This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
RAD
1 1/2 Wheels
For a movie whose title practically begs to be followed by an explanation point, Rad is a surprisingly mellow affair. Even much of the bike riding seems to be shot in slow motion. There's nothing of any merit here, but it's so low-key that I can barley summon the energy to trash it.
The first thing I noticed about Rad is that it's filled with product placement. USA Today, 7-Eleven, Coca Cola and Kix cereal all make non-to-subtle appearances. It makes some sense though, because the film kind of looks like a ninety-minute TV commercial. Not even a modern souped-up one, but one of those grainy ones from the seventies.
There's a general lack of anything resembling professional filmmaking throughout, but that's due to a genuine lack of talent on the part of the filmmakers. Unlike the much worse Quicksilver, in which clearly skilled Hollywood folk sold their souls for formulaic commercialism, the Rad crew know they're making a silly little movie for no money and they give it their best shot.
Plots don't get much simpler. Hometown boy, Cru Jones, competes in the corporate dominated BMX race, Helltrack, against overwhelming odds. In this case, the odds include a scheduling conflict with his SAT test and random sponsorship related rule changes. (Well, maybe the odds aren't so overwhelming.)
Bill Allen plays Cru without even a trace of charisma and gets little support from the young cast who all seem to be reading off cue-cards. The older character actors, including Ray Walston (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Talia Shire (Rocky) and Jack Weston (Dirty Dancing), understand that they're slumming it and make the most of their screen time by shamelessly chewing scenery.
You might think that the director of such a film would be a naïve young newcomer, but none other than, stuntman-turned-director, Hal Needham, has helmed this project. Forgot Hal already? His resume includes Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, The Cannonball Run and Stroker Ace. Yes, he's the man who oversaw both the rise and fall of one Burt Reynolds.
Despite their box office draw at the time, these Reynolds/Needham movies functioned pretty much at the level of a "Dukes of Hazzard" episode. Rad isn't that much worse. It's just that, without the star power, it had to be made on an extremely low budget. Needham does give a nod to his old buddy though—two villain BMX riders are identical brothers known as The Reynolds Twins.
To end on a positive note there are a few nice things I can say about Rad. The BMX stunt riders show impressive ability, especially since it's obvious the film had no budget for special effects. The film also features an early eighties song that I had completely forgotten about called "Send Me an Angel," a one-hit-wonder from the band Real Life. I enjoyed the song so much that it didn't even bother me that it accompanied Cru and his girlfriend performing romantic bike stunts in the middle of a high school dance.
RAD
1 1/2 Wheels
For a movie whose title practically begs to be followed by an explanation point, Rad is a surprisingly mellow affair. Even much of the bike riding seems to be shot in slow motion. There's nothing of any merit here, but it's so low-key that I can barley summon the energy to trash it.
The first thing I noticed about Rad is that it's filled with product placement. USA Today, 7-Eleven, Coca Cola and Kix cereal all make non-to-subtle appearances. It makes some sense though, because the film kind of looks like a ninety-minute TV commercial. Not even a modern souped-up one, but one of those grainy ones from the seventies.
There's a general lack of anything resembling professional filmmaking throughout, but that's due to a genuine lack of talent on the part of the filmmakers. Unlike the much worse Quicksilver, in which clearly skilled Hollywood folk sold their souls for formulaic commercialism, the Rad crew know they're making a silly little movie for no money and they give it their best shot.
Plots don't get much simpler. Hometown boy, Cru Jones, competes in the corporate dominated BMX race, Helltrack, against overwhelming odds. In this case, the odds include a scheduling conflict with his SAT test and random sponsorship related rule changes. (Well, maybe the odds aren't so overwhelming.)
Bill Allen plays Cru without even a trace of charisma and gets little support from the young cast who all seem to be reading off cue-cards. The older character actors, including Ray Walston (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Talia Shire (Rocky) and Jack Weston (Dirty Dancing), understand that they're slumming it and make the most of their screen time by shamelessly chewing scenery.
You might think that the director of such a film would be a naïve young newcomer, but none other than, stuntman-turned-director, Hal Needham, has helmed this project. Forgot Hal already? His resume includes Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, The Cannonball Run and Stroker Ace. Yes, he's the man who oversaw both the rise and fall of one Burt Reynolds.
Despite their box office draw at the time, these Reynolds/Needham movies functioned pretty much at the level of a "Dukes of Hazzard" episode. Rad isn't that much worse. It's just that, without the star power, it had to be made on an extremely low budget. Needham does give a nod to his old buddy though—two villain BMX riders are identical brothers known as The Reynolds Twins.
To end on a positive note there are a few nice things I can say about Rad. The BMX stunt riders show impressive ability, especially since it's obvious the film had no budget for special effects. The film also features an early eighties song that I had completely forgotten about called "Send Me an Angel," a one-hit-wonder from the band Real Life. I enjoyed the song so much that it didn't even bother me that it accompanied Cru and his girlfriend performing romantic bike stunts in the middle of a high school dance.
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