Great movie, not so much about skateboards, but about how 4 people decided to something grand and they achieved it. Though it's kinda weird a bit, because it does have a lot of unknown factors about backaground/behind the scenes.
5 Reviews
Film first, skateboard video second.
blase-mnich16 May 2020
I caught Shred America at the Chicago premiere last year going in excited as someone who grew up skateboarding and excited by the idea of skating half way across the country. But it turned out to be a bigger story than the stunt, which made the film that much more interesting.
Shred America is more than some cameras following the guys as they skateboard from Chicago to New York, documenting what happens in the beginning, middle and end. It's a great reflection story that plays out like a film rather than a skate video. This is most likely the product of shelving the documentary and footage years before actually making the film.
In taking time to think about what happened during the journey and since then, the filmmakers/skaters found their true story. When it premiered, they marketed Shred America as "how not to skateboard from Chicago to New York." Being able to look back at their feat honestly, the filmmakers' pointed their fingers at them selves, making their ride the viewer's ride. The film acknowledges the mistakes, mis-steps and triumphs of their silly idea. It's funny. It's wild. It's captivating. And all they had to do was sit on the idea for 10 years to get there.
Like anything else that gets better with age, Shred America was worth the wait. And now that their journey settled and matured, it's ready for everyone to have a taste.
Shred America is more than some cameras following the guys as they skateboard from Chicago to New York, documenting what happens in the beginning, middle and end. It's a great reflection story that plays out like a film rather than a skate video. This is most likely the product of shelving the documentary and footage years before actually making the film.
In taking time to think about what happened during the journey and since then, the filmmakers/skaters found their true story. When it premiered, they marketed Shred America as "how not to skateboard from Chicago to New York." Being able to look back at their feat honestly, the filmmakers' pointed their fingers at them selves, making their ride the viewer's ride. The film acknowledges the mistakes, mis-steps and triumphs of their silly idea. It's funny. It's wild. It's captivating. And all they had to do was sit on the idea for 10 years to get there.
Like anything else that gets better with age, Shred America was worth the wait. And now that their journey settled and matured, it's ready for everyone to have a taste.
Epic Journey
cbartine5 May 2020
If you're looking for a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it! The journey makes you wish you had thought of trying this but at the same time being glad you hadn't. It makes you want to get out on your board or your bike and go for a ride through some rolling hills or bomb the hill on your board and try not to fall to hard. Every time I watch this I find new details to enjoy or something I hadn't caught in the last viewing. An epic coming of age journey story full of excitement and nostalgia, check it out!
Feeling nostalgia for memories I never had
brmarieberg6 January 2023
Watching this in 2023 and it's like watching home videos of another life. I was barely a tween when these guys went on their adventure in 2008. Smart phones became a big part of our lives before I grew old enough to adventure without the safety of a mini computer in my pocket.
Seeing these boys interact with complete strangers and have to rely on human connection instead of having the internet to run to every second was heartwarming in a way that makes me juuuuust a little jealous. This is definitely one of the last documentaries of an age we'll never return to. Beautifully captured the subtle shift of boys doing something "chaotic" to men growing into themselves.
The editing was well done, especially the comedic bits! Really showed off the personalities and chemistry of the four guys.
Tldr; a positive example of boys being boys.
Seeing these boys interact with complete strangers and have to rely on human connection instead of having the internet to run to every second was heartwarming in a way that makes me juuuuust a little jealous. This is definitely one of the last documentaries of an age we'll never return to. Beautifully captured the subtle shift of boys doing something "chaotic" to men growing into themselves.
The editing was well done, especially the comedic bits! Really showed off the personalities and chemistry of the four guys.
Tldr; a positive example of boys being boys.
Look in the back mirror when you were 20 and had wild ideas and passions
quasi_modo1 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Without a ten year resting period of the raw footage, the content may have just made a skateboard/bike tour documentary. With ripening and editorial reflections it became so much more.
The now older protagonists individually provide deadpan commentary on their own naivete at the start of the movie. Like old veterans of a gold rush, the four protagonists reflect on their unspoken calling: Go East young men! Stay together young men! Be glorious young men! The glory of skating in Love Park, Philadelphia, gaining media fame, and the esoteric magnetism of Zoo York beckons somewhere in their young souls. Comedic levels are quickly reached when the four bungle directions already at the Chicago lake front. Recovering from getting lost becomes as much part of the story as the search for food,water, shelter, and the kindness of strangers. Young men pushing the boundary of their own optimism, testing the glue of their friendship, and ultimately reaching a destination. How far the protagonists can push the boundaries of their own optimism and youthful bodies provides ample suspense to the story line. Part danger, part cringe, part blunder, the outcome many times reaches chuckle or laugh out loud comedic levels. Unlike Hollywood heroes, who squash their opponents in uncompromising fashion, these shredders have to compromise and many times retreat. How to retreat from a rabid guard dog, a looming tornado, an uncooperative washing machine, a nasty sun burn, a steep hill bomb, a near death experience, approaching night time darkness becomes more interesting to watch then outright success.
Testing the limits of physical endurance also tests emotional endurance. While the muscles recover on a rest day, emotional recovery may need a new slogan on the bike trailer - "F*** Gas.
Even though the filming was done more than a decade ago, side themes may have been ahead of their time. Outreach and phone calls from the official media fuel progress on the road. Staying relevant to positive public opinion is uncertain.
Packed with their own recording equipment, the four shredders are their own reporters, camera men, actors, directors, editors of their story. Looming is the uncertainty if the official media will validate or shred their idea of their story. As arbiters of public opinion, will the media validate or shred America?
The now older protagonists individually provide deadpan commentary on their own naivete at the start of the movie. Like old veterans of a gold rush, the four protagonists reflect on their unspoken calling: Go East young men! Stay together young men! Be glorious young men! The glory of skating in Love Park, Philadelphia, gaining media fame, and the esoteric magnetism of Zoo York beckons somewhere in their young souls. Comedic levels are quickly reached when the four bungle directions already at the Chicago lake front. Recovering from getting lost becomes as much part of the story as the search for food,water, shelter, and the kindness of strangers. Young men pushing the boundary of their own optimism, testing the glue of their friendship, and ultimately reaching a destination. How far the protagonists can push the boundaries of their own optimism and youthful bodies provides ample suspense to the story line. Part danger, part cringe, part blunder, the outcome many times reaches chuckle or laugh out loud comedic levels. Unlike Hollywood heroes, who squash their opponents in uncompromising fashion, these shredders have to compromise and many times retreat. How to retreat from a rabid guard dog, a looming tornado, an uncooperative washing machine, a nasty sun burn, a steep hill bomb, a near death experience, approaching night time darkness becomes more interesting to watch then outright success.
Testing the limits of physical endurance also tests emotional endurance. While the muscles recover on a rest day, emotional recovery may need a new slogan on the bike trailer - "F*** Gas.
Even though the filming was done more than a decade ago, side themes may have been ahead of their time. Outreach and phone calls from the official media fuel progress on the road. Staying relevant to positive public opinion is uncertain.
Packed with their own recording equipment, the four shredders are their own reporters, camera men, actors, directors, editors of their story. Looming is the uncertainty if the official media will validate or shred their idea of their story. As arbiters of public opinion, will the media validate or shred America?
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
