The Movie Room

The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975, directed by Jim Sharman

Rating: 9/10

This movie is 100% worth seeing live with a very involved audience and when seen as such it is a truly great American cinematic experience perfect for spooky season. But even without the audience participation, when I watch this at home, it is still a great fun time.

Part of what makes this movie so much fun and so rewatchable is that for only being 100 minutes, it has so many great songs in it. It is not the best musical, but most of the great musicals are almost double the length and some do not have as many great songs; therefore watching this movie feels like a speed run or like listening to a greatest hits album—it may not be as satisfying or complex as other musicals, but it gets the job done quicker! We start off with “Science Fiction/Double Feature” with its B-movie references that act as a great watchlist starting point, then into the extremely singable “Dammit Janet,” then get to “Over at the Frankenstein Place” which I never think I love but always get involved in, then it’s the all-time classic “The Time Warp” before the run of great songs with barely a break between “Sweet Transvestite,” “The Sword of Damocles,” “I Can Make You a Man,” “Hot Patootie—Bless My Soul,” and “I Can Make You a Man (Reprise).” That is only the first half! I won’t continue listing songs, but the second half is just as full of bangers. There are some musicals where I have one or two that make my regular rotation—with Rocky Horror, I keep almost every song in my playlists.

Helping make these songs, characters, and lines iconic are a bunch of great actors. Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick do a great job with Janet and Brad who change the most over the course of the film; they are perfect in the beginning as the square classic couple, and remain perfect as both face sexual awakenings and stay true to their characters even as their square boundaries are smashed. Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, and Little Nell are also great with their servant/groupie positions and their quirks and weirdness help them stand out and give their characters complexity that pays off in the ending. Meat Loaf doesn’t get many scenes, but his big song (“Hot Patootie—Bless My Soul”) is so full of life that his character hangs over the rest of the film, which is perfect for what Eddie’s role is supposed to be. And of course there is Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. He is perfect here, as he always is. Tim Curry is incapable of not committing to any and every role he takes on.

This movie is not the most complex piece of art or a perfect film, but it is ridiculously fun with a soundtrack full of memorable songs, and performances that are well-thought through while still being just entertaining. Even without the audience involvement, this movie is an American classic.