ROLL BOUNCE
A simple skating comedy better suited to home viewing.
Should You Watch It?
Roll Bounce has a wholesome center. It celebrates friendship, skating, forgiveness and the effort of a grieving father and son to become honest with each other. Its story is simple enough for children, and its moral perspective is light but positive.
The difficulty is that the movie seems unsure who it is for. The humor and core material aim at young teenagers or pre-teens, while the PG-13 content includes two casual racial epithets and an intense scene in which Xavier smashes his father’s car in anger. Adults may also find the acting amateurish, the story bland and the skating footage excessive.
You may appreciate its essential purity and themes of forgiveness, but your family will likely be better served watching this at home, where you can decide whether its content and thin storytelling are worth the time.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn the late 1970s, Xavier spends his summers skating with friends at a local roller rink in a black suburb. When the rink closes, the group must travel to the northside and face snobby young skaters.
After encountering a skater named Sweetness, Xavier and his friends train for the summer competition. Meanwhile, Xavier and his father are grieving the loss of Xavier’s mother and struggling to find their way forward as a family.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means Roll Bounce has a worthwhile center but misses its target as a film. The disco-era setting, skating competition and themes of forgiveness give it some appeal. The story’s essential purity also suggests an effort to create something young audiences could enjoy.
But the acting is too amateur, the plot is too bland and the movie drags on too long. There is simply too much rollerskating footage, making the film feel like a television movie stretched beyond its natural length. Its humor is squarely aimed at young teenagers or pre-teens, while its presentation to a general audience leaves it caught between audiences.
The Worldview
Roll Bounce presents forgiveness and honesty as necessary for a family to heal. Xavier and his father are both grieving, and the father is anxious about being a single parent while also dealing with unemployment. The film’s moral perspective is light, but lying is rebuked and forgiveness is treated positively.
The movie’s essential purity is undercut by racial epithets, anger-driven vandalism and young men ogling and touching a woman. It also depicts drinking at a party, though one man refuses a drink. These elements do not erase the film’s moral center, but they complicate its suitability for younger viewers.
The film’s longing is for a home made whole again through honesty and forgiveness. Scripture likewise calls believers to forgive one another: “forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Light moral perspective with forgiveness; 15 light obscenities, one light profanity, two racial epithets for African-Americans used by African-Americans, and teenager extends his middle finger; teenager vandalizes father’s car in a fit of anger; young men ogle women and pat woman on rear; no nudity; man refuses drink at party where other people are drinking; no smoking; and, lying is rebuked.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Xavier and his father are both grieving the loss of Xavier’s mother. How can honesty help people move through grief together?
Ephesians 4:25 · Romans 12:15The film presents forgiveness as part of restoring a family. What does Christian forgiveness require, and how is it different from pretending wrong never happened?
Colossians 3:13 · Ephesians 4:32Xavier responds to repressed anger by smashing his father’s car. What are healthy ways to respond when anger feels overwhelming?
James 1:19–20 · Ephesians 4:26–27The skaters face a new rink and people they see as snobby. How should Christians respond when they feel excluded or judged?
Romans 12:16 · Philippians 2:3–4The Final Word
Roll Bounce has a forgiving heart and a clean center, but amateur acting, a bland story and too much skating make it a weak fit for a general audience. Its PG-13 content also calls for discernment. For your family, WAIT FOR HOME. Consider these alternatives instead:
