Rad (1986) User Reviews

Stunts! Montages! '80s!

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 9 March 2018]

I can't say I've ever been apart of the BMX crowd, but that certainly doesn't stop "Rad" from delivering the goods. What's really amusing about this movie is that it doesn't take long for its weaknesses to somehow become strengths, and that's all part of the charm. It's familiar (The Karate Kid, E.T.), it's bizarre (was that a school dance or a disco scene?) and I get a smile from seeing Canada as small-town America. But this is the kind of underdog story you can't help but like, and that's not even covering the movie's greatest weapon: the music. Farnham's "Thunder In Your Heart" is every bit the '80s time capsule that is "Rad".

It's a fun movie.

7/10

Cheesy, but entertaining, not to mention a great soundtrack!

[themoviebuff71 · 7/10 · 16 December 2002]

This movie is a cult favorite among anyone who spent their summers riding their bikes or skateboards, and featured a killer soundtrack, not to mention a respectable cast considering the obviously low-budget. Very hard to find on VHS and not likely to warrant a DVD release this is a seldom seen piece of 80's movie history. Whatever anyone else might say I liked this film and anyone I have talked to that remembered it liked it too.

Absolute classic

[tonybugliobmx · 7/10 · 1 October 2021]

I can't even count how many times I've watched this movie. Such a fun trip down memory lane. Takes me back to cruising the neighborhood with my friends on our BMX.

Rad is home to me

[LunaC73 · 26 November 2009]

There's an old saying that "you can't go home again", but thanks to the movie Rad, I can go home anytime I want to. It was filmed mostly in my hometown when I was a kid (all but Helltrack itself, which was set up in Bowness Park in Calgary), and re-watching it now brings me back to how excited everyone was at the time. In the movie the town was called Cochrane, and was in some unknown state. In real life, the town is.....you guessed it, Cochrane, which is just outside Calgary, Alberta. And the local kids really were into BMX biking; I remember my godfather's son making a half-pipe as a shop project, and then not being able to get it through the shop door.

The high school in the movie really was pre-renovation Cochrane High. The Cobra logo on the gym wall is the real Cochrane High logo (I graduated as a Cochrane Cobra, as did my dad before me). I remember the school freaking out over whether the movie crew would be able to pull off the BMX Boogie scene without permanently damaging the gym floors. The school ended up converting the gym to a library and music room and building a new gym on the opposite side of the school, if I recall correctly thanks in part to the location fees paid.

The ice cream shop where Cru catches up to Christian is called McKay's and was Cochrane's one and only tourist attraction at the time. Cru's workplace, the Main Street Snack Bar, was real. It's been also been a café, and a Chinese food restaurant over the years, but it's there. Lucky Penny Pizza was really Cochrane's best (and for a long time, only) pizza place. The building in the background when Cru jumps the car during the parade even housed my mom's office.

Best of all in terms of hometown connection, the house that Cru's family lived in in the movie wasn't a set. It was a real house, and it was actually the first house my parents lived in after they got married.

Cochrane had a population explosion shortly after this movie was made, and has grown to the point that most people who've seen Rad would never recognize the town now. For example, there's no longer an empty field opposite the sawmill, and the field Cru and Christian ride into on the hill above the town is now home to a huge subdivision of condos. It's not a small town anymore, and the small town feel is long gone, but when I watch Rad I see my hometown the way it was when I was a kid, and it makes me smile.

A Film That Delivers

[slimer8489 · 7/10 · 28 April 2015]

This film is called Rad, and that's exactly what it is: A truly radical experience. I admit, I did hear about this movie from the Nostalgia Critic's review of it. Then, when I heard the epic song "Break the Ice" and when I heard about how much of an audience it attracted, I decided to check it out... Right at the perfect time, summer of freshman year. I was in for a kick-ass experience.

The film's opening is awesome. It's nothing but dudes on BMX bikes showing off their tricks. Just amazing! After the opening, we get our main character, Cru Jones. He reminds me of Rocky, an underdog who is determined to get something done, despite the odds against him. It's funny to mention Rocky, because Talia Shire (Adrian from Rocky) is in this movie. We also have Aunt Becky from Full House in this movie. Man, what a babe! In the end, everything turns out great.

