Airborne

A hearty kudos to director Rob Bowman for steering the ship on this rollerblady yet true to life comedy. Mitchell (Shane McDermott) is forced to migrate to Ohio when his parents move to Australia. Mitchell moves in with his aunt (Edie McClurg aka Mrs. Poole), uncle (Patrick Thomas aka another worthless Saved By The Bell teacher), and cousin Wiley (Seth Green). Mitchell is an avid surfer and the disappointment of missing out on the Australian tides surf him into a manic depression until his roller blades arrive a few weeks later via U.S.P.S. From there we move onto a Rocky like segment that has roller blading children of all ethnic backgrounds (I think) following him through the streets of Cincinatti. All this time Mitchell is being tormented by 27 year-old turned high schooler Jack (Chris Conrad)and his gang of bullies. The gang includes Augie (Jack Black in his breakthrough role) and the Banducci brothers (played magnificantly by the Betances brothers). To make a long review short, Mitchell and Wiley end up roller blading their way to chicks and popularity. I give this movie a 9/10. It would get a perfect 10/10, but did you see the video box cover......eeewwww.

Airborne is mostly a teen movie marketed back in the early 90's when the rollerblade craze was starting to catch on. It's like the rollerblade companies needed some more exposure, so they gave these guys a bunch of money and said "hey, make the kids crave rollerblades". With all that aside, it is a rather enjoyable movie. Shane McDermott plays Mitchel, a surfer from California who must move to Ohio for a couple months. His performance reminds me of a teenage version of Keanu Reeves in Point Break. Seth Green plays the comic relief hapless friend, and Seth's parents are played by Edie McClurg(secretary from Ferris Buehlers) and Patrick O'Brien. The parents in this are hilarious and they work very well with the rest of the cast. The moviesfollows Mitchel as he tries to adjust to the very different Cincinatti atmosphere. He quickly becomes a heartthrob thus alienating him from every guy in town. So he pretty much spends the next hour trying to avoid trouble, but at every turn it seems to find him. In the course of this he ends up playing ice hockey/roller hockey and then rollerblading. The major flaw of this movie is the motive and identity of the villains. You see very little of them throughout the movie, and their dialogue is terrible. There is also a huge disparity in the look of the males and the females in this movie. Most of the male cast looks and are well into their 20's (with the exception of the Shane and Seth).. The girls in this movie look like a bunch of 12 year olds... But since there isn't a lot of interaction between the two, it doesn't detract from the movie too much. All in all, I enjoy this movie. I really like the approach they have taken with the Mitchel character.. He's just a young surfer dude who is a vehement pacifist. He is very cool and very not violent (hero's always breed violence in modern movies).. He also makes a couple of Zen-like observations which are fun to watch. The movie ends with a rollerblade race through downtown Cincinatti with the hero's facing the "Preps". The rollerblade race is the best part of the movie, and it is very well played out. This movie isn't oscar material, but it is much better then any other "roller-skating" movie, sport genre movie, and many disney-teen movies.. Jack Black also play's a small role in this, and is fun to watch. I give this 7 out of 10 stars.

Is it just me, or has everyone seen this movie about a hundred times on cable? Call it a guilty pleasure, but every time it came on, I just had to watch. I think it must be Seth Green's "Wiley Man" (Which I'm sure had a throwaway line homage in Austin Powers during the counseling scene). I'm glad to see him make it in the business.

The movie itself? A California surfer pretty boy tries to fit in at a new school and wins everyone over (including the school hottie) by skating. Tres deep.

6 out of 10, but you just gotta watch it again and again.

So far I have only read ONE good comment about this movie and I truly believe that it deserves more than "it was a really good movie". I mean, have any of you actually understood the true meaning of this movie? Hello??? Ok, let me give you a CLUE!!! Mitchell(Shane McDermott) isn't just some kid trying to get a date until he gets back to California, but that's what you're thinking, isn't it?? Well, dispite what you may think, Mitchell's (Shane McDermott's)character actually has meaning. If you pay attention to the lines this boy has in the movie, you would realize that it isn't like all the other leading men in the movies, who kicks and punches his opponent at every chance he gets. This boy has morals;so what if he's only 17? People can be mature for their age! He refused to fight Jack and Blaine, and realizes that "you don't have to fight the shark to fight for the wave". How many movies have that kind of positive message today? Hmmmmm? I didn't think you could back that weak dis of a great movie up. Ha!

Some of the best stunt/acting work I have ever seen. That inline skate race through a busy, incredibly fast downhill street course will stick with me forever. A lot of fun to watch.

Also very early film for Seth Green and Jack Black.