Grind
Year releasted: 2003by Keith Phipps
May 26th, 2004
Crimes
- Exploiting skateboarding as a vehicle for a lame teen road comedy
- Swiping Matthew McConaughey's Dazed And Confused character in the form of Joey Kern as "Sweet Lou"
- Featuring Vince Vieluf, an actor with all the subtlety of a rabid woodchuck, in a major role
- Featuring Tom Green in any role
- Sullying the reputation of talented comic actors Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Brian Posehn, Bob Goldthwait, and Randy Quaid by giving them cameos
- Employing the least convincing stunt doubles since Rodney Dangerfield did the Triple Lindy in Back To School
Defender
Director Casey La Scala, writer Ralph Sall, and stars Adam Brody, Vince Vieluf, and Joey Kern
Tone Of Commentary
The tone varies wildly from participant to participant. La Scala seems oddly proud to present the film as a more personal work than it might first appear. "I was a big skateboarder back in the late '70s," he notes. "I love comedies, and I was kind of trying to figure out a way to put the two together." Kern, meanwhile, doesn't mind spoiling the illusion that professional skaters live like rock stars. "If you ever go to any real skate event, you'll notice that there are never any hot girls there," he says. "They're all 10-year-old boys." For Vieluf, watching the film is a chance to reflect on the ephemeral nature of the cosmos. "It's weird when you're watching a movie," he says. "'Cause it's like you're watching a ghost. 'Cause you did it so long ago. You know?"
What Went Wrong
Vieluf admits that he may be over the top in some scenes. He might be referring to the moments in which he leers like a Tex Avery wolf while sexually harassing women. Or any of his other scenes.
Comments On The Cast
Apparently believing he's discovered the next Marx brothers, La Scala is practically at a loss for words to describe his cast: "Putting these guys together... It was like magic happened."
Inevitable Dash Of Pretension
La Scala, describing the climactic skate-off: "I was a big fan of the old Sergio Leone movies, and I thought it would be interesting to have these guys go mano a mano... There's an elegance to the dance that happens, but it's a metaphor for his journey, as well."
Commentary In A Nutshell
"In my trailer, we were watching documentaries about monkeys," Vieluf says, remembering a fun afternoon with Tom Green.