This movie sure knows how to deliver. It's marketed as a BMX movie, and that's what it gives us. Awesome. It's also inspirational. Before I saw this film, I saw riding my bike as a dead phase of my life. Now, after I saw the movie, I can't get enough of my bike. I like going outside on my bike and trying to do tricks and stuff. It sucks how this movie was only released to VHS. We need this film on DVD. Official DVD, which means that the homebrews out on the Internet don't count. Well, the folks at InHD came to the rescue and released a version of this movie with DVD-like quality, and it was awesome. Notice: I said "was", which means that every copy of this version that was uploaded to YouTube have now been taken down thanks to a false copyright claim by Warner Bros., even though they don't own the movie. Luckily, I caught on early that these were being taken down, so I snagged a copy and saved it to my SD card. Just look at us fans, the extremes we have to go through to get this film out on DVD.

Don't look at this film as a piece of '80s that was only a fad, look at it as Rocky on bikes. Yeah, the music is pretty dated, but that shouldn't matter today, since it seems like all modern movies rely on music from the past to use in their films, but who could blame them? Bottom line, this film was great then and it's great now.

Rad Racing

[jefbishop · 10/10 · 15 April 2020]

This movie is awesome!! It's not that the acting or script deserves an Oscar, but it inspired so many kids from the 80's and early 90's to go get bikes and have fun! My gosh, I saved up $300 to get a Robinson bike just to ride the "dirt trails" with my buddies who did the same. My little brother included. If you're an adult watching this for the first time outside 1994, you don't understand how much us kids loved it. Rad and Short Circuit 2 are icon movies for us kids that grew up in the 80's and early 90's. Watch it for what it is and realize the soundtrack was snubbed for an award

Helltrack!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 10 December 2020]

If there was one movie that was hard to rent at my neighborhood mom and pop video store, this would be it.*

Leonard Maltin gave this movie his dreaded BOMB review, comparing it to 1950's car race and 1970's roller disco movie films. Yeah, Leonard. Wondering why everyone liked it so much?

Shot in Alberta, Canada - look for a young Robin Bougie from Cinema Sewer - this movie may have failed in theaters. but like I said above, it was a top rental film for what seems like forever.

Cru Jones has two choices: take the SAT in order to attend college or race Helltrack, which could mean $100,000, a new Chevrolet Corvette and fame. His mom, Talia Shire, whines so much that you wish that Stanley Kubrick would arrive to cause PTSD to take her out of this film, but no, she just cries that he's throwing away his future. He is, near-fifty-year-old me can tell you, but have you seen Helltrack?

The thing I never understood about this movie was how could Mongoose have allowed themselves to be portrayed in such a negative light? They were such a big BMX company and in nearly every scene, their owner Duke Best is out to get Cru and to push his own rider Bart Taylor.

Before she went to jail for that college scam, Lori Loughlin played the tough tomboy that the hero fell in love with. Here, she's Christian Hollings and she BMX bike dances with Cru, setting hearts aflutter. For more Laughlin roles like this, see Secret Admirer and Back to the Beach.

The evil Reynolds twins who try and destroy Cru on Helltrack grew up to be Chad and Carey Hayes, the writers of the remake of House of Wax, as well as The Conjuring movies.

Man, this movie still leaves me with so many questions. How could the town raise $50,000 so quick for Cru? How does he have the money to sign up Bart when he gets kicked off the Mongoose team? Why did my grandparents buy me a Schwinn that weighed as much as a Harley when all I wanted was a BMX bike?

This movie wasn't on DVD or blu ray for years until Vinegar Syndrome did a limited release. It's streaming now, so you can finally legally watch it.

Also, look for pro wrestler Hard Boiled Haggerty, who yells to our hero, "Go balls out!" before the Helltrack** race. That was the film's original title.

This was directed by Hal Needham, who also made so many stunt heavy movies like the Smokey and the Bandit films, Stroker Ace, Body Slam, Hooper, Death Car on the Freeway and, of course, Megaforce.

*Other movies that fit this bill are Thashin', The Dirt Bike Kid and The Toxic Avenger.

**None of the stunt racers could complete a lap of Helltrack, with major worries about the giant hill that starts the race. The entire scene took two weeks to film.

