Roll Bounce

As a child of the early 80's, I did not have the pleasure of being alive when the roller disco craze reached the height of its popularity. As a result, when I heard about Roll Bounce, a film centered on that aspect of 70's culture I can't say that I was excited by the idea. My lack of enthusiasm increased when I heard Bow Wow was taking the reigns as the film's protagonist (I know I wasn't the only one who saw Like Mike). But lo and behold, to my complete and utter astonishment, I actually enjoyed this film. Still skeptical? Keep reading and I'll tell you why.

In this coming of age story, Bow Wow plays X, a young boy on his way to becoming a man, teetering on the edge of middle and low class living. For fun, X and his friends spend their time skating, doing tricks trying to impress the ladies of the neighborhood. When their treasured skating rink on the South side closes its doors indefinitely, the boys must migrate to the only other skating rink in the area, Sweetwater, located within the hated North side.

The loyal patrons of the North Side rink worship the trick skating "God" known only as Sweetness (Wesley Jonathan). Sweetness and his clan of cocky trick skaters give X and his buddies a hard time, creating the films central conflict. It's now up to X to lead his friends against Sweetness and his gang in a team skating competition for five hundred dollars and the right to call themselves the best.

Now, I'll admit the storyline may not sound that exciting, but bare with me. The movie combines a nice blend of comedy along with some impressive skating moves. Anything from triple axles to flips to break dancing is done in this film. And it's all done on roller skates. The comedy aspect is mainly comprised of X and his friends trading insults and getting themselves mixed up in some oddly funny situations. X's father, played by Chi McBride, and Charlie Murphy and Mike Epps, the neighborhoods surly waste removal experts or garbage men, added some laugh out loud humor that helped the film along its journey.

Then you have the beautiful Naomi (Meagan Good) who plays X's romantic interest throughout the film. When X first lays eyes on her she is sipping an ice cold can of product placement, a.k.a. a can of Pepsi. Naomi is in constant pursuit of X's favor, allowing for many situations in which X makes a fool of himself and the audience is given a good laugh at his expense. Her character is as sweet as X is unsure of himself and the two play off

each other adequately.

The relationship between X and his father is one that needs some building. Small parts of the film are devoted to the bonding between a boy and his father after the recent death of X's mother. At times the drama is a little over the top but it does the film justice in providing a more rounded story and better sculpted personalities for the characters.

Despite some spots of corniness and over dramatization, the film shows that Bow Wow has come a long way since his cinematic debut. Granted, there are better films in theaters that you could go see right now, but something about this film just did it for me. Malcolm D. Lee's choice of music and mixture of comedy and drama give the movie a charming personality that will most likely surpass your initial assumptions and turn out to be a worth while and entertaining coming of age film.

Movie Grade: B

Synopsis:

In the late `70s when roller skating was a way of life, X (Bow Wow) and his pals ruled supreme. But when the doors of their local skating rink close, it marks the end of an era and the beginning of another that sees the boys venture into foreign territory – uptown’s Sweetwater Roller Rink, complete with its over-the-top skaters and beautiful girls. Through his preparation for the showdown of the season – the Roller Jam skate off with the Sweetwater crew – X manages to find himself and also help his dad (Chi McBride) get back on track.