Rad

The eighties were a time where you could make a family movie out of everything, and bike riding definitely became a part of it. Our story involves a local bike-riding high school student named Cru, who can’t seem to go down the street without doing crazy bike stunts. When a bike-riding competition gets to his town, he decides that he has to be a part of it. But it’s not going to be that easy, since the competition features some of the most talented riders from across the country, not to mention that the owners of the Mongoose bike company want their guy to win, no matter what the cost. You know this movie is going to be a ball full of cheese the moment frame one starts, with it’s cheesy soft 80’s music playing to kids doing tricks on bikes in slow motion. It’s all cheese here when it comes to the music. The best sequence to prove this is the one in the high school gym, where Cru and his new girlfriend (played by Full House’s Lori Loughlin) have a ‘bike-off’ to the tunes of Send Me An Angel by Real Life. Speaking of this scene, it’s amazing how they try to pull off the ‘where’s the stuntman’ routine. I mean, Lori Loughlin doesn’t look like she can ride a bike with training wheels, let alone do stunts on them. The other most cheesetastic moment is the ‘love montage’ where they go down a waterslide. Hilarious!

Surprisingly enough, the movie has a pretty solid cast. We get solid performances by veteran actors like Ray Walston (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) and Jack Weston (The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street), but more surprisingly, Talia Shire. Yes, THAT Talia Shire, from The Godfather and Rocky franchises. Her role is small, but they still manage to give her the worst lines (“You defied me!”), even if she’s still able to deliver them with some kind of dignity. Yes, this is your typical, clichéd 80’s drama/family film, but still, there’s a certain appeal. It’s just really fun, something that a lot of movies today just don’t have, and it’s very entertaining. I suggest you give it a try if you haven’t, or haven’t seen it in a long time, since it hasn’t been out on DVD yet. You won’t regret it.