A cheesy 80s movie that is overrated by 80s fans

[Jiggyray · 5/10 · 12 December 2003]

This movie is hard to get a hold of and is highly praised by 80s movie fans. I got a hold of the movie expected a masterpiece and got a lemon! This movie is totally cheesy, and not cheesy in a cool "The Goonies" sort of way. Bill Allen is a boring emotionless lead. His kid sister is as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard. Lori Loughlin as Allen's love interest is just as bland, I truely recommend "Secret Admirer" if you want to see the Full House star in a much better role and movie. To put it quite simply: this movie is a "The Karate Kid" want-to-be (which is my favorite movie) that doesn't come close! SPOILER ALERT ON: another underdog fighting a more popular/arrogant/wealthy enemy at a sport to later beat him and steal his woman :SPOILER ALERT OFF It truely does not have the emotion, heart, and strength of cast as "The Karate Kid". Also, what is up with the kid going off the course to catch up with the pack, doesn't that make our hero a cheater? Also the bad guy waiting for our hero to catch up in the last race was lame and made the outcome feel cheap.

A much hyped 80s cult hit that was a total letdown for me, rent/buy the easier to obtain "The Karate Kid" instead, 5 out of 10

B-grade BMX flick set in a stereotypical 1980s high school, has attained an odd cult status.

[MBCD · 9/10 · 8 December 2005]

It's your basic "High-school dork beats bully & gets girl using his worthless social-outcast skill that everyone in this little universe is oddly obsessed with" (happens all the time in the 80's). Nothing particularly original or interesting about it, but for some reason it withstands repeated viewings and still seems like fun. It's one of those movies that unintentionally became a cult flick just by being so straightforward.

The plot, the acting, the characters, the one-liners . . . everything about the production is reasonably serviceable for the era, but certainly not GOOD either. The whole thing feels sorta like a cheesy 80's sitcom doing its big 2-hour episode for sweeps week, and the network gave it some money for a real location shoot & some extra cuss words.

The bicycle stuntwork in "Rad" is stellar. Yes, of course it's outdated now, and modern X-games riders like Dave Mirra can demonstrate a lot more technical skill on multi-directional spins & stuff, but ultimately that's beside the point. In real life the average 13-year-old spends weeks teaching himself to do a decent bunny hop. And for that 13-year-old, it's plenty of fun watching a character in "Rad" just trying to learn an (outdated) backflip move in the schoolyard using a hockey helmet & some old bed mattresses. (Think: "Jackass" but not so intentional. And it's too bad this movie was made before the era of "goof reels" during the end credits, because they probably got some real whoppers on film during this production.)

I can quote every line of this movie, but I still can't put my finger on what aspect of it makes it hold up so well. It's got that same sort of odd quality that a "Duck Tales" or a "Saved by the Bell" episode has: You can't explain why on earth you're still watching & enjoying it as an intelligent adult . . . but you are. (And so is everyone else you've shown it to.) Either way you'd better get your insider-status and enjoy this movie now. Next thing we know they might put it on T-shirts at Sam Goody & take all the fun out of it.

An Exhilirating Race For Young And Old Alike

[bogner · 6/10 · 29 September 2000]

Right off the bat, this movie has action. People ride BMX bikes through a stunningly beautiful city (probably Victorville). Cru Jones is a BMX biker who is really good, but has a crotchety hag of a mother (played convincingly by Talia Shire) who for some illogical reason wants Cru to take his SATs. Hilarious hi-jinks ensue, and let me tell you, Rad is not just a film, but rather a genre. There have since been a ton of movies REALLY similar to it, such as Thrashin' (1986), North Shore (1987), and Airborne (1993). However due to the original storyline (kind of like Rocky), wonderful scenery (kind of a desert meets urban decay), and actors performing out of their standard roles (Talia Shire as a crotchety hag), Rad is the grandaddy of them all. I had to vote with my conscience, and give this movie a 10 out of 10.

Blinded by the bike...

[Todorojo-1 · 1/10 · 26 June 2005]

This movie is so sloppy, it needs to wipe. It seems to me that every comment submitted for this movie was written from the perspective of a jilted boyfriend with no self esteem. "Sure, she treated me like dirt, used me for the meager earnings I made at the Food Mart and left me for my step dad, but I love her." This movie is terrible. It should be described as The Karate Kid lite on BMX bikes. The direction is sloppy and the acting as shallow as the kiddie pool full of schmucks that try oh so poorly to defend it without a shred of objectivity. Anyone who makes it through this heap of hooey more than once, much less bought a copy has signed their own indictment for bad taste. The scene with female lead riding into the dreamy dance sequence while doing those crazy bike tricks is the worst body double since the stand-in for Jennifer Beals in "Flashdance." But at least the Beals stand-in was female. The biker in this groaner of a sequence is clearly a guy in a wig. This alone condemns this film to the C bin. If you want to see some terrific BMX riding without the myriad of pap that this movie doles out with such artless abandon, I suggest a trip to the documentary aisle.

