I saw this movie in the theaters as a grade school kid and I knew nothing about skateboarding. This movie was a good introduction to the world of skateboarding. I've seen the reviews from others who said that it doesn't show authentic skateboarding. However, to an audience that was not aware of what real skateboarding looks like, everything looked really cool. I recently saw it again, and I'm sure that as a kid I didn't understand all of the references to sex, alcohol, drugs or owing money to a gangster. And I found it odd that Manny would tell the kids that they could win $20,000 when he knew that $10,000 would be going to the gangster to pay his debts. And even with the $10,000 being split up amongst all the participants, I imagine it wouldn't be split evenly and that Manny would get the lion share with his need to pay alimony to his ex-wife. However the movie ends before we find out how the money was divided up. I was also surprised that the parents would be ok with this random guy showing up who knows nothing about skateboarding and taking their kids on road trips on a bus with overnight stays at motels and making unclear promises of payment for their involvement on the team. However what makes this film shine is the use of real skateboarders Richard Van der Wyk, Tony Alva and Ellen O'Neal. A surprise is that the teenybopper heartthrob Leif Garrett looked very natural on a skateboard and doing most of his own stunts. I ended up asking my parents for a skateboard as a kid because of this movie, and they gave me one. I never got very into skateboarding but I grew up knowing guys that did. This movie was a small 1970's glimpse into the skateboarding culture.
Review of Skateboard
