BMX gets a film of its own in 1986’s Rad. The most milquetoast film about an extreme sport I’ve ever watched. Nothing radical or even slightly exciting happens throughout the film. The film’s original title was Ball Out, which also fails to describe this tepid movie.
Rad’s biggest problem is tension. There is none. There’s hardly any conflict in the story, and what little there is has no tension. It’s a sports film, so the main character is an underdog that we expect to win. That archetypal plot is expected, but within the genre you can still build tension with interpersonal conflict. Sadly Rad can’t be bothered.
Cru, the best BMX rider in the small town of Cochrane, doesn’t have a character arc and he’s our protagonist. He’s the same person at the start and end of the film. Okay, that could be fine with a strong supporting cast and intriguing plot. Let’s start by looking at the plot.
Duke Best, a greedy businessman, bring his BMX competition “Helltrack” to Cochrane. His best racer, Bart, is primed to win the $100,000 grand prize. Along with the money comes sponsorships, and Duke Best can’t wait for his piece of that sweet BMX money. The only kink, locals want a chance to compete and wouldn’t you know it, the town is packed with quality BMX riders.
Duke offers $10,000 to the local who completes a qualifying round. Natural Cru wins with ease, and this worries Duke. What is this local boy wins, taking the prize and sponsorship money? Can’t have that happen, so Duke changes the rules to keep Cru out of the race. The whole town comes together to help Cru who wins the race.
This is stock sports movie plotting. Nothing bad, but nothing noteworthy. Tension should come from the characters, but those are lacking too. The B-plot is a romance between Cru and Christian (Aunt Becky from Full House), one of the many competitors coming to participate in Helltrack. We’re introduced to her when the villain, Bart, hits on her and she rejects him. Setting up a potential love triangle between Cru, Christian and Bart.
Sadly that love triangle never happens. Bart doesn’t care about Christian, or even hate her relationship with Cru. There’s no jealousy or competition. Christian and Cru do some bike stunts at the high school dance, he awkwardly takes her on a strange concrete waterslide, and they start dating. There’s no drama to their relationship. Not even a moment of hesitation. It’s smooth sailing the whole film.
Local cop, Sargent Smith, chases Cru and his friends through the lumber yard on his motorcycle. Hardnosed cop that hates the local bikers, does anything he can to stop them. Seeing a kindred spirit in Duke Best, he helps the greedy bastard block Cru from entering the race. Revenge for years of escaping justice…but no, that would be drama and conflict. Rad can’t have that. Instead, their relationship is a game. Sgt Smith chases the kids, kids get away, he smiles and shakes his head at their good natured game of cat and mouse. Smith helps rally the locals to aide Cru against Duke Best.
But wait, Cru’s mother doesn’t want him wasting his time with Helltrack. The qualifier is the same day as the SATs! He can’t throw his future away for BMX. SATs and college are the future for the son of this plucky single mother. Except, Christian rightly points out that Cru can take the SATs again in six month. If he loses the qualifier, the worst that happens is he waits a year for college. Confronted by his mother, he explains this to her, and she agrees so long as he promises not to miss those SATs six months from now.
Cru being up for a full-ride scholarship, and risking it all on Helltrack would bring tension to the story. His mother would be justifiably mad at him for throwing away one hard earned future, for another that’s far less likely. The film never puts anything particularly difficult in front of Cru. Nothing he struggles with on a personal level to overcome. The biggest obstacle he faces is Duke Best’s rule changes. Bureaucracy is a villainous force in something like Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. Rad wants it to be evil, but it’s so quickly overcome that it loses all potency.
The other side of Rad is the BMX scenes. This is an extreme sports movie. The opening is 5 minutes of credits over BXM bikes soaring through the air. The climax is a race around Helltrack! It’s directed by Hal Needham of Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball run. This man knows how to film an exciting race, but it doesn’t translate to BMX.
Some of this is attributable to the cameras used in the 80s. Big and bulky, they can’t get in close like a modern go-pro. Everything feels slow and distant. This is expected, but it hurts Rad in a way that it doesn’t hurt Smokey and the Bandit. Cars move faster than BMX bicycles. It’s that simple. The races lack speed. They could make up for it with dangerous stunts, but the jumps and turns are weak. Fallen racers get right back up and keep racing. The worst injury is a broken tire.
Rad’s a film about an extreme sport that moves too slowly. It spends a lot of time on a romance with no drama. The biggest conflict is a change of rules, solved through nice people donating money. There’s so much wrong with Rad. I should hate it. I have every reason to dislike this movie that dares to be nothing, but I don’t.
Outside of the slow races, Rad moves at a brisk pace. The editing keeps everything flowing. 90 minutes long, it never overstays its welcome. The acting is acceptable. Jack Weston has the most fun as Duke Best, playing him as a drunk at all times. It’s a choice that never gets plot focus, but it adds the character nicely. Cru and Christian are a cute pair, and their lack of drama makes their relationship feel wholesome.
Send Me an Angel by Real Life is featured in a dance sequence. I love that song. If you wanted to describe the 80s with a single song, this would be a solid pick. Right up there with Blue Monday by New Order, Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics and Karma Chamelon by Culture Club. Send Me an Angel is a perfect way to think of Rad. It’s fun, but ultimately a hollow piece product with nothing deeper to offer. Rad is the kind of movie you watch during a lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing else to do.