MovieChat Forums > Roll Bounce (2005) Discussion > How did you end up watching this movie a...

How did you end up watching this movie and what did you think of it?

posted 18 years ago by MRBIOS
27 replies | jump to latest

written: 04-11-07 Posted: 06-21-07

Updated: 09-08-07

I would like to thank everyone that replied. I read every post! Keep the spirit of this movie alive! Please continue to recommend this movie to friends and family and strangers. I think the cast and crew and writers etc really deserve a grass-roots word of mouth advertising campaign! Btw, for the young posters under 20 I was glad to ear your thoughts there is a lot of pressure and more distractions than ever efore so it is easy to lose direction and purpose.

Here's my shake down...

I never would have seen this movie except a friend recommended it to me and said she though I would love it. I reluctantly started watching it.

I am about to turn 40. In October 1980 I was 12 years old and I grew up in Connecticut so I was about the same age as the characters. I loved this movie and it brought back a lot of memories and strong emotions. I had one-size-fits-all skates made entirely out of steel (wheels and all). I wore a key (which was really a tool) around my neck so I could tighten the clamp-on skates them when they got loose. My parents driveway was cement and all broken up so I would skate for hours in the basement because it smooth and flat.

I had a childhood friend whose mom died and a friend that was described in the 70's as "mixed" white, purotrican and black.

I enjoyed the attitude in the 70's much more then today's designer materialism. I live in San Diego and I see kids under 12 wearing clothing that probably cost well over $100. But I digress... For the most part, I felt, the acting, direction, and general fell of the movie was very true to the 70's and a refreshing break from the run of the mill prefabricated Hollywood westcoast storyline.

The feel of the movie took me back to a time when life was simpler: You wanted something you asked your parents for it and the answer was almost always no, "we can't afford it". As a middle class "white kid" I think I would have idolized sweetness and the cool that he exuded. When I saw kids like Sweetness I knew we were from different worlds. This movie reminded me how the 70's afforded each person respect so there wasn't such a need to conform and one up everyone else. Today, buzz words like "multicultural" are subsituted for genuine friendships between kids of different class/race/economic means.

__________________My roller blade / skate update_________________
Interestingly, when I moved to san diego in the summer of 2000 I got a second lease on life at age 33. An old girl friend had tough me how to rollerblade a few years earlier. When I discovered the boardwalk in Pacific Beach wow was I amazed to see hundreds of people of all ages on rollerblades. One time I saw a girl with knockout legs and a tiny pair of black spandex shorts being towed with a rope by another girl riding a beach crusier. I was amazed at the skill of bladers out here. Then one day I bought some sketcher rollerskates. I had forgotten how easily 4 wheels tip over!! Then one day I think I left my skates somewhere. The whole rollerblade craze slowly went away and a couple of years ago I realized the board walk was not the same. In the summer of 2007 I see just a handful of bladers / skaters. Too bad it is a great way to get around. I just dusted off my rollerblades and and am considering buying another pair of rollerskates.

Dust off your skates and maybe we can bring back the good times! Let our motto be "let's skate" instead of "let's roll".

PaulC aka mrbios

[–] cheldove 18 years ago

I too was reluctant to watch this movie. At first I felt that a skate movie was something I would not ever enjoy...without really knowing much about the movie itself..or the whole 70's theme. WOW..was I surprised!!!! Being a teenager myself in the mid to late 70's...this movie brought one of the biggest smiles on my face that I have had in a long time. So many pleasant memories. It was a wonderful time. A time when the word family really meant something...and kids had innocent fun...without getting into major trouble as they seem to do today. And the music...OMG...I was about to jump out my chair listening to some of the greatest hits from the 70's. I was mad that I didn't watch it sooner. This one will definitely be in my DVD collection!!

[–] slzi 18 years ago

I am 30 years old. I actually watched this about 4 weeks ago. Was sick from work that day and nothing on commercial or pay tv. Roll Bounce was playing on pay tv and I caught it 20 minutes in. After about 10 mins of watching it, I was enjoying it. By the end, I loved it. Great movie, feel-good story and great 70's disco music.

Was on again on pay tv a couple of weeks ago and watched it again, but with the wife and kids this time. They all enjoyed it. Bought it 2 days ago on DVD for AU$12. One for the collection in my books.

[–] Sailorm911 18 years ago

I'm 21, so I feel like a baby compared to all of you, and I don't have anything deep or meaningful to say, which makes this a little embarassing.

I was talking to a new friend of mine who loves dancing movies, and I had never seen any of the ones she mentioned. One night I saw that Roll Bounce was on On Demand so I ordered it. I'm not sure if it can really be classified as a dance movie, but I loved what I watched so much that I ended up stopping the movie before it was over and rushing out to find the DVD, alas I did not find it. Our local Wal*Mart doesn't have it any longer, so I'll have to look around.

I loved the movie, I really did, and I was very skeptical at first. I nearly cried when X and his father fought in the garage over his mother's death, something that seems to be looming over me, as my mother is very sick.

Mostly all of my friends think I'm lieing when I say that I enjoyed the movie enough to buy it, and they won't sit down with me to watch it, but it's their loss. It's a very good, moving film.