More points about this movie

[jaws! · 10/10 · 29 January 2000]

I love this movie. As i said in the other comment i first

saw Rad back in 1986 or 1987. There's just something about this movie. To be honest this movie doesn't seem that dated to me, because i've been watching Rad ever since

1986 or 1987. there was never a huge gap between that time. This movie just has some magic to it. Ok so its a

little low on plot, the acting maybe isn't that great, and maybe it is predictable, but you know what? Who cares!. This movie is entertaining from beginning to end, it never lets up for a second. The music is great too, I love Break The Ice, thunder in your heart, send me an angel,

and the other cool songs. Rad is loaded with cool bike

tricks, great racing scenes and it's very inspiring. The

person on here that said they don't make movies like this

anymore is right, Rad just contains a sort of magic movies don't have nowadays. I've had the same worn out tape of this movie for about 10 or more years now, I can't get

enough of it. I wish there'd be a sequel to Rad. I know it wouldn't be as good as the original, but i'd still like to what Cru, luke and the others are up to now. Rad is in the top 3 of my favorite movies of all time. I also think I have watched Rad more times than any other movie in history. It's just got a lot of re-watchable value to it.

Once again I love this movie and always will. I give Rad

**** out of ****

Influences

[eclip5e · 6/10 · 25 April 2007]

One of the paradigms of 1980s movies, I saw it when I was around 7 or 8 years old. This movie influenced me to become the man I am today, a professional bmx biker, sponsored by Mongoose.

Shortly after seeing this film, I traded my banana cruiser in for a sweet new bmx . From that point on, I was terrorizing my neighbors with my rude paper route delivery antics. I had my route so well planned and executed that I too could ride a garbage trucks front-end loader over a fence.

It took a few years, but at the 1997 X Games, I was approached by the then-head of the Mongoose racing team about potential sponsorship. When asked "Who do you race for?" I used the words of Cru, I took of my sunglasses, looked him in the eyes and said "I race for me". He knew I meant business, and signed me for a 5 year contract right there, handing me 5 million dollars in cash, on the spot.

Bad, Not Rad

[joncheskin · 3/10 · 7 February 2018]

I became interested in this movie because I was curious about movies that had a large discrepancy between the Critics and Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Rad actually is the record-holder--84% of the audience liked the movie, but a whopping 0% of the critics. I was fascinated by what kind of movie could provoke this reaction--a very loyal fanbase and unanimous critical disapproval. It turned out that there were only 5 critics' reviews, so that was part of the reason. But the main issue was that this is simply a likable bad movie.

Rad is actually a sports movie--BMX bike racing. The BMX circuit comes to a small town, and a local boy is very talented and dreams of winning the race. He meets a girl from the touring company and there is a romance (surprise) and he does battle with the evil favorite Rocky style. Talia Shire, who was Rocky's wife, plays the kid's mom and does the same sort of nervous mugging for the camera. Bart Conner, the Olympic gymnast, plays the villain in his first movie role. Bill Allen and Lori Loughlin from Family Ties play the hero and his love interest.

Now, already, you can see the makings of a train wreck (or bike wreck?), but the fact of the matter is that the movie does a decent job of doing exactly what you would expect. Also, the BMX stunts are terrific, and some of the gags are pretty funny. It is easy to see how this movie could become a cult film (which it has) with rabidly loyal followers. Nonetheless, it really is pretty silly, so if you're into this sort of thing, great. Personally I think three stars is about right.

Nostalgia

[mentalsjuk · 22 October 2004]

Like so many other kids my age (being 22 now) I saw this one and I also got my first BMX shortly after that! I have been looking everywhere for this one, but just couldn't find it until recently when I imported it from USA in a DVD-edition - however, it looks like an illegal copy since the cover had been copied (in color, though) and the picture on the disc was a sticker, the sound was really low (maybe it had something to do with the fact that it had been converted directly to DVD from VHS?), it had no extra-material and the menu looked like someone had done it on a PC and then burned it... Anyway, the film was just as Rad as I remembered it from my young days! All the classic scenes like the paper boy, motorcycle cop chase, BMX-dance and the Hell Track race were there and together with the (almost cheesy) 1980's-soundtrack they sent shivers down my spine. So if you haven't seen this one, then see it - if you HAVE seen it, then see it again! Money well spent I can assure you.

