Shake, Rattle and Rock was a 1994 effort made by Renee Zellweger before she was famous, so I suppose she can be forgiven for this film (and I use that word loosely). Renee does at least try to make the best of a hackneyed plot, about kids who just want to rock 'n' roll in 1950's America, while looking adorable as a redhead in the process.However, even her cuteness cannot save this blatantly cheap looking movie. I have no problem with a movie being low budget (a lot of my favourite movies are of the independent variety) but a movie should never look this cheap. Also it's kind of hard to have a period piece when it looked like there was very little money, talent or competence to work with. I didn't see one classic car, and isn't that a prerequisite of a movie that's supposed to take place in past (especially the 50's or 60's)? Another bad sign that I noticed right away was that the opening credits were done in the same style of font that is often favoured by cheap porn. Now I'm not a porn connoisseur mind you, but I have seen a few with this same style of (hilariously cheap looking) opening credits.Zellweger plays a chick named Susan whose parents just don't get her, so she unleashes her frustrations by dancing it up as a regular on an American Bandstand rip off show called The 3 O'clock Bop (or something like that) that is hosted by Howie Mandel! That should be a red light right from the start; that Howie Mandel is making an attempt to act! This movie was so pathetically bad that I found it hysterical. There are some comments on this site that say this film was a satire, and hence was trying to be horrible on purpose, but I really and honestly think that it took itself seriously. And THAT made me laugh my ass off! How did I come to watch such a train wreck? I'm visiting my parents for a few days and I woke up about two hours ago and couldn't get back to sleep, and I actually found Shake, Rattle and Rock on my parents DVD shelf. What possessed my mother to buy this is beyond me, so I will have to investigate when she gets up. I'm betting five bucks that she came across it in the bargain bin at Wal-Mart...wait a minute, I can't make a bet with myself! Anyway, I have to make fun when she gets up none the less. Most likely this DVD was purchased for five bucks or less, but it's still a gip.I can't really review this movie because I only watched about 45 minutes of it before I had to turn it off! It's pretty bad that I couldn't force myself to sit through the entire 83 minutes, but maybe I'll torture myself and watch the remainder of it later if I'm really and truly bored (and I would have to be).I just really couldn't stomach watching Renee be attracted to the token bad boy of the movie, because it's obvious this teenage motorcycle hoodlum is at least 40! Wait, I have the IMDb page open for this piece of junk, let me check out the motorcycle hoods filmography. YES, I was right! The actor's name is John Doe (of all names) and he WAS 40 when this movie was made! I was jovial before, but now I'm cracking up! The make-up in Shake, Rattle and Rock was obviously one of the films many other oversights, and was probably done by the directors little sister. I say this because 40-year-old teenage motorcycle punk has a noticeable black eye that pops up (not long before I turned the movie off) that isn't explained, and it looks like an attempt to conceal it was made with a dollop of cheap foundation. I'm guessing that someone on set punched him because of his lousy acting, and that fact that he was 20 years too old for this damn part.The breaking point for me came when the cast started doing a montage/dance sequence in slow motion while getting ready for the big concert. Ugh, I must have looked bi-polar at that moment because I was both disgusted and laughing so hard that my stomach muscles hurt. Only watch this movie if you are in the mood to see what parts an A-list actress like Renee Zellweger had to reduce herself to back when she was slumming it in Hollywood.

Since there are obviously more people not liking this movie but only positive reviews online I have to add my opinion here. I saw this movie because of Renée Zellweger, and I thought it was a total waste of time. The other reviewers were correct in one point: the movie has no message and cannot be taken seriously. I would like to add, it is not funny and does not have an interesting plot, either. Throughout the movie, I was really trying to figure out the addressee of the picture. Possibly people from the 50s, but nobody else then. The only thing I learned is that Renée Zellweger seems to have always played the same character: a freaky but likable woman. Well, I am cautiously looking forward to her next appearance.

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.

From the very beginning of this film, those who have any fondness of the 50s and its music know that this is a film they will enjoy. The camera work is done in such a way that it seems to bring you greatly into the emotion of the film and truly make you believe that you are there. This then carries on though the film along with some classic 50s music. It is a film in which the parents are so stereotype-hyped that they almost don't seem real, yet there is an edge to them which makes you fear that parents truly where that way. It tells the story, not only of the apparent parent inability to accept rock 'n' roll but of the social pressure against the coloured community at the time. In many ways this film seems to still talk about many issues of today and therefore this remake still has a modern edge. The only thing against this film is the fact that more was not done with the plot, therefore creating a film where you know how it will end from the first meeting we see of Susan (the main star played by Renee Zellweger) and Luck.A great film full of romance, teenage angst, and more importantly - the 50s.