Starring Linda Blair, Jim Bray, Beverly Garland, and Mark Goddard
Directed by Mark L. Lester
Music and Lyrics by various
Disco came in many forms during it's heyday in the late 70's and early 80's. By far the most popular offshoot was roller disco, or roller-skating to disco music in a skating rink or dance club. The success of disco clubs and Saturday Night Fever also lead to a brief musical movie revival as kids in sharp collared suits and ladies in flowing dresses danced their heartbreak away on the nightclub floor. The roller disco craze popped up in films throughout the entire disco era, especially ones marketed to teens like this. How does the story of two kids who fall in love on the roller disco floor and save their favorite boardwalk disco club look now? Let's begin on the boardwalk and beach in Venice, California, where the roller skating-obsessed teens are gearing up for the big Roller Boogie contest at the end of the summer, and find out...
The Story: Terri Barkley (Blair) is already a master flutist at age 18 on her way to Julliard, but she's also bored with her wealthy life and her negligent parents, lawyer Roger (Roger Perry) and stuffy Lillian (Garland). She takes off to Venice for some excitement with her snooty friend Lana (Kimberly Beck). Her first encounter with Bobby James (Bray) is when they're knocked into each other on the roller disco floor at Jammers. Bobby does try to put the moves on her, but she brushes him off until she hears about the big Roller Boogie contest being held at Jammer's. She pays him to teach her his big moves...but it ends with them falling for each other.
Their relationship and the contest are threatened when they and their friend Phones (Stoney Jackson) overhear a trio of goons threatening Jammer Delany (Sean McCrory), the owner of Jammer's, into selling. No Jammer's means no contest. Worse yet, Terri's lawyer father represents the sleazy developer and honestly thinks he's getting the better deal. Terri, Jim, and the other kids have to convince Roger and the local cop Thatcher (Goddard) that their music and moves are worth it, or they'll lose their beloved hangout forever.
The Song and Dance: Considering how notoriously bad most of the other musicals that capitalized on the disco skating fad were, this is a lot more fun than it has any right to be. Blair shows off some of her Academy Award-nominated acting chops to dig into Terri's very real teen angst, especially towards the middle when she briefly runs away. Garland and Perry do almost as well as her snobbish parents who think classical music and their demands are the only ones worth hearing. The shooting in authentic Venice locations gives it a surprisingly gritty feel despite the fairly fluffy story, and the kids are obviously having a ball skating and twirling and enjoying the real California sunshine.
Favorite Number: The film opens with "Hell On Wheels," performed by Cher over the credits as Bobby, his buddies, and the kids on the Venice boardwalk show off their moves and just how wildly popular roller skating was. Earth Wind & Fire's hit "Boogie Wonderland" provides the backdrop for the first big number at Jammer's, as Bobby and the other kids wind around each other, dodging the one guy who can't stay on his feet. "We've Got the Power" provides the backdrop for Bobby and Terri's first duet a little bit later, as they first begin to fall for each other. "Lord It Is Mine" is Bobby's big solo; he skates a dynamic routine with lots of twirling and jumps at an empty Jammer's after it's closed by the goons. Bobby and Terri's big romantic duet in the end is skated to "Love Fire," as he lifts and twirls her around the floor, to the delight of Jammer and the other kids.
Trivia: Blair was doubled for some of the tougher lifts in the finale, but she generally did most of her own skating.
Bray garnered 250 trophies by the time he was 18. He went pro shortly after this was released; this would be his only film.
What I Don't Like: Though not as goofy as other disco musicals of the era like Xanadu or Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, it's still really cheesy. Bray was a champion skater chosen because they couldn't find a leading man who could skate; he's amazing in his solo number, but Blair acts rings around him. His Olympic dreams are pretty ridiculous, too; there's never been an Olympic roller skating event. The cliched and silly story is a cross between Xanadu, Grease, and the Comden-Green musicals of the 50's and 60's with gangster side plots. This is absolutely not the place for you if you're looking for something more polished or with a darker story, or aren't into the glittery disco aesthetic.
The Big Finale: I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Maybe it stems from having grown up seeing movies like this frequently on cable as a young child, but I thought it was really cute, and the kids are obviously having a great time. It's no masterpiece, but it's certainly an improvement over something like Can't Stop the Music. Throw on your old Donna Summer albums and give it a whirl.
Home Media: Currently DVD only from Olive Films; a Blu-Ray is out of print.
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