Airborne

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.

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.

I absolutely *love* movies, and if I had to use a word to describe it the word would be *awesome.* Seth Green is one of my favorite actors, and this breakthrough performance is hilarious. I hear that he improv'd half of his lines in this movie, and his dancing is enough to make you fall over in laughter every time! Shane McDermott is a story of his own, with his intense eyes and killer smile he is totally invincible to all those Cincinatti bullies!! It's so sweet how he refuses to fight anyone and how he is so "zen." Overall, this movie kills in the deathmatch and I recommend it to *everyone*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=D

I enjoyed this movie as a kid, but have only recently re-watched it. Present impressions are not as favorable, but at least one aspect was impressive. Granted, the storyline was nothing new and at times corny, but there was a bit of vocabulary and a few good lines. What most impressed me was the novelty of the street skating scenes. These moves were being done by a few people at the time, but most kids like me had never seen such things. As I just watched now, I was surprised at things like the flip on the half pipe and riding walls and jumping cars and grinding rails. For 93, that's just plain amazing. For a lot of my friends this movie became a sort of street skating manual. We even painted dragons on our skates like the main character. Some of us even went on to be sponsored and I think it all started with this movie. Considered from this perspective, Airborne is definitely innovative and classic.

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.