Shake, Rattle and Rock! (1994)

Very well executed

Purely Joyful Movie!

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Spunky young Susan (a winningly fresh and sassy performance by the adorable Zenee Zellweger) and her friends start their own rock group as well as open a nigh club. However, they face opposition from local uptight adults who consider rock'n'roll to be the devil's music. Director Allen Arkush, working from a sharp script by Trish Soodik, relates the enjoyable story at a zippy pace, offers an affectionate evocation of the 50's teen rock scene, maintains an engaging breezy tone throughout, and nicely addresses the racism and repressive conservatism of the period. Moreover, the main characters are drawn with great warmth, the vibrant soundtrack seriously smokes, and the picture possesses an infectious bounce and crackling energy that's a total joy to watch. The zesty acting from the enthusiastic cast keeps it humming: Howie Mandel as hip TV show host Danny Klay, Patricia Childress as Susan's sweet gal pal Cookie, Max Perlich as groovy drummer Tony, John Doe as surly rebel biker Lucky, Gerrit Graham as jerk producer Lipsky, and P.J. Soles, Dey Young, and Mary Woronov as evil square buzz-crushing parents who are determined to stop rock'n'roll. Popping up in neat bit roles are Dick Miller as Officer Paisley and William Schallert as a stern judge. An absolute blast.

I did not see this cable movie when it originally played on Showtime in 1994. I just grabbed the video off the dollar rental rack at my local supermarket's video dept. the other night, and I was pleasantly surprised. Well, I did see Allan Arkush's name listed as director, and felt if it was anywhere close to his "Rock n' Roll High School" (1979) it would be worth a look. I enjoyed the fact that Arkush cast the heroine of his 1979 film, P.J. Soles, and the actress who played her best friend in that movie, Dey Young, as two of the mothers objecting to rock and roll's influence on their kids. Mary Woronov, who played the evil principal in RnR HS, and Dick Miller, who played a policeman or fire chief in the first film, also appear under the same character names. Fans of cult actor Miller will note that he uses the name Paisley, which he first used in the Roger Corman Beatnik spoof horror movie "Bucket of Blood" in 1959. Yes, this is not up to the level of John Water's "Hairspray," but it is a fun movie with generally good performances, including one by sixties soul singer Ruth Brown, who was also in the Water's film. I generally avoid Howie Mandell like the plague, but he was OK here as the fast talking hipster DJ. Zellweger, John Doe, Gerrit Graham, Max Perlich, and (especially) Jennifer Lewis all give good performances and seem to be having fun in roles familiar from dozens of old American International drive-in movies. Makes me hope Dimension will release more of the "Rebel Highway" Showtime series, which all took their titles from AIP "classics."

From the opening beat I fell in love with SR&R. A delightful little spoof on the teen years in the 50's complete with a Murray the K style announcer, a downtrodden teen queen and her garage band, 4 hysterical busybodies intent on saving the world from the evils of music [who were hysterically funny], a way too old motorcycle "Fonzie", and lots of singing and dancing. A fun movie not to be taken one bit seriously nor making a statement of any kind.

This TV movie comes from a series of remakes of budget 50's teen movies. It is a relatively simple tale of a battle between teenagers and their elders who think their offspring are being corrupted by rock 'n' roll. This version features some old tracks (generally remade) plus a couple of new tracks that try to mimic the old style. On screen these are performed by the then little known Renee Zellweger, although the vocal performance is by Julianna Raye. This is a must for any Zellweger fans as she lights up the small screen. Beyond that it could pass the time adequately for 'armchair rebels' or nostalgia seekers.