Rad (1986)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Hal Needham

Writers:

Sam Bernard (written by) &
Geoffrey Edwards (written by)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It's going to take a lot more than skill for Cru Jones to conquer the toughest BMX challenge in the world. It's going to take a miracle.

Plot:

The story of one young man, Cru Jones, who has the intensity and desire to win a BMX race called Helltrack.

Plot Keywords:

BMX | One Word Title

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Bill Allen	...	Christopher "Cru" Jones
Lori Loughlin	...	Christian Hollings
Talia Shire	...	Mrs. Jones
Ray Walston	...	Burton Timmer
Alfie Wise	...	Eliott Dole
Jack Weston	...	Duke Best
Bart Conner	...	Bart Taylor
Marta Kober	...	Becky
Jamie Clarke	...	Luke
Laura Jacoby	...	Wesley Jones
H.B. Haggerty	...	Sergeant Smith
Chad Hayes	...	Rex Reynolds
Carey Hayes	...	Rod Reynolds
Kellie McQuiggin	...	Foxy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alex Baik	...	Helltrack racer
Bill Berry	...	Luke's Dad
Darlene Bradley	...	Mom in Station Wagon
Ashley Bristowe	...	Girl at Playground
Shawna Burnett	...	Amy
Georgie Collins	...	Luke's Mom
G.A. Dahlseide	...	Fob official
Graeme Davies	...	Harold
Norman Edwards	...	Department Store Man
Jack Goth	...	Scotty
Beverley Hendry	...	Tiger
Dean Hoover	...	Garbage truck driver
Pat Kirst	...	Wesley's Teacher
Jeff Kress	...	Rick
Nancy MacDonald	...	Mrs. Grey
Laird Mackintosh	...	Bob Kachler
Roberta Mauer-Phillips	...	Amy's Mother
Ron McConaghy	...	Hunk in stands
Danny McDonogh	...	Mophead Boy
Tara McHugh	...	Girl
Rick McNair	...	Bob the Cook
Barry Onody	...	Bar Patron
Rod Padmos	...	Bartender
Steven Paschold	...	Town citizen
Pat Pearson	...	Mr. Pratt
Mary Siegel	...	Woman in Stands at Hell Track
Gordon Signer	...	Mayor Coop Jenkins
Ken Squier	...	T.V. Announcer
Maureen Thomas	...	Flag Lady
Benita von Sass	...	Katie's Girlfriend
Gerry Whelpton	...	Man on Porch
Bev Wotton	...	Woman Buys T-Shirt on Street
Logan T. Wotton	...	Miles

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

TaliaFilm II Productions

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: After Cru qualifies it cuts to the restaraunt and the camera pans towards the front counter, the boom mic is clearly visible to the top right of the screen.

Quotes:

Burton Timmer: [after being hit by a newspaper thrown by Cru and spilling his coffee] This world would be a lot better off without kids!

Soundtrack:

Thunder In Your Heart

Not just nostalgia

Before the huge X-Games explosion of the late 90s, there was another place where extreme sports thrived; The 80s. Like any fad, there were numerous exploitation movies based on it. Thrashin was the cream of the crop to focus on skateboarding, but when it came to BMX there was a real debate. Was it BMX Bandits or Rad? In my mind, there has never been a doubt. While BMX Bandits is pretty good, it can't even come close to Rad. Likely both films spawned hardcore punk bands named after the movies, and Rad the band is far superior to BMX Bandits. (Although really neither are that great) So what makes Rad so good? To start, the star power: a pre-Full House Lori Laughlin is the love interest of our hero Cru, Talia `stop calling me Adrian' Shire has a great turn as Cru's mom, and veteran character actor Ray Walston is hilarious as a crankity old bike shop owner (`The world would be a lot better off without kids'). The movie also has one of my favorite scummy villains of the 80s, Jack Weston of Dirty Dancing, Short Circuit 2, and Can't Stop the Music (the fictionalized Village People biopic). With a cast this great you know you're in for a treat. The next key ingredient of Rad is the stunts. Instead of hiring BMX stuntmen and only using them for stunts, Rad gives them roles, playing themselves. It is set around a fictional BMX race called `Hell Track' and it draws some of the best riders from around the world. It is always a special treat seeing some of my favorite riders of yore on the screen along with Cru. It gives the movie an authentic feeling. It also has spectacular stunt scenes in the opening credits where they just let the riders do there thing and they really show off their skills which are highlighted by interesting angles and slow motion. Another great thing about Rad is the soundtrack. It's the typical eighties teen targeting soundtrack full of various genres aimed to get kids attention; rock, dance, new wave, even some ballads. They all work though and you'll be humming the tunes long after the movie has stopped. The hit `Send Me An Angel' (which was later used to great effect in the Fred Savage vehicle / Nintendo commercial The Wizard) is especially great and has found its way onto mix tapes of mine ever since the I first bought the soundtrack in 87 with it's catchy, haunting synth line. All in all, Rad is more than just a fun trip down nostalgia lane. Even if you haven't grown up in the 80's or gotten caught up in the BMX craze, it is still a lot of fun. And besides, what other movie do you get to see Ray Walston give the middle finger with such conviction?