The other day I was at Walmart doing some shopping and I walked by the bike aisle. It made me stop when I noticed a BMX style bike. Looking at the bike my whole childhood flashed before my eyes. In the late 80's, riding my bike was a daily ritual for me. I was on it all times of the day riding around my neighborhood. And of course I was trying to do stunts. Why? Well, you have to look at a movie that came out in 1986. Yes, the best movie that ever came out about biking called Rad. Of course, there aren't probably too many movies about biking. In fact, I can't really think of another one. But this one, shaped me as a kid. I was 8 years old when the movie came out. And back then kids actually spent time outside, riding bikes around town all day long.
The crazy thing about the movie is it was a flop when it came out at the movie theaters. I remember my (much older) sister's husband worked for a company where they got tons of duplicates of VHS tapes. Rad was one of the movies, so I got a copy. I watched it all the time. Since then it has become a cult classic for several reasons:
BMX Culture: It perfectly captured the spirit and energy of 1980s BMX racing and freestyle, inspiring a generation of riders.
Iconic Scenes: It's famous for its high-energy bike stunts and the memorable "bike dance" scene between Cru and Christian at the prom.
80s Nostalgia: The film is a perfect time capsule of the decade, complete with the fashion and music.
So what is the movie about? The story centers on Cru Jones (played by Bill Allen), a determined and highly skilled teenage BMX racer from a small town. Cru faces a tough choice: take his SAT to pursue a college education or compete in the prestigious and notoriously difficult national BMX race, Helltrack. Cru chooses Helltrack, motivated by the grand prize: $100,000 and a new Chevrolet Corvette. His ambition puts him in conflict with Duke Best, the unscrupulous president of FAB and owner of Mongoose Racing, who is determined to keep unsponsored locals like Cru out of the race to ensure his sponsored star, Bart Taylor, wins easily. Cru meets and falls for fellow amateur rider Christian Hollings. When Duke Best changes the rules to demand a $50,000 sponsorship fee, Cru and his friends start the "Rad Racing" team. The entire town rallies around him, raising the money to ensure he can compete. Cru ultimately races Bart Taylor head-to-head on the grueling Helltrack course, culminating in an impressive victory.
Yes, a happy ending, a great movie. If you like 80's movies or were ever in to BMX bikes, this is worth watching. You can find it on Prime, Fandango, Google Play or Apple TV.
Out of 10 Popcorn Kernels, I give it a 10!
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