Overrated

Amateur movie with Big budget

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

I saw this at Graumans Chinese on Hollywood Blvd when it came out. Because a friend wanted to go. Caught it again the other night and was surprised as I could remember nothing about it from the first time, it's that bad.Linda Blair shows zero acting skill, which is a surprise as she had a good number of credentials behind her. And never ever wear ankle straps when you're big legged like that, Linda. Even EYE know that.With the exception of Cher singing "Hell ON Wheels", the soundtrack is dreary Z grade disco schlock. Embarrassing. As is the skating. It's like disco dancing in slow motion, such is boogying in roller skates.The comedy bits are contrived and labored. The plot points are borrowed from so many movies from the silents to the modern era: Evil developer plans to destroy roller rink to make big bucks on a high rise. Kids save the day. The same plot was used in "Six Pack Annie" with a more risqué solution to "saving the day".Best scene was the always professional Beverly Garland as Linda Blair's Mother, sitting on the stairs stressing out and pulling pill bottles out of her purse: diuretic, diet pills, quaaludes just to find her valium. The only laugh in the entire picture.The only positives:seeing Venice Beach in the raw, 1979 style and the 70s fashion drek. There's plenty of it as much of the action takes place on location on the beach, but that's hardly enough to hold one's interest given the wretched soundtrack, strained attempts at comedy and leaden skating scenes. I love bad movies as much as anyone, but this doesn't even reach the level of being a bad movie entertainment. It's just irritating.

Rich girl (Linda Blair), whose parents just don't understand her love of roller skating, falls for a goofy-looking dude from the wrong side of the tracks. Roller skating dramatics ensue. Made from cheese, this tired relic of the disco era is impossible to take seriously today. It's objectively terrible in every way but one -- unintentional humor. There's a lot to make fun of and laugh at here. The premise alone is laughably absurd. It's by-the-numbers predictable if you've seen pretty much any movie ever. Cherub-faced Linda Blair was growing up (and out) and was anxious for everybody to notice, so director Mark Lester gives her curves plenty of attention. But she's overshadowed by her boobtacular gal pal Kimberly Beck, who's practically overflowing from every top she wears. Professional roller skater Jim Bray plays the male lead in his only movie. He's a pretty bad actor but he's a groovy skater. Vets Beverly Garland and Mark Goddard do little to help things. It's a crappy movie but it is good for some yuks. Oh, and if you're a fan of short shorts, you should check this out. But be warned -- not everyone who is wearing shorts in this should be.

The epic magnitude of the eastern front of World War II serves as a backdrop for this riveting drama in which teenage Blair rescues two dozen prisoners of war and transports them to safety over treacherous mountainous terrain, all the while being pursued by vicious Nazi.... er..... What? Oh, yeah. Right. Okay. Take two: Pampered, lonely, rich girl Blair prefers spending time on roller skates down at Venice Beach over pursuing a degree in music at Juilliard. Her wealthy parents are appalled that she would rather attempt to win a big Roller Boogie contest with scrawny, local, wheel-meister Bray instead of training as an expert flautist and marrying similarly-rich, preppie Nelson. Blair heads to the beach at every opportunity in her vintage car (for which there is ALWAYS a spot right next to wherever she's going despite the giant mobs of people everywhere!) She and best pal Beck catch the attention of Bray and his friends Van Patten, Insinnia and Jackson (who, hilariously, is never shown without his strapped-on cassette player with huge earphones.) When crooked developer Goddard attempts to take over the favorite skating rink run by boozy McClory, it's up to Bray and company to come to the rescue. Anyone who's ever seen a motion picture can predict the outcome. Blair, who gained worldwide fame as Ellen Burstyn's possessed daughter in "The Exorcist", is all grown up here, though not fully rid of her baby fat. Tottering around in spike heels when she isn't on her skates, her pneumatic little body parades around in all the latest (gag-inducing) Danskin sportswear. She has an opening scene in which she ritualistically puts on her skating togs that Richard Gere must have studied obsessively prior to filming "American Gigolo" in which he made getting dressed a sport. Content that she looks appropriately ridiculous, she gives herself a congratulatory look in the mirror before heading out. Though the script is atrocious in every way, Blair demonstrates that her early career praise was overstated, to say the least. She, however, is Dame Judi Dench compared to Bray who, thankfully, never appeared before a movie camera again. Weighing in at 136 pounds, if that, he struts and skates around in an eye-burning variety of short shorts and knee high tube socks as his lame-brained friends question his ability to land a chick. This movie being science fiction, he eventually winds up with Blair, though their relationship is far from smooth. In fact, they fight more than they do anything else and it's not always easy to see why! Blair's parents are played by veterans Perry and Garland who don't always look as embarrassed as they ought to be considering the repugnantly stupid dialogue that's been assigned to them. Perry comes off slightly better than Garland who is forced to called Blair "Lovey" all the time and sort through her purse revealing a pharmacy full of various pills! Fans of "The Colbys" will be amused to see that Blair's house is the same one that housed Charlton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck, though the TV show used different interiors than this film which uses the actual location. The pool in the back, however, is unmistakable. Goddard, best known from "Lost in Space", doesn't even show up until nearly an hour into the film and tries to remain dignified, though it isn't easy. In a fair world, the lead of this film would have been Beck, who is taller, slimmer, blonder, bustier and just generally more appealing than Blair. She is given virtually nothing to do. Nelson is saddled with a clichéd character whose only memorable moment is having his behind exposed just as his mother opens the front door. From the moment it starts, this movie provides gales of laughter. Dozens and dozens of skaters (a few using an awkward and hysterically funny windsail contraption!) zip around the neighborhood while a song that Cher doubtlessly leaves off her resume pounds on the soundtrack. The film continuously places rear ends and crotches in the audience's face (and did girls REALLY go skating on the beach and in the rinks wearing ONLY leotards and hose??) Rarely do the chuckles subside as the horror fashion show, cheesy music and jaw-dropping scenarios continue. By the time Bray has skated an ode to McClory in a darkened rink, Goddard has been fended off with ripened fruit, Bray and Blair outskate a speeding car and Bray and Blair's skating double have taken top honors at the contest, a good time has been had by the viewer, albeit for all the wrong reasons! There simply aren't words....

Yes, I rated this a 7 out of a 10....I only gave it a 7 because I haven't seen it since I was 7 years old......don't know if it's the 10 I used to think it was hee hee I loved Roller Boogie hee hee...I must have watched that movie a million times when I was a kid.When I was a kid I also didn't care about the plot...All I thought was beaches, skating, pretty girl, pretty boy...happy ending.I'm afraid that if I see it now I'll be supremely disappointed by my childhood innocence like I was with Saturday Night Fever...whew...I had no idea what was going on there until I saw it when I got older..again I had tunnel vision as a kid. I could only think about the dancing.If you want to see Linda Blair not controlled by the devil and have some campy fun...go for it!!!! Don't be a snob:)