Rad (1986)    TriStar/Drama    RT: 93 minutes    Rated PG (language)    Director: Hal Needham    Screenplay: Geoffrey Edwards and Sam Bernard    Music: James Di Pasquale    Cinematography: Richard Leiterman    Release date: March 21, 1986 (US)    Cast: Bill Allen, Lori Loughlin, Talia Shire, Ray Walston, Bart Conner, Jack Weston, Alfie Wise, Marta Kober, Jamie Clarke, Laura Jacoby, H.B. Haggerty, Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes, Kellie McQuiggin, Beverly Hendry.    Box Office: $2M (US)

Rating: ***

 I successfully avoided the sports drama Rad for more than three decades. I didn’t see the point in watching it. To me, it looked like a movie for 10YOs not yet familiar with the conventions of the genre. You know, the tried-and-true underdog story popularized by Rocky and copied by every sports-themed drama that followed. It focuses on BMX racing, a sport I have no interest in. Actually, I’m not especially interested in ANY sport, but BMX racing is near the bottom of the list. I figured I’d bypass it at theaters and wait until it showed on HBO. Long story short, I’m just now seeing Rad for the first time. I have to admit, it’s pretty good. Hey, I’m as shocked as you are.

 The story centers on Cru Jones (Allen, Streamers), a small town teen who dreams of being a professional BMX racer. He gets his chance when Helltrack, the Superbowl of BMX racing, comes to his hometown courtesy of shady bicycle company owner Duke Best (Weston, Dirty Dancing). A natural talent, Cru wants to try out, but it’s on the same day as the SATs. His mother (Shire, Rocky I, II, III, IV and V) refuses to even discuss it; he simply cannot throw away his future on a dream. He tries out anyway and qualifies. Duke approaches him with an offer of sponsorship and fame if he throws the race in favor of reigning champ Bart Taylor (Olympic gymnast Conner). When Cru turns him down flat, Duke resorts to dirty tricks to keep him out of the race. Yeah, everybody knows that’s NOT going to happen. Cru and Bart WILL face off in the big race.

 Is there romance in Rad? Of course there is. It’s in the form of Christian (Loughlin, The New Kids), a female BMX racer who helps Cru master a particularly challenging move. That’s after they hit the floor on their bikes at the big dance while “Send Me an Angel” (by Real Life) plays on the soundtrack. It’s a sweet little teen romance. They hang out, play Follow the Leader on their bikes and go “ass-sliding”- i.e. going down a slide into the lake. She’s the one who offers words of encouragement when Cru is at his lowest. I know what people think of Loughlin now, but she is mad cute in this movie.

 For those born too late, the term “rad” is short for “radical”, a slang word indicating approval- e.g. “Dude, that’s radical!” In Rad, it also refers to the name of the team that Cru forms as a response to Duke’s attempts to shut him out. He is the real villain in this movie. In a deviation from form, Bart isn’t an antagonist on the level of Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid. He’s cocky and full of himself, but he’s not a sadistic jerk who constantly bullies Cru. It’s the movie’s sole note of originality; the rest of it is as standard as they come.

 I’m not going to waste time commenting too much on the acting and writing. It’s exactly what you’d expect. Shire pretty much plays a slight variation on Adrian Balboa while Ray Walston (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) has fun as a crotchety oldster who proves to be the team’s greatest ally. The script is one cliché after another. What I’d like to train focus on is Hal Needham’s (The Cannonball Run) direction. Being a former stunt man, he’s the ideal choice to lens Rad, a movie filled to the rim with cool, gravity-defying stunts on BMX bikes. I can’t believe some of the things these kids do. And they get many, many opportunities to show off their skills. One of my favorite bits is an early scene where Cru leads a local motorcycle cop on a chase through a lumber yard. The school dance scene is pretty neat too. Then there’s the climactic race. I must say it’s pretty exciting even if the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Needham may not be a great filmmaker, but he knows his way around stunt scenes, the raison d’etre for Rad.

 I’m almost ashamed to say that I got into Rad. Yes, it’s a movie for children and fans of the sport, but I found plenty to enjoy. The riding is impressive even if the plot isn’t. The soundtrack contains exactly the kind of rock music you’d expect in a teen sports movie. One song is called “Thunder in Your Heart” (by John Farnham). It’s played at least three times. It’s obviously the one the producers hoped would be a Top 10 hit. The fact is Rad bombed at the box office. It wasn’t until it came out on video that it gained a following. Even with that, I had no desire to see it until I started doing First-Time Friday Features. I thought “why not”. Let’s just say I’m not unhappy I chose to finally watch it.