cshep Mark Lester invites you to take a slice of life out of the Roller disco movement of the late 1970's. What can only be described as Campy Fun, highlighted with several musical numbers. Roller Boogie delivers at times High Energy and Fun,at the Roller Disco "Jammers.", in Venice Beach. Opening with Cher's "Hell on Whells", we get a glimpse of lovely Santa Monica and the carrying ons of the Disco Roller movement.Beautiful Linda Blair, and skating guru Jim Bray star as star struck summer lovers , who desire to win the Disco Boogie Championship. Subplot of mobsters taking over the "Jammers", by extortion to create their own view on the Pacific Ocean. Mark Goddard of "Lost in Space" is the head baddie. Jim Perry and Beverly Garland are the rich condescending parents of Linda Blair. The film moves at a good pace, for a film that lasts about 120 minutes. It is cheesy, but never pretends to be more than sum of its' parts. It really is a celebration on wheels, everyone should experience Roller Disco, maybe the world would be a better place. A very honest film, I gave it a 7 out of 10.

preppy-3 This was made to cash in on the then hot roller disco fad. Rich girl Terry Barkley (Linda Blair) inexplicably falls in love with skater Bobby Jones (Jim Bray). Then she, Bray and their friends try to stop nasty businessman Thatcher (Mark Goddard) from tearing down the local roller disco rink.I realize a lot of people find this campy and fun. It's campy alright but I didn't find it fun at all. I was mostly bored. The script is pretty awful--full of idiot characters (all of Brays' friends act like Three Stooges rejects) and stupid dialogue. There are continuity problems galore too--notice how Goddard and his goons look pretty clean after being pelted with tons of fruit. As for the acting...what can you say about a movie where Linda Blair gives the best performance? The acting on display here is abysmal. Bray easily is the worst but (in his defense) he was chosen to star at the last minute. No wonder this was his only film. Also that feathered hair does him NO favors! He also looks pretty unattractive (but that's just my opinion). Goddard is pretty good though--he (wisely) underplays his role. This gets a 3 because it isn't totally unwatchable--it's definitely better than "Xanadu" and the opening sequence with the kids skating through the streets IS fun. Also I admit--I LIKE some of the songs and the skating/dancing was actually pretty amazing. Years ago Blair was asked out of all the bad films she did what was her favorite. She said, "Roller Boogie. It was good for the kids." So I didn't like it but it is harmless.

Poseidon-3 The epic magnitude of the eastern front of World War II serves as a backdrop for this riveting drama in which teenage Blair rescues two dozen prisoners of war and transports them to safety over treacherous mountainous terrain, all the while being pursued by vicious Nazi.... er..... What? Oh, yeah. Right. Okay. Take two: Pampered, lonely, rich girl Blair prefers spending time on roller skates down at Venice Beach over pursuing a degree in music at Juilliard. Her wealthy parents are appalled that she would rather attempt to win a big Roller Boogie contest with scrawny, local, wheel-meister Bray instead of training as an expert flautist and marrying similarly-rich, preppie Nelson. Blair heads to the beach at every opportunity in her vintage car (for which there is ALWAYS a spot right next to wherever she's going despite the giant mobs of people everywhere!) She and best pal Beck catch the attention of Bray and his friends Van Patten, Insinnia and Jackson (who, hilariously, is never shown without his strapped-on cassette player with huge earphones.) When crooked developer Goddard attempts to take over the favorite skating rink run by boozy McClory, it's up to Bray and company to come to the rescue. Anyone who's ever seen a motion picture can predict the outcome. Blair, who gained worldwide fame as Ellen Burstyn's possessed daughter in "The Exorcist", is all grown up here, though not fully rid of her baby fat. Tottering around in spike heels when she isn't on her skates, her pneumatic little body parades around in all the latest (gag-inducing) Danskin sportswear. She has an opening scene in which she ritualistically puts on her skating togs that Richard Gere must have studied obsessively prior to filming "American Gigolo" in which he made getting dressed a sport. Content that she looks appropriately ridiculous, she gives herself a congratulatory look in the mirror before heading out. Though the script is atrocious in every way, Blair demonstrates that her early career praise was overstated, to say the least. She, however, is Dame Judi Dench compared to Bray who, thankfully, never appeared before a movie camera again. Weighing in at 136 pounds, if that, he struts and skates around in an eye-burning variety of short shorts and knee high tube socks as his lame-brained friends question his ability to land a chick. This movie being science fiction, he eventually winds up with Blair, though their relationship is far from smooth. In fact, they fight more than they do anything else and it's not always easy to see why! Blair's parents are played by veterans Perry and Garland who don't always look as embarrassed as they ought to be considering the repugnantly stupid dialogue that's been assigned to them. Perry comes off slightly better than Garland who is forced to called Blair "Lovey" all the time and sort through her purse revealing a pharmacy full of various pills! Fans of "The Colbys" will be amused to see that Blair's house is the same one that housed Charlton Heston and Barbara Stanwyck, though the TV show used different interiors than this film which uses the actual location. The pool in the back, however, is unmistakable. Goddard, best known from "Lost in Space", doesn't even show up until nearly an hour into the film and tries to remain dignified, though it isn't easy. In a fair world, the lead of this film would have been Beck, who is taller, slimmer, blonder, bustier and just generally more appealing than Blair. She is given virtually nothing to do. Nelson is saddled with a clichéd character whose only memorable moment is having his behind exposed just as his mother opens the front door. From the moment it starts, this movie provides gales of laughter. Dozens and dozens of skaters (a few using an awkward and hysterically funny windsail contraption!) zip around the neighborhood while a song that Cher doubtlessly leaves off her resume pounds on the soundtrack. The film continuously places rear ends and crotches in the audience's face (and did girls REALLY go skating on the beach and in the rinks wearing ONLY leotards and hose??) Rarely do the chuckles subside as the horror fashion show, cheesy music and jaw-dropping scenarios continue. By the time Bray has skated an ode to McClory in a darkened rink, Goddard has been fended off with ripened fruit, Bray and Blair outskate a speeding car and Bray and Blair's skating double have taken top honors at the contest, a good time has been had by the viewer, albeit for all the wrong reasons! There simply aren't words....

artemishdc Yes, I rated this a 7 out of a 10....I only gave it a 7 because I haven't seen it since I was 7 years old......don't know if it's the 10 I used to think it was hee hee I loved Roller Boogie hee hee...I must have watched that movie a million times when I was a kid.When I was a kid I also didn't care about the plot...All I thought was beaches, skating, pretty girl, pretty boy...happy ending.I'm afraid that if I see it now I'll be supremely disappointed by my childhood innocence like I was with Saturday Night Fever...whew...I had no idea what was going on there until I saw it when I got older..again I had tunnel vision as a kid. I could only think about the dancing.If you want to see Linda Blair not controlled by the devil and have some campy fun...go for it!!!! Don't be a snob:)