anarchy, rock and roll, and high school demolition. Originally Corman thought about using pop 1979 music to make Disco High, but deferred to the wisdom of his director/writer Allan Arkush to use hard core rock instead to be hip. Had Corman insisted on the disco music, this film would have been forgotten long ago (and not recently re-distributed on Blu-Ray disc).

Incorporating the Ramones as central figures turns out to be most ingenious, as their classic punk rock endures through the decades. In fact, the film's best moments are the concert scenes that showcase the Ramones doing what they do best—one of the coolest scenes shows the high school music teacher rocking on with Joey and the crew, declaring that the Ramones are the "Beethovens of today." True pioneers, the Ramones don't look like normal rock and roll bands—just look at the lanky Joey. But when you hear the music, you will understand why they are the godfathers of punk.

Corman's low budget restrictions show in the unevenness of the film, but doesn't diminish the fun (in fact, listen to the birds go "cheap. . . cheep" immediately following the opening credits). Impressed with P. J. Sole's performance in Halloween, Director Arkush was able to convince Corman to hire her for the lead after she agreed to provide her own costumes to cut down on the costs. Sole turns out to be a wise choice for the role of Riff Randell—her natural energy carries the flimsy plotline as Vince Lombardi High School's most ardent Ramones fan and rock and roll rebel.

Randell rips off the music teacher's turntable to play her music and to energize her classmates, writes "Rock and Roll High School" for Joey Ramone, camps out in line for three days to buy up 1,000 tickets for the Ramones' concert, and leads the rebel forces against the enemy high school principal.

Effectively playing the uptight high school principal Miss Evelyn Togar is Mary Woronov, no stranger to small budget cult films—she's played in 73 of them, including Warhol's Chelsea Girls. Face it, her part doesn't require acting depth—Woronov becomes a caricature of small-minded authoritarian adults who wander the Earth without a clue. In one humorous sequence she demonstrates what rock music can do to teens with an insanely unscientific experiment on a white mouse—just watch what happens to the creature as the music escalates through various music groups until it reaches the zenith with the Ramones.

So we have a classic melodrama of good vs. evil with the anal retentive Togar matching wits with Riff Randell and most of the student body. Togar enlists two incompetent hall monitors in her moral police squad, but we know that is doomed to fail. After all, anyone NOT into the Ramones is just not cool. We've already seen what a principalship at Vince Lombardi High can do to an adult, as Togar's predecessor is introduced bound and in a straight jacket.

Not nearly as well done as other similar anti-establishment high school films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Fast Times at Ridgemont High—Rock and Roll High School is by no means a great artistic work, but it sure is a hoot in spots—from the sight gags of the continually changing photo of hard-nosed Coach Lombardi, to the entrepreneurial dating services of Eaglebauer (Clint Howard), to Togar's impotent plots to stomp out rock and roll. But the music remains the highlight and makes this rather lame film into a guilty pleasure.

Much of the plot, the script, and characters seem juvenile, but casting the Ramones ranks as a real coup, lending infinite credibility to the anti-establishment ideas hinted at in the film and transforming a relatively inferior film into required viewing by any punk fan. By far the best portions of the film are communicated through the music—and the Ramones remind us just how much fun rock and roll can be.