Roller Boogie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Roller Boogie Blu-ray Movie Review

Linda Blair spins to a different tune.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 24, 2015

Is there any doubt, in its day, when it was made and released, that Roller Boogie's aspiration was to serve as a motion picture equivalent of an anthem for a generation, a catch-all, feel good spin through the worlds of unlikely romance on wheels and the struggle to save the day from the greedy corporate face standing against the little guys who just want to have some four-wheeled fun around the skating rink? Director Mark L. Lester's (Armed and Dangerous) Roller Boogie is a cliché-riddled joyride through the 1970s California roller skating scene, mixing up, on one side, the aspiring Olympian and the attention-starved rich girl and, on the other, the crowd-favorite business owner and the slimy suit who wants to redevelop the boardwalk area, which means getting rid of the skating rink. Overdone and unoriginal as it may be, the movie holds up well enough as, now, a classic example of good retro fun, and the movie probably has more value today as a silly time capsule than it did in the good old days of yesteryear when it craved the spotlight of a generation's affection.

Help us Jammer Delany. You're our only hope.

Terry Barkley (Linda Blair) is a rich kid whose parents barley know she exists beyond the bubble they've created for her. She loves to party but she's also interested in honing her skills as an accomplished flautist with aspirations of attending Juilliard. But she also wants to roller skate. She catches the eye of a young hotshot Venice Beach boardwalk skater by the name of Bobby James (Jim Bray). He finagles his way close to Terry and, impressed with his persistence, she hires him to teach her the fine art of roller skating. As he teaches and they fall in love, she reveals her wish to win a local skating competition run by a local businessman named Jammer Delany (Sean McClory). Unfortunately, things look bleak for the competition when greedy developers force Jammer to sell, meaning there will be no competition. A determined group of skaters, led by Bobby and Terry, join forces to save their rink and their competition.

So, yes, the story is sort of like the cinematic equivalent of a McDonald's hamburger -- it's been done billions and billions of time, it seems, and with no variation beyond the packaging -- but Roller Boogie isn't about the story. It's about the experience. Whether it's a good experience is another matter entirely. The movie's story plays a distant second fiddle to its superficialities -- the skating, the sounds, the clothes, Linda Blair -- and it's those core external elements that make it spin. It has fun just showing off its era, gleefully capturing the high spirits and endless energy its characters exude. And there's really not much more. The weight of its repetitiveness bogs it down like a skater who just stuffed himself or herself with a dozen of the aforementioned McDonalds burgers. It's fun at first, but the longer one goes, the more painful it becomes.

But, fortunately, the filmmakers have blended it all pretty well, at least parts of it. The skating and the romance compliment one another nicely enough. Linda Blair and Jim Bray make for a decent on-screen couple, going through the motions expectedly but with an evident charm as she warms to him and he welcomes that warmth with open arms. Where the film really gets in trouble, however, is in the "evil developers" angle that's about as forced as they come, a necessary evil -- literally -- meant to give the story some added dramatic weight beyond "skate, flirt, fall in love." That's when things turn sour, when the good vibes and the welcome retro-tastic look back begins to fade in favor of one of the most contrived plot devices in the book, seen in everything from Ernest Goes to Camp to Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, films which, even considering Camp's honest and heartfelt charm (and status as a personal guilty pleasure for a number of reasons), aren't exactly shining examples of cinematic excellence. Roller Boogie carries on the tradition, then, failing to weave any novelty into the contrivance, settling for using it as an obvious throwaway plot point meant to extend the runtime and add drama where none otherwise exists.

Roller Boogie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Roller Boogie's claim to video fame come by way of its colors. This 1080p transfer presents the countless red and yellow shorts and tank tops fairly well, lacking the polish and precision and vibrance of the best transfers but nevertheless offering a fairly cheery retro palette that will immediately bring children of the 70s back home. Image clarity is decent enough. The picture isn't awash in grain and it's only clearly evident in darker scenes in which it spikes, but there's a fair bit of good detailing to enjoy by way of faces, makeup, clothes, and the support textures throughout, whether on the brightly lit boardwalk, the warm Barkley home interior, or the darker roller rink. The image is certainly a step-up from lower definition sources but not quite the firm, filmic effort fans will want. Black levels are fair, if not a bit grainy and, sometimes, noisy. Flesh tones show just a hint of warmth. The image shows no major bouts of macroblocking, edge enhancement, or other eyesores. Roller Boogie has never looked better for home consumption, but there's room for improvement.

Roller Boogie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Roller Boogie skates onto Blu-ray with a disappointing DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Sadly, the classic Disco tunes are left in audio purgatory where the most basic definition satisfies but the broader sonic picture leaves much to be desired, with details practically impossible to hear. Some of the feverishly fun beats go so far down as to sound muddy and hollow. The track images the music to the middle in a phantom center placement but it really needs a wider stage than it enjoys here. Sound effects -- roller skates on pavement and hardwood, a gunshot -- are muddy and puny. Dialogue is adequate but hardly a shining example of precision clarity. The film's retro-fun soundtrack deserves better.

Roller Boogie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Roller Boogie contains no bonus content. The main menu only offers selections for "Play" and "Chapters."

Roller Boogie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Roller Boogie won't be remembered for its creativity, either in terms of its plot or its here-and-now depiction of its time. The movie scores poorly when considering its dramatic merits, but it's a fun title trip back in the cinematic time machine and, if nothing else, provides an honest, energy filled ride through a bygone era that's as cheery as they come and just happy to skate around the screen. Highly demanding audiences need not apply, but the movie holds up well enough taken at face value. Olive Films' Blu-ray release of Roller Boogie delivers fair video and bland audio. No extras are included. Rent it or pick it up cheap for a fun little nostalgic trip down memory lane.