Airborne (1993 Film Review)
1993 Warner Bros.
Directed by: Rob Bowman; Written by: Bill Apablasa
Starring: Shane McDermott, Seth Green, and Brittney Powell
MPAA Rating: PG; Running Time: 91 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 8/10
Mitchell Goosen is rollerblading and surfing his teenage years aways in Southern California bliss. Goosen may be the most Zenned out young person in existence; he loves his dog, he loves his parents, and he even thanks his rollerblades for their performance after a day out skating. That doesn't exactly change when his parents announce they have to leave the country, and that Mitchell is going to have to spend the next six months of his life in ice cold Cincinnati, with his aunt and uncle and awkward cousin, Wiley. Mitchell figures he'll just California chill his way through life in Cincinnati, but life isn't having it, as his not so Zen Cincinnati classmates decide to make the newcomer Mitchell the object of their ire. Still, Mitchell keeps telling himself, he's only here temporarily, and there's nothing here worth fighting for...until he meets Nikki. After weeks of being bullied, will the promise of love--and Mitchell's freshly arrived rollerblades--help him get his groove back...and is there perhaps a greater threat in Cincinnati than Mitchell's working class classmates?
Teen movies usually elicit low expectations: some studio follows a formula, and it's the same thing over and over gain, same bland protagonist character, same boring cookie-cutter plot. Not in 1993's Airborne.
As Mitchell Goosen, and in his one true starring role, Shane McDermott brings an energy, enthusiasm, and wisdom not seen in a teen male protagonist since. Within the first five minutes of this film, Goosen's character is clearly defined and unique. In those first five minutes, it's also clear that Airborne won't be blandly directed, either. Rob Bowman, who did great work on The X-Files in the 90's, and who brought great style to the small handful of other films he's directed, shows an incredible flair for making rollerblading look epic. Bowman uses some gnarly low angles with a Steadicam, featuring long takes, lit beautifully. This $2.5 million dollar movie looks incredible.
Meanwhile, Airborne's stunt crew risk life and limb, particularly in an incredible, 20-minute race at the end of the film, which starts at the top of Cincinnati's tallest, most treacherous hill, and ends miles and miles away. This breathless scene is a sight to behold, and I don't think it's a stretch to rank it high amongst the 90's greatest action scenes. Considering Airborne's filmmaking, choreography, and stunt work, there's little better than this as far as non-vehicle chase/race scenes go (and vehicles, swerving around skaters, and getting jumped over, swerved around, and skated into, certainly come into play). Yes, the skating action is mesmerizing and incredible. But what of the rest of the film?
The teen dramedy aspect of Airborne isn't going to win it any awards, but that doesn't mean it isn't pretty damn fun. As Wiley, Seth Green brings an enormously enjoyable awkward and nervous energy that's the perfect counterpoint to McDermott's chill confidence. The fish-out-of-water aspect is done pretty much perfectly here, as Wiley's classmates resent his cool dude charm, but are eventually won over once they realize he's on their side. The supporting players, such as Edie McClurg and Patrick Thomas O'Brien as Mitchell's midwestern to the max aunt and uncle, all hit their parts out of the park. You've even got a little baby Jack Black here as one of Mitchell's original school bullies. The world of the film feels natural and lived in. The romance angle, with the charming Brittney Powell as Nicki, is sweetly done. The film goes to a familiar well with the actual villains, THE PREPS, an 80's and 90's staple, but hey, they are so hateable! The stunning final race against those preps also means more because of how hard fought Mitchell's friendship with his hard-edged classmates has been. They just have to beat those stupid, cheating preps!
Meanwhile, Airborne's stunt crew risk life and limb, particularly in an incredible, 20-minute race at the end of the film, which starts at the top of Cincinnati's tallest, most treacherous hill, and ends miles and miles away. This breathless scene is a sight to behold, and I don't think it's a stretch to rank it high amongst the 90's greatest action scenes. Considering Airborne's filmmaking, choreography, and stunt work, there's little better than this as far as non-vehicle chase/race scenes go (and vehicles, swerving around skaters, and getting jumped over, swerved around, and skated into, certainly come into play). Yes, the skating action is mesmerizing and incredible. But what of the rest of the film?
The teen dramedy aspect of Airborne isn't going to win it any awards, but that doesn't mean it isn't pretty damn fun. As Wiley, Seth Green brings an enormously enjoyable awkward and nervous energy that's the perfect counterpoint to McDermott's chill confidence. The fish-out-of-water aspect is done pretty much perfectly here, as Wiley's classmates resent his cool dude charm, but are eventually won over once they realize he's on their side. The supporting players, such as Edie McClurg and Patrick Thomas O'Brien as Mitchell's midwestern to the max aunt and uncle, all hit their parts out of the park. You've even got a little baby Jack Black here as one of Mitchell's original school bullies. The world of the film feels natural and lived in. The romance angle, with the charming Brittney Powell as Nicki, is sweetly done. The film goes to a familiar well with the actual villains, THE PREPS, an 80's and 90's staple, but hey, they are so hateable! The stunning final race against those preps also means more because of how hard fought Mitchell's friendship with his hard-edged classmates has been. They just have to beat those stupid, cheating preps!
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