The Dirt Bike Kid (1985)

Sadly Over-hyped

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

You know what... I think to a lot of kids growing up in the 80's in America, this was their favourite film. It's got everything a classic wish fulfillment fantasy for children needs: Nice, charismatic good guys... Nasty, hissable bad guys... A taxing central situation that every youngster would be able to relate to (The demolishing of a local fast food restaurant to be replaced by a boring bank)... and of course a wonderful bike. This machine is actually ALIVE. It can jump higher than a kangaroo on a pogo stick, can fly through the sky as if it was operated by a certain ET (there's a reference to this in the soundtrack), and understands it's owners commands. Not to mention moving it's headlights like eyes, and using it's mudflaps to deposit any nearby bad dudes into stinking lakes. Hardehar.But I'm making this sound like this is strictly a venture for the under 12's. It isn't at all. There's more fun to be had here than a hundred other so-called adult comedies I've seen of late, made by a director, cast and crew who are obviously having a whale of a time. As did I. True, there are some questionable elements. What's with the hero's best friend... a boy who can't be older than 11, being obsessed with bouncing bosoms and Playboy magazine? INAPPROPRIATE. And as for the most obvious stunt double EVER when the kid is doing his loop-de-loops, wheelies and other dangerous stuff... You'd have thought they'd at least get someone who's his height.But who cares? This goes down as one of my most pleasant surprises of the year, and who knows... if I'd seen it as an impressionable child, perhaps I would have scored it even higher... 7/10

If you are around my age (31 in 2013) you might remember seeing this VHS tape sitting in the video store, you know, the one with Ralphie from A Christmas Story riding a dirtbike. I never rented it because I thought it would be a cheesy piece of crap, but now that I have watched it for free on YouTube, I can now say that my original instincts were only half-correct. It was cheesy, but I still kind of enjoyed it. I was looking for something uncomplicated that I could watch to help unwind after a long day at work. It did the job perfectly.This is not a good movie in terms of acting, effects, screen writing, or especially plot (save the struggling hot dog place from getting foreclosed on!) but there is still a lot to like. It is very 80s, made most evident by the the synth-heavy soundtrack. Also the whole "extreme" attitude is in full effect toward BMX bikes and dirtbikes and other radical tubular things.The movie has a lot of memorable moments. My favorite: the local bank sponsors a little league team and then extorts the umpire into calling games in the team's favor because the bank has his mortgage! Right from the start, I had a hard time separating the kid's character in this movie from his role as a wide-eyed youngster in A Christmas Story. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that he plays both parts exactly the same — with manic boyish enthusiasm. In many ways they could be the same kid just in two different time periods.The plot is your typical stuff, but there was one interesting departure — the kid did not have a love interest. They saved all expressions of heterosexuality for the kid's best friend. In fact Ralphie might have been dirtbike-sexual for all we know. I guess the filmmakers were aiming the movie at young boys who haven't discovered girls yet.The kid's crazed look at the beginning of the film made me think of alternate interpretation: Ralphie is a poor child of a single parent. A kindly old man offers to sell him a dirtbike yet there is no way he could afford one in a million years. Rather than accept the reality of his destitute situation, Ralphie constructs a fantasy world where he is a hero kid with a magic bike, a starting position on the little league team, a smart-aleck womanizing best friend, and virtuoso computer hacking skills.So all in all it was worth it to watch this so many years after glancing at it in the video store. It probably would be better to watch this in a group so you can make fun of it together.

I recently saw the movie on the "DISNEY CHANNEL" and I thought it was magnificant. After seeing this movie I think there should be a flying bike in all of the movies. I give it 40 * out of 40 * One of my most favorite movies of all time. Anyone who likes this one should see cop and a half and problem child 1 and 2

Ordinary children's adventure about a teen with a magic motorcycle that "brakes" a banker's plans. Mostly unknown cast does what they can, but the film merely remains unforgettable. Pankin, Bloom and Breen are best remembered for the HBO series "Not Necessarily the News."