Review: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Rating

Director

Jim Sharman

Screenplay

Jim Sharman, Richard O’Brien (Play: Richard O’Brien)

Length

1h 40m

Starring

Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell, Jonathan Adams, Peter Hinwood, Meatloaf, Charles Gray

MPAA Rating

Review

The challenge of reviewing a film you’ve seen more than a dozen times is giving its flaws and its strengths equal attention without coming off as sounding fawning. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is deeply flawed, but is also one of the most fun and entertaining experiences you can ever have with an audience who know what they are doing.

Based on a quirky British musical by Richard O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Show, this Picture Show was released to only modest success with audiences in certain areas. It ultimately built up one of the most solid and consistent fanbases of any film in history. The production is a combination of parody and celebration of B-movies such as King Kong, The Day of the Triffids, Forbidden Planet, and many more. The story centers around an innocent newlywed couple, Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick and pre-fame Susan Sarandon), who stumble upon a bizarre party in a remote gothic mansion hosted by a transsexual named Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) from Transylvania and his assorted sidekicks (O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell).

The Transylvania he sings about is his home planet for he and his cadre of servants and hangers-on are all aliens longing to go home but stuck on a planet that Frank doesn’t want to leave. His latest invention is a blond-haired muscle man (Peter Hinwood), which threatens not only to upend their plans to stay on planet Earth, but serves to corrupt the pure Brad and Janet. Things go about as one would expect in an overarching way, but getting there is unique and fascinating, which has helped build its reputation.

What really sets the show and the movie apart are the terrific musical numbers. “The Time Warp” spawned a new dance craze. “Sweet Transvestite” and “Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me” were sex-positive anthems celebrating sexuality and masturbation respectively. These were the best songs, but “I’m Going Home,” “Dammit Janet,” “Over at the Frankenstein Place,” and “Science Fiction/Double Feature” were also terrific pieces. There is only one real dud, “Hot Patootie,” but a lot of people love the song and sung in the film by pre-fame Meat Loaf.

As to the film itself, a lot of the performances are right on the verge of being great, but also incredibly campy. Curry was born to play the role of Frank-N-Furter while O’Brien and Quinn are solid performers. Sarandon struggles a bit with the material while her nuptial counterpart Bostwick does decently well but is perhaps too stiff, even for a character like Brad. Nell is too over the top while Hinwood and Meatloaf are mediocre. It’s a mixed bag that is bolstered by the material. The screenplay by O’Brien and director Jim Sharman saves much of the film, giving the audience a B-movie-like experience while lovingly mocking its inspirations.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a film best experienced at the copious midnight showings that crop up around the country. While it has its flaws, much of that is wonderfully lambasted by the audience participation, which has grown and adapted with each generation adding something and making this multi-generational experience one that you won’t soon forget. That it means so much from not only a sexual liberation perspective, but as a celebration of different paradigms within the LGBTQ community, makes it a thrilling pastiche that continues to feel fresh with each new year.