After some disappointing Burt Reynolds films, Hal Needham turned to teens with this amiable kids film set in the world of BMX racing. Someone called Bill Allen is the lead; he isn't much. Lori Loughlin is really pretty as his love interest but she has nothing to play and isn't convincing on a bike.
This isn't as good as BMX Bandits. It needed someone more interested in actors to get more out of its inexperienced cast.
There's some 80s camp - the soundtrack features a pre-comeback John Farnham and Real Life ('Send Me an Angel'), there's a hilarious dance number at the school dance followed by Allen and Loughlin doing tricks on a BMX . There's a couple of Farnham songs on the soundtrack - Glenn Wheatley managed him and Real Life, presumably he was behind the pu8sh. (Both bands turn up on the soundtracks of a lot of forgotten 80s films).
Some old pros in support roles class up the picture: Talia Shire, Jack Weston, Ray Walston. The plot manages to be simple, dumb and yet confusing - it's about Allen wanting to compete in a BMX instead of doing his SATS (are those two things not easy to co ordinate?) and Weston is opposed because he wants his biker to win which kind of feels unconvincing as does the town rallying around Allen.
This feels like one of those movies that probably sounded fun in pitch form but they didn't nut out the details. BMX racing isn't that interesting on screen either - BMX Bandits was better because it was proper chases.
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