This is one of those rare films (wait...don't leave I'm making a point) that is exactly what you think it is. It's so easy to to watch this and then tell everyone within earshot that it sucks but the truth of the matter is that anyone expecting to view a good film is lying. Story is about a rich girl named Terry Barkley (Linda Blair) who's a musical genius (according to her parents, anyway) and she's expected to head to Juilliard very soon to play the flute. She and her friend Lana (Kimberly Beck) frequently head to Venice Beach to roller skate and they notice that a roller boogie contest is going to take place which prompts Terry to seek lessons.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Terry asks Bobby James (Jim Bray) who's the very, very best roller boogie skater to help her and he does which prompts the two of them to get romantic with each other. The local roller rink is Jammer's and the owner Jammer Delaney (Sean McClory) is being hassled at gunpoint by some goons headed by the gangster Thatcher (Mark Goddard) who wants him to shut down the place so that a shopping mall can be built. It's up to Terry and Bobby to save the place but when word spreads that they have a taped conversation Thatcher attempts to stop them!
This is directed by veteran Mark Lester who directed many "B" films and if this effort is any sign of how deep his talents lie than it's a miracle he was able to continue any type of a career. How bad is this? It's pretty bad and most films that are made for the sake of cashing in on the latest fad are awful and this isn't any different. What can you say about a script that has a rich educated girl wanting to throw away the opportunity of going to Juilliard to instead try and win a cheap trophy at the local roller boogie rink? I had to laugh at actors Roger Perry and Beverly Garland who play the parents and Perry's reaction to everything that his wife utters is "Shut up"! In one scene Garland sits on the steps and as she talks to her daughter she empties all the vials of drugs out of her purse until she finds her precious Valium! The acting is particularly bad and while I'm not one of those who considers Blair a bad actress I think in order to keep working she had to accept roles such as this. Of all the ridiculous scenes that this film has in it the most inane has to be where the one (and only) black actor throws in the towel and becomes a Hare Krishna to forget disco music and roller skating after learning that the roller boogie contest is going to be canceled! This film does have one great thing in it and her name is Kimberly Beck! I've always been a huge fan of hers and while her role is horribly written she is still breathtaking to watch and the best scene comes as she's doing her nails by the pool. You can probably put this in the "It's so bad it's good" category and while it's always easy to just say this is crummy it's still a film that's exactly what it advertises.
*****SPOILER ALERT***** Terry asks Bobby James (Jim Bray) who's the very, very best roller boogie skater to help her and he does which prompts the two of them to get romantic with each other. The local roller rink is Jammer's and the owner Jammer Delaney (Sean McClory) is being hassled at gunpoint by some goons headed by the gangster Thatcher (Mark Goddard) who wants him to shut down the place so that a shopping mall can be built. It's up to Terry and Bobby to save the place but when word spreads that they have a taped conversation Thatcher attempts to stop them!
This is directed by veteran Mark Lester who directed many "B" films and if this effort is any sign of how deep his talents lie than it's a miracle he was able to continue any type of a career. How bad is this? It's pretty bad and most films that are made for the sake of cashing in on the latest fad are awful and this isn't any different. What can you say about a script that has a rich educated girl wanting to throw away the opportunity of going to Juilliard to instead try and win a cheap trophy at the local roller boogie rink? I had to laugh at actors Roger Perry and Beverly Garland who play the parents and Perry's reaction to everything that his wife utters is "Shut up"! In one scene Garland sits on the steps and as she talks to her daughter she empties all the vials of drugs out of her purse until she finds her precious Valium! The acting is particularly bad and while I'm not one of those who considers Blair a bad actress I think in order to keep working she had to accept roles such as this. Of all the ridiculous scenes that this film has in it the most inane has to be where the one (and only) black actor throws in the towel and becomes a Hare Krishna to forget disco music and roller skating after learning that the roller boogie contest is going to be canceled! This film does have one great thing in it and her name is Kimberly Beck! I've always been a huge fan of hers and while her role is horribly written she is still breathtaking to watch and the best scene comes as she's doing her nails by the pool. You can probably put this in the "It's so bad it's good" category and while it's always easy to just say this is crummy it's still a film that's exactly what it advertises.