Wassup Rockers

WASSUP ROCKERS details the events that transpire over the course of twenty four hours when a group of young male punk rock Hispanic skater teenagers travel from South Central to Beverly Hills using every kind of form of transportation that they come across. They end up opening the eyes of a group of rich and spoiled young girls, getting chased by the police, getting attacked by jealous jocks, and everyone else that they come across, both gay and straight, end up all either falling in love with them or being admirers of them. A couple people end up actually dying too! This film has everything!!!!

No, but seriously, the plot of this film may sound kind of like a cross between Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Warriors, which isn't far from the truth. I'd almost call it a remake of The Warriors if I weren't such a purist. Either way though, I had so much fun with this film. Within ten minutes I ended up falling in love with all these boys and I especially loved how genuine they are about everything. They consistently remain true to each other, which is so rare in youth-related films today. They are all brave and good natured. They aren't violent, they don't do drugs, and they are charming in a weird way. I would probably not be bothered by the idea of them hanging out with my nephew. They really lend a lot of energy to the film, which helps the film stay more focused on the surroundings rather than plot, and this really isn't the kind of film that should have a plot, or at least a complicated one.

This film likely won't be everyone's cup of tea. The subject matter, relating to gang violence, punk rock, and skateboarding will not appeal to a lot of viewers. In addition to that, most will not appreciate the blatant stereotypes of all the characters surrounding this group of boys. I personally was not bothered by most of it. I felt that it somewhat helped define the characters a little bit more by allowing them to roam in an environment that wasn't reality and was somewhat simple. I did find the one scene with the Charlton Heston lookalike to be a little too tasteless, but I was too entertained and fascinated by what was going on to really be much bothered by it.

I think that this is one of Larry Clark's strongest films. It's not quite as good as BULLY, but it's not really the same kind of film either. WASSUP ROCKERS is really more of an entertainment picture. This is pretty much Larry Clark's lightest and most positive film, though when the darker situations come into play Larry Clark goes all the way with it. WASSUP ROCKERS is entertaining, moving, scary, hilarious, and bizarre. It's very fast paced, so even if you dislike the film it will be out of your system before you know it. In short, this is a great film and I applaud Larry Clark for pulling off such a fun film.

For the first 20 minutes or so of Wassup Rockers, I thought "been there, done that." Meaning that, simply, Larry Clark has done this kind of movie before, better, more wisely and with some extra depth on the subject of stray kids doing their own thing without much parental supervision. But then, finally, something started to take shape: the film is, if about something, a class tale, with the South Central Hispanics roaming around Beverly Hills just looking for a place to skate and getting into various misadventures (some funny, some deadly). And at the same time, even more than Kids, there's a raw quality to the performances, with mixed results. It's like that docu-drama Streetwise from the 80s with a touch of Ferris Bueller and then put to a soundtrack of rip-offs or sound-alikes of the Casualties.

Part of the problem of Wassup Rockers is that it is not too interesting within its aimless structure. Having a film without much of a plot can work fine, they're made all the time in independent quarters in America and especially Europe. But it should amount to something by the end, and by the end of Wassup Rockers there isn't very much of a point except, well, don't go into Beverly Hills for too long if you're Hispanic and looking like a member of the Ramones by way of Tony Hawk. But within this jump-around structure, around some of the random sex scenes and skateboarding and the kind of cool scenes of the kids riding their boards to LA punk rock, Clark does create a fun B-movie. At the least, it's never boring, and if it isn't really groundbreaking or as revelatory or whatever as Kids (and it isn't) it does provide something of a small window into something we haven't seen before, or at least I haven't seen before.

Not all of the performances are below par, an in fact there's a charm and down to earth honesty to a lot of scenes (a scene that made me think a lot of Streetwise is when the kid Chico is talking to the Beverly Hills girl in their underwear in her bedroom - this is stripped down to the point of simple documentary, and it suddenly becomes affecting strangely enough). And, if nothing else, it works as a B movie, a kids-on-the-prowl story that should appeal most to anyone who likes to just roam around when they have nothing to do when they're 14 or 15. It's a minor work that has moments of real power.

I live in Houston. In my senior year at high school I met a guy who eventually became one of my best friends. We came from different socioeconomic backgrounds, he was the 'Wassup Rocker' I was the 'Beverly Hills' kid. But we bonded over a mutual love for music and dicking around. Especially punk music. Anyways, that's all kinda irrelevant but the point is that the way these kids are portrayed in Wassup Rockers is exactly how he and his punk friends act. It's almost scary. You know the line where one character talks about black girls always wanting to touch and braid his hair but him not letting them etc. etc., I heard that before this was even made! A lot of people say that this film is unrealistic in its manner and dialog.. Sadly and fortunately it's not, that's really how it is.. And it's probably why I like it so much compared to the other people who have reviewed it.

Now despite that, as a film it is not perfect. The actors are awkward (cuz' they're amateurs picked because in real life they are 'Wassup Rockers'), although that is forgivable considering they're supposed to be awkward teens. The major flaw in this movie, I feel, is its lack of plot and structure. It's all kinda strung together and lacks a 'film-like' feel. Also some of the situations are uncalled for and in my honest opinion unrealistic like others have said.

Larry Clark is an intelligent film maker.There is no doubt about it. With "What's up rockers",he has given a human face to his film making career.Before this particular film most of his films were based on his personal experiences on dangerous psychology of young kids phenomenon. One thing which his fans and their parents will like is that compared to "Kenpark" there is much less controversial matter or rather nothing objectionable at all.This film does not preach but in an unofficial manner it has been successful in delivering its message of trust,peace, respect and brotherhood.A good aspect is that all the events of this film are in accordance with its pace whether they might be comical,sad ,hilarious or bizarre.One may also be tempted to rename it as "a day long road movie about Latino kids".This is only partially true as all communities made their presence felt.If exploration of young teenage minds is your favorite field of study, this is the film which you need at the earliest.

In the vain of films like "Hangin' with the Homeboys" and Larry Clark's own "Kids" this film depicts a day in the life of a group of friends who, for the most part, don't click with societal norms. They're teenage Latino skateboarders who are into punk and come from South Central, LA and basically come and go as they please through the different facets that make the city what it is. It's through them that we discover the racial, cultural and class divides that exist within the different neighborhoods. Just like the neo-realist directors from Italy who made docu-style dramas by enlisting the help of non-actors, lending the film some realism, Larry Clark hires actual local kids to play the lead parts (as he did in "Kids"). Unfortunately, some of the scenes seem forced with unrealistic dialogue and under-developed characterization (referring to the supporting cast) totally dependent on unnecessary moments meant to push the story along. In other words, certain scenes seem written for the sake of exposing certain stereotypes or for shock value but they fall out of place within the story line. Several times I lost my suspension of disbelief and just said out loud "really...?" "Did that really have to happen?" Regardless, it's not a bad film at all, as a matter of fact its saving grace lies in the fact that as the film progresses you really get to know the characters and unlike the rest of the supporting cast, the leads at least do get fleshed out and really that's what this movie is all about. So if that's what you want then I recommend it.