On R List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


Rad (1986)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 4/14, 3/22

Rad
4/14: I am a big fan of Rad, having seen it multiple times during the 80's.

Arguably, it's the best BMX picture ever made because of the lack of competition. In fact, nobody has made one since then. However, it's certainly a cheesy film because the older I get, the less naïve I am, so I realize that.

It's comical when Cru's mother was angry at him for skipping the SAT exam for some BMX race that could potentially net him one hundred grand. He would've used the money to pay for college, gee! I mean, the test can be made up anytime, and it's no great loss if Cru decides not to go to college. He can learn a vocational trade such as fixing bikes and running a bike shop.

How funny is whenever I see the brand Mongoose and because of the film, it carries a negative connotation which still persists to this day. Well, well, well...look at Bart Conner the blonde BMX champion. He's the famous gymnast who won Olympics and world gold medals and is currently married to Nadia Comăneci, a much more über-famous gymnast.

All in all, Rad is simply rad.

3/22: Upgrading my rating of '7' to '8', Rad is the best BMX film made.

Anyone who lived through the 80's will surely recognize the film, especially when it aired a lot on HBO these days. Good-looking back then, Bill Allen and Lori Loughlin are famously associated with Rad. So is the Mongoose brand that's negatively perceived. There are great BMX stunts, being ahead of its time, especially during the opening and closing scenes. The music perfectly complements what's going on which is the pinnacle of such 80's films.

Unfortunately, a lot of viewers don't realize that Bill Allen never did most of the stunts. Yeah, what he did looks extremely realistic, but a stunt double (it was Eddie Fiola) was used, hence the hockey mask. Of course, it's obvious somebody else (again Eddie Fiola) was wearing a dark wig in the place of Lori Loughlin. If it's really Lori, her body is often shown from the waist above while the bike is cut out. Regardless, the editing has to be considered as skillful, so kudos to Carl Kress.

All in all, ignore the critics of Rad; they've missed out on a great movie.