Skatetown U.S.A. (1979)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

hyped garbage

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I really loved this movie it was so cool and oh man Patrick Swayze looked so hunky. I am also a big fan of Kelly Lang she is one of my favorite actresses from Bold and the Beautiful she was so young and beautiful and she still looks hot. I would love to see this movie again again and again I love 70's disco skating movies. I love all the wonderful skating tricks that are performed it really was just great. Also the blonde guy in the movie was pretty hot too is he in any other popular movies? Also I really liked that little short guy he really made the movie fun and wonderful to watch as well as miss Marcia Brady herself in that nice little outfit she wore wow! She has good taste in skating attire. Oh and let us not forget the skate town doctor he was really just funny man cool guy love the actor. You just got to watch this movie.

Alright, Star Wars was the movie for every other 7-year old at the time, as it was for me. But seeing this film after more than twenty years instantly invaded my senses. I smelled the popcorn, felt the heat of summer, and the heard handful of change my friends and I would use to get into the double features playing at a theater that has long since been bulldozed for a mega Gap store. It has all of the elements of a perfect summer movie. Action, romance, Maureen McCormick in tight shorts, Billy Barty in a characteristic though cliché tuxedo, and music. Plus, it gave us Patrick Swayze in his first screen role.Now the plot is as formulaic as they come. Basically a dumbed down Romeo and Juliet on roller skates with bad disco on the Jersey Pier. Greg Bradford, who did nothing before or after this movie, is a young and studley out of towner whose sister, Maureen McCormick, takes him to the local skate, disco, super-rally-roller-rink where he acts like an a pathetically nieve boy next door type; but with blonde hair and biceps. No surprises when he falls instantly in love with the pettiest, most aloof girl in the joint. This ballerina on rubber wheels just happens to be the kid sister of Ace Johnson. Aka Patrick Swayze. ACE, isn't that a great name for the leader of a tough talking, fast moving, skate gang.? So, no surprises, Ace isn't thrilled with his kid sister and the new guy. There's a lot of empty threats from the Ace and members of the tough talking skater boys and notable appearances by Scott Baio who, as a friend of Maureen McCormick, tries to defuse the situation.Of course he can't keep things from degrading, which they do, first into a "skate off" which might as well have been filmed on ice for how choreographed as feminine it was. And then it degrades further into a skate death match. Now this is where the movie is really trying hard to be as formula as possible without looking like they are trying to be formula. Now in a regular testosterone-machismo film, this is where the two can't back down let alone think teenagers would match up in a car race towards a cliff before they ditch at the last second and send their muscle cars over a cliff making us all cry. There are no cliffs in Jersey and this is a roller skate movie. The testosterone is tainted with estrogen, the pants are too tight, the skates are laced even tighter, and they race each other down a pier towards the Atlantic ocean on rocket powered skates. I kid you not.I don't want to give away anything else, but I will say that the most challenging thing about this film is obtaining a copy. They never produced in on VHS. It hasn't been shown in years and years in a theater. Never shown on TV to my knowledge. And no plans for a DVD release that I have heard of. I just happen to have a bootleg copy that I had to sell my soul for. Cheers

If anyone knows where i can get a copy, please email me at [email protected] I have been looking for this movie for a long time. I called everywhere I have looked on line and it is no where to be found. I don't understand how you can get movies from the fifty's but you can get a movie made in 1975. Any ideas would greatly be appreciated. Out of all the movies i remember this one the most as a child and would love to get it. I loved this movie. I thought for sure there would be more people looking for it. Going skating in the 70's as a child and then going to see this movie was a great memory for me.Thank you! Kim :0)

I know this isn't saying much, but after Saturday Night Fever, this was the best of the disco themed movies. Unlike SNF, this movie took the tact of most other disco films and tried to capture the "fun" side of disco, and greatly succeeds where many others of this type failed.Although most of the skits are only mildly amusing, the characterizations are on the money and work well.As with any musical, the dance numbers and songs make this movie and really make you want to dance and sing along with it(if you know how to roller skate)Once again, if you want a semi-historical document that seems to capture the tone of disco, this is a classic.