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

Renee Zellweger can only take a role so far. She is cute, the movie is very colorful, and the costumes are nice, but the story and the quality of the movie aren't enough to make it very good. This movie is reminiscent of "Hairspray" starring Ricki Lake. It is a low-budget film with an underdeveloped story. I wouldn't recommend it unless you love Renee Zellweger or Hairspray.

From the opening beat I fell in love with SR&R. A delightful little spoof on the teen years in the 50's complete with a Murray the K style announcer, a downtrodden teen queen and her garage band, 4 hysterical busybodies intent on saving the world from the evils of music [who were hysterically funny], a way too old motorcycle "Fonzie", and lots of singing and dancing. A fun movie not to be taken one bit seriously nor making a statement of any kind.

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.