Spike Jonze
Yeah Right!

LA RECENSIONE

Between a game of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 and a skinned knee, I also watched the usual crazy stuff like Jackass movies until a genius director and a quartet of young skaters got me so hyped that I got tetanus: Video Days from '91 is THE cult skateboard film and among the protagonists, it also featured a young Jason Lee (the future actor of My name is Earl). That genius Spike Jonze continued to direct various little films here and there for the companies, but this Yeah Right from 2003 is truly a little gem.

Usually, when you watch this kind of stuff, you focus more on the spectacularity of the tricks and the actions of the skaters. Well, this film instead makes extensive use of special effects that remove the image of the skateboard, making them invisible, or make them move on their own (and this results in some really cool scenes like this one). But perhaps the most famous scene in the film is the cameo by Owen Wilson and, my god, practically everyone after seeing him on the skate really thought he was a pro! In reality, it was all a stunt double switch when the camera looked away from the blonde for a moment, so this scene was just a comedic skit.

But a great skate film needs the right protagonists, and there are plenty here: among my favorites, I would mention Eric Koston, Paul Rodriguez, Brandon Biebel, Guy Mariano, Brian Anderson, and many others (in total there are 26, plus the late Keenan Milton, to whom the film is dedicated and is shown at the beginning). Not to mention the usual beautiful soundtrack that accompanies the tricks and green screen madness: it ranges from rap (Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Nas), funk and soul (Funkadelic, Bowie with "Fame"), to rock by Guns 'n Roses to punk by Joy Division and Interpol with their Obstacle 1, and much more...

If you want to avoid breaking something, alternatively, you can watch this great film, very innovative in its genre, and continue stuffing yourself with chips on your couch. :)