[–] hecantune 18 years ago

37, Same ond story. Bored, flipping channels, nothing else on. "Eh, why not?" It ended up being a nice surprise even though I didn't really care for the skating. I just couldn't buy into it for whatever reason. Some of the people at Sweetwater were way over the top and that got a little old. Other than that though, I did enjoy the movie alot. Hopefully it will get some people (that really need and deserve it) some more work! I'm not just talking about the actors either.

They move, Mr. Hughes! Clouds move! That's what they do! They move!.

[–] devinesoul_1972 18 years ago

I had intended on watching the movie anyway when I read the previews about it and I enjoyed it alot and ended up buying the DVD. I grew up in the 70's so I could relate to the things they did in the movie. Now I need to buy the soundtrack *lol*

I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be.

-Joyce Meyers

[–] Ingridd 18 years ago

The music from the trailers caught my attention... It took me back to the late 70s in a flash! I meant to see it when it was in the theaters, but real life was too hectic at the time. Finally got a chance the other day and I loved the movie. It's the most authentic rendition of that period I have ever seen. I grew up in Detroit and was in middle school when disco and roller skating were big. Watching the movie was like going back in time... the music, the clothes, cappin', the hair (Wesley Jonathan gets an A for authenticity with that 'fro!). Props to the director!

IDA

[–] roy_renee1980 18 years ago

yeah - there was nothing else on so my hubby and I thought we would give the movie 10 minutes and if it was "too stupid" we would turn it off and go to bed... NO, no, no - we watched the whole thing. Great characters, great lines. Nothing over the top just very entertaining - loved the music - I graduated in 1978 in a Detroit suburb - we did a lot of rollerskating -
There were some things that were out of their "real time" slot but still... the movie tells a sweet story in a very pleasant, fun, toe-tappin', knee bouncing way. I laughed. I cried. I will recommend the movie to my family, friends and co-workers. I gave it an 8.

[–] TheRealBambi 17 years ago

It came on cable ... and I gave it a chance. I liked it! Great music, cool skating. A nice feel good movie that definitely has the retro stuff right on the money. I know, I was a young mom in those daze.

Bambi

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[–] wsboyette-1 17 years ago

As I am a very active quad Jamskater, my wife thought that I might like this movie and bought a copy of it. It really takes me back, as I was a teenager learning to shuffle-skate to the music in 1978. Frequently, at the rinks I skate, they now play some of those old songs, and I have a ball tearing them up with my current shuffle-skating... The hoopala over "Sweetness" in the movie seems a bit farfetched to me, and there are some anachronisms, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the picture and have watched it several times (using the DVD's slow-motion feature to analyze the skating in it, of course !). My compliments to the actors who worked so hard learning to skate well for this picture !

Wade 'RinkRaptor' Boyette

[–] grlpwr1993 17 years ago

I just watched this movie because it was filmed at the roller rink I go to alot. I think it was okay, not the best movie but also not the worst.

[–] lnoft97 17 years ago

I was flipping through channels, hoping maybe Best Week Ever was on VH1. Saw: roller skating! Heard: Disco! I love both. Finding this movie was like finding a bottle of water while trudging through a desert! I've seen better movies but I enjoyed this one A LOT!!!

[–] mamamiasweetpeaches 17 years ago

I'm 36. My daughter had her friends over to work on a Science Fair project so I went to hide in my room and watch TV. This was on VH1...and I had heard about it, but never really heard if it was good or bad. I thinkw hen the movie came out I thought it took place in a Modern Day Setting, which is what probably kept me from watching it. Had I known it took place in the 70s I definately would have watched it sooner!

I really enjoyed it (I love the 70s and 80s and run a 70s & 80s fansite) ..my only complaint is that because I watched it on TV there were so many damn commercials that it took 2 1/2 hours to watch it!

But, yeah, I liked it.

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[–] oregon-5 17 years ago

I remember seeing the trailer back in late July or August of 2005. Then I saw
that it was coming out in September and I knew it would never be a big box
office hit. I liked the idea of seeing a kid on roller skates with big headphones on delivering papers. Which is what I did as a kid. It played briefly at my multi-plex but then was gone just like that. I had to wait til it came out on DVD. I really liked the movie, great cast and I enjoyed all the sub-plots. The soundtrack is killer as I am getting more into the funk/soul/R&B music of the 70's. I just turned 40 and grew up on Casey Kasem's top 40. So I only saw music in 3 categories: pop, country & classical. Roll Bounce is a great film, I feel like going out and buying it right now. It has that feel-good, throwback to the good ol' days aura for me.

[–] Sulalee 17 years ago

I was surprised by how lighthearted and good natured this movie felt to me. I certainly loved this movie.

[–] snowthedirtbub-1 17 years ago

I saw it on HBO and thought, "how the hell did this become a movie?"

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Emiabambinacara 17 years ago

Though generationally, it was a little out of my range because I was born on the tail-end of Generation X, I gave it chance because is was from the makers of a really great film I saw in 200 called The Wood. It was an ensemble movie about a group of friends getting together for one's wedding. They end up reminiscing about growing up together in the 80's while simultaneously rescuing the reluctant Groom from making a rash decision to leave his bride at the alter. Roll Bounce had the same feel as that great movie.