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Rad

Rad

Drama · Family · Romance · 1986

A BMX racer, who lives in a small town with his mother and sister, is faced with a tough decision, qualify for Helltrack or take his SATs in order to attend college.

Movie details

Rad

“A hometown kid on his BMX against the best in the world. At Helltrack... the heat is on.”

1986 Drama · Family · Romance 1h 33m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

A BMX racer, who lives in a small town with his mother and sister, is faced with a tough decision, qualify for Helltrack or take his SATs in order to attend college.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Rad?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Hal Needham

Written by

Sam Bernard · Geoffrey Edwards

Bill Allen

Bill Allen

Cru

Lori Loughlin

Lori Loughlin

Christian

Talia Shire

Talia Shire

Mrs. Jones

Ray Walston

Ray Walston

Burton Timmer

Alfie Wise

Alfie Wise

Eliott Dole

Jack Weston

Jack Weston

Duke Best

Laura Jacoby

Laura Jacoby

Wesley Jones

Court is in session

Put Rad on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.