TxMike
Thanks to Netflix streaming I was able to view this early Zellweger movie, made just a couple of years before she started to get roles that gave her more notice in the movie business.Set in the 1950s and spoofing afternoon TV dance shows like American Bandstand, Renée Zellweger is Susan, a 17-yr-old high schooler. In her own room she enjoys Rock and Roll and the opening scene has her dancing energetically, hopping all over her bed, pretending to sing. Out of sight she and two of her friends are forming their own Rock and Roll band. She plays piano and sings (but her singing is dubbed by someone else).Howie Mandel is Danny Klay, the Dick Clark surrogate, and he MCs the TV dance show. He eventually meets the young wannabees and takes a liking to them and helps publicize their musical endeavors. One of the boys is Max Perlich (good in 'Beautiful Girls') as Tony.Most of the theme here is the 1950s divide between parents and kids. The kids want to dance Rock and Roll, they want to invite and enjoy black singing groups, but the parents believe that is all evil.There is a large kernel of truth in all that but this movie is done in a very exaggerated style more for laughs than for hard-hitting social statements.After they teens briefly open a former restaurant as a spot for teens to play music and dance, one of the uppity moms gets a noise nuisance order to close them down. But Danny Klay holds a mock trial on his show, inviting people to call in, Rock and Roll, is it innocent or guilty? The resolution is less than satisfactory but the movie is entertaining enough and I enjoyed seeing Zellweger in a very early role, filmed when she was about 24.
Theo Robertson
I read the TV guide which described this movie as being about some teenage kids starting a band and opening a nightclub much to the annoyance of the adults of the town who are very , very conservative . Right away I thought I'd be watching something along the lines of FOOTLOOSE which by no means a great movie would have some appeal to a teenage audience .However what the TV guide didn't point out was that SHAKE RATTLE AND ROCK was set in the 1950s so right away you've got a musical score that means nothing to the kids of today . Wouldn't a movie produced in 1994 aimed at a teen audience work much better if it'd be set in 1994 featuring a grunge soundtrack . I also doubt if anyone who can remember the 1950s would be able to recognise the 1950s here . People discussed " Black foreplay with a pillow " at the dinner table ! Teenage kids had both the funds and means to open nightclubs ! Perhaps the worst criticism of Trish Soodik's script is that she seems to be under the impression that in the 1950s singers used to write their own material ! No they didn't , not even Elvis wrote his own songs and the concept of a singer songwriter didn't happen until John Lennon came along . Female artists didn't play instruments eitherOkay with these criticisms I might be accused of taking this TVM too seriously but believe me that would be impossible and not even the always superb Renee Zellweger can save this anachronistic lightweight teen movie from being instantly forgettable
Rogue-32
If you love Renee Zellweger, you will love her in this film. Adorable performance, bursting with winning charm and energy. Although someone named Julianna Raye is actually performing her songs, you'd never know it; she's thoroughly convincing as a piano-poundin' rock an' roller.
matthewrjs
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.
AD
