Here is a forgotten 80s, romantic dromedy that may have been forgotten for a reason. Various love triangles arise around the setting of a Demolition Derby. Jamie Lee Curtis and Patrick Swayze star in a tale packed with the usual 80s comedy tent poles such as weird dreams, screwball scenarios, and youths having to stand up for the little guy.
Cody (Curtis) might lose her Derby site until a recent high school graduate stumble into her life to help, and perhaps steal her heart. Meanwhile a derby rider (Swayze) is pulling his life together after his long time girlfriend starts having an affair. The story runs through the sort of formula we’ve all seen before, with those aforementioned signifiers of its place in the American 1980s along with familiar 80s actors appearing. Heck, they even have cameos by John and Joan Cusack and Michael Winslow (yes, the guy who does the sound effects from Police Academy) sneak in. The performances are acceptable, the gags are not the freshest, and the romance is jammed with heartache and conflict.
Video
Widescreen 16:9. For a left for VHS obscurity film, the picture quality has transferred well onto DVD. Since it won’t likely see Blu Ray for years (if at all) then this is about as good as its going to get, and it’s not bad at all.
Audio
Dolby Digital Stereo. The music is quite clear but substantially louder than the dialogue. So those balance issues would be my mine problem. If I didn’t have to adjust the volume knob from time to time, this would be an…ok, soundtrack.
Special Features
None.
Final Thoughts
This film may be forgotten, but its not all that bad. It’s crawled its way back from being an out of print VHS. Its a harmless film that may be remembered positively by some but I wouldn’t run out the door to catch this restored film.
