Shout Reviews

Hapless, contrived, and thoroughly predictable teen drama about the early days of rock 'n' roll. In Texas circa 1955, musician Jack Cabe (John Travolta) is on the run, wanted for murder. Looking for cover, he persuades school director Eugene Benedict (Richard Jordan) to take him on as music instructor at the remote Benedict School for Boys. Jack promptly befriends Jesse Tucker (James Walters), a rebellious teenager obviously headed for a life of crime until Jack introduces him to a new kind of music--rock 'n' roll! Before long, the whole school is rocking its way toward social adjustment. But Jesse runs afoul of the sadistic Mr. Benedict when he seduces his daughter. Although the film is billed as a musical, there are grievously few musical numbers in what is primarily a youth drama. The screenwriter's attempts at characterization never rise above the strictly one-dimensional stock-character level. The best this production has to offer is the splendid cinematography of Robert Brinkmann, who has captured the look of a bygone era with precision.