The name says it all.

[carriggm · 7/10 · 9 January 2006]

This film came out about the time I was born, summer of 1986. Unfortunately the two of us would never come to know each other until my freshman year in college. But lets just say we found love. Rad is by far one of those all time great 80's era movies (not that I have much to say about the 80's, don't remember much, what with being 4 and all). It's just one of those movies that's hard to finish, because magically your outside, on your bike, earning a neck brace trying to do every trick in the opening credits. Rad is difficult to find, but recommended none the less. Show it to your kids, and then get them more health insurance.

Rad is a movie that is partially responsible for recent BMX popularity.

[feebleminded80 · 10/10 · 21 March 2005]

I know to a lot of people out there this movie is boring, cheesy, and makes almost no sense at all. However, there are a few facts that need to be stated that may shed some light on the film. First, when Rad came out in theaters (yes, you heard right, theaters), BMX was at the most popular point of its short history. The sport was literally everywhere. Next, professional BMX racers from this era were actually used in the stunts, and, more importantly, in the helltrack race. Lastly, a man named Yose Yanez did the back flip stunts in this movie. This may seem insignificant, but at the time he was the only person on our planet who had done this. Looking back, this is especially amusing to me, since I have several friends who perform this feat on a daily basis. My point is, if nothing else, Rad helped BMX by making kids out there wonder just what was possible on these 20" bicycles.

Having said all of that, yes, Rad is a cheesy film of B-Movie quality, has an unlikely plot, and will likely never be of any value to someone outside the world of BMX. But for those of us who are, this movie is bigger than a plot or good writing. In fact, Rad is the whole reason I started riding bikes nine years ago. Trust me I'm not alone when I say that. Maybe ESPN should be paying royalties to the director...

Nostalgia trip

[paulwattriley · 6/10 · 9 August 2021]

Loved the 80s, loved my BMX, the music was ok, the hairstyles whack and the fashion well lets ignore that. This movie however is ok its just a fun movie nothing special.

It's a man, baby

[campblood13 · 4/10 · 25 August 2003]

When Lori Loughlin's character is following her new boyfriend doing all kinds of jumps, that is not her. It's a man with a wig, lol. Anyway, this movie has a decent story. They have a dance at the beginning and these BMX stars are dancing with this trashy girl, but they dance like crap. Then Cru and Christian break out with bike dancing? This movie was funny. A good movie for young teenagers. What's with the 58% of voters giving this a 10. I guess only the fans of it remember it. 4/10 Fair

Everyone has guilty pleasures, this is totally one of mine!!!

[vagrantfilms · 10/10 · 27 June 2002]

You know, this movie on so many levels is probably not a 10, but I gave it one anyway, because since I first saw it in theatres, to now when I've probably seen it about 100+ times, I still am totally engaged and entertained by it. And to this day i still dream about finding my own special someone to go ass sliding with (don't ask , just see the movie). Plus any movie that has Ray Walston(My Favorite Martian) riding a BMX bike and flipping the Bird, is allright by me!!!

The Citizen Kane of BMX films

[Fluke_Skywalker · 7/10 · 28 January 2024]

'Rad' is more 80's than Ronald Reagan sitting on Arnold Schwarzenegger's shoulders while playing Pac-Man and singing "Beat it". That is not meant as a criticism by the way.

True to the "Can do" zeitgeist of the decade, 'Rad' is an underdog story about a kid who overcomes the odds. Oops, spoiler alert. But come on, you know how these things turn out. It's all about how we get there and how satisfying it is to see our hero succeed.

Said hero is Cru Jones, a likeably bland character who is easy to root for. The villains are all card stock, which is more than okay in these kinds of movies. Again, you want shade, go sit under a tree.

Director Hal Needham ('Smokey and the Bandit') does a good job of capturing all of the BMX action, and the soundtrack--as many 80's soundtrack do--acts as an emotional desktop shortcut for the drama.

