Brah… This movie glides like polyurethane on asphalt.
We can all be forgiven for walking past this one in Video Stores back in the 90’s, the lackadaisical box art didn’t exactly jump off the shelf, and the movie’s whole attitude seemed like another fad-grab looking to do for rollerblades what Thrashin’ tried to do for skateboarding. Or what Rad tried to do for BMXs, or what North Shore tried to do for Surfing, or Joysticks tried to do for arcade gaming, or what or what Breakin’ actually did for breakdancing.
Gen-Xers would easily see this as some executive trying to figure out what the kids are into. A cinematic Noah Vanderhoff rap.
But this flick’s actually a pretty good example of a cash-in done right. It’s less about the quality of the movie, even though this one tries really hard thanks to director Rob Bowman – it’s about tapping some flavour from the bottled lightening. Like Saturday Night Fever, or The Wizard, it does a terrific job of being emblematic of a specific place and time.
So, long after the initial fad’s worn off, we’re left with a great time capsule that includes peak ’93 pop attitude, an early Jack Black role, and Seth Green’s hair.
No seriously, it needs to be seen to be believed.
The Hair and the Movie. -Pop
Airborne rolled onto video store shelves this week in 1994, after a September 17, 1993 theatrical release.