This isn't quite 'Karate Kid' on a bike, but if you like that sort of feel good 80's underdog tale, 'Rad' is aptly titled.

Wow

[michaellinsenman · 1/10 · 6 August 2018]

So, I don't understand why this film has so many high reviews. I don't understand how it became a "cult" film like the room, because this movie is just bad. Not amusing to watch bad, just bad. It's disjointedness and horrible acting lead it to be one of the worst movies I have EVER watched. Thank you, hosts of "How Did This Get Made", thank you.

watch this RAD movie online

[isaacmullis · 10/10 · 21 March 2005]

This is one the best movies i have not been able to buy or even find. I have been trying my local mom and pop video stores for years to find this movie. Unfortunately Blockbuster wiped most of them out before i could persuade them to sell me one of favorite movies of all time. Anyway i found this site (WWW.BMXBMX.COM)that had it to download. The download was almost instantaneous. Regrettably it only comes in 7 parts but thats a small inconvenience to finally see the movie i loved since i was 10. I hope they put this on DVD one day i've signed the petition you should too. If some one knows where to find this movie good shape i would love to buy it.

Good 80's Teen Flick

[gwnightscream · 6/10 · 20 September 2020]

This 1986 drama stars Bill Allen, Lori Loughlin, Bart Conner, Talia Shire and Jack Weston. This tells the story of Cru Jones (Allen), an ambitious teen who dreams of becoming a pro BMX bike rider and he wants to enter a race/contest, Helltrack where a bunch of pros compete including local champion, Bart Taylor (Conner). Cru has support from friends, but tries convincing his mom (Shire) who is against the idea because she wants him to go to college. Loughlin (Full House) plays Christian, a girl Cru finds romance with and is also a BMX rider and the late, Weston (Dirty Dancing) plays shrewd businessman, Duke Best who tries to keep Cru from racing. I haven't seen this since I was a kid and just watched it recently. It's a good 80's teen flick with a decent cast, good soundtrack and nice scenery/settings. I recommend this to anyone who remembers growing up in the 80's.

Not just nostalgia

[zhoyt · 10 May 2003]

Before the huge X-Games explosion of the late 90s, there was another place where extreme sports thrived; The 80s. Like any fad, there were numerous exploitation movies based on it. Thrashin was the cream of the crop to focus on skateboarding, but when it came to BMX there was a real debate. Was it BMX Bandits or Rad? In my mind, there has never been a doubt. While BMX Bandits is pretty good, it can't even come close to Rad. Likely both films spawned hardcore punk bands named after the movies, and Rad the band is far superior to BMX Bandits. (Although really neither are that great) So what makes Rad so good? To start, the star power: a pre-Full House Lori Laughlin is the love interest of our hero Cru, Talia `stop calling me Adrian' Shire has a great turn as Cru's mom, and veteran character actor Ray Walston is hilarious as a crankity old bike shop owner (`The world would be a lot better off without kids'). The movie also has one of my favorite scummy villains of the 80s, Jack Weston of Dirty Dancing, Short Circuit 2, and Can't Stop the Music (the fictionalized Village People biopic). With a cast this great you know you're in for a treat. The next key ingredient of Rad is the stunts. Instead of hiring BMX stuntmen and only using them for stunts, Rad gives them roles, playing themselves. It is set around a fictional BMX race called `Hell Track' and it draws some of the best riders from around the world. It is always a special treat seeing some of my favorite riders of yore on the screen along with Cru. It gives the movie an authentic feeling. It also has spectacular stunt scenes in the opening credits where they just let the riders do there thing and they really show off their skills which are highlighted by interesting angles and slow motion. Another great thing about Rad is the soundtrack. It's the typical eighties teen targeting soundtrack full of various genres aimed to get kids attention; rock, dance, new wave, even some ballads. They all work though and you'll be humming the tunes long after the movie has stopped. The hit `Send Me An Angel' (which was later used to great effect in the Fred Savage vehicle / Nintendo commercial The Wizard) is especially great and has found its way onto mix tapes of mine ever since the I first bought the soundtrack in 87 with it's catchy, haunting synth line. All in all, Rad is more than just a fun trip down nostalgia lane. Even if you haven't grown up in the 80's or gotten caught up in the BMX craze, it is still a lot of fun. And besides, what other movie do you get to see Ray Walston give the middle finger with such conviction?