Roll Bounce
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: September 23, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Bow Wow plays the skate-dance hero in a way that's never too cool to hide what an avid achiever the kid is, and he and his buddies converse in a fiendishly alert middle-class trash talk that keeps Roll Bounce jumping. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The movie is a thing of honey and gloss, yet there's just enough heart in the central father/son relationship, and in the teenagers' ensemble interactions, to make it glide by. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Roll Bounce, a nostalgic memory of disco roller-dancing in the late 1970s, has warm starring performances from Bow Wow and Chi McBride, who are funny, lovable and sometimes touching. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Frothy, sentimental and thoroughly good-natured, Malcolm D. Lee's tale of coming-of-age at the roller disco doesn't have an original bone in its body, but it's as energetic, eager to please and endearing as a sloppy, wriggling puppy. Read full review
75
PremiereGlenn Kenny
A sweet, sunny, cinematic song of praise to simple '70s pleasures, Roll Bounce isn't any kind of life-changing picture, but it's breezy, good-hearted fun. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Earns few points for originality, but scads for good-hearted exuberance. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Lee pulled me into this coming-of-age story as if it were mine; there's a universal quality to his nostalgia that might satisfy anybody, whether you grew up hearing Beethoven or "Boogie Oogie Oogie." Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Funny and honest. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Behind the camera, Lee shows a steady hand and saves his best tricks for the big finale, which generates a lot of excitement out of the collision of disco music and some truly impressive skating. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Has plenty of affectionate humor to balance some serious heart-tugging. And as for the roller-skating, it for sure provides a lot of razzle-dazzle action with lots of virtuoso terpsichorean touches. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Despite a marketing campaign that appears bound and determined to make its subject look as grindingly dull as possible, Roll Bounce triumphs on almost all counts. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
This movie is a powerfully silly brain vacation. It's a by-the-numbers underdogs vs. bullies comedy. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
Roll Bounce rates a friendly nod. If it doesn't exactly kick out the jams, it does move them around a little bit. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Whether today's tweens will go for such wholesomely retro entertainment is questionable, but their parents - at least the ones who once donned rainbow knee socks and too-tight Calvins - will love to love it, baby. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
There's the roller-disco music and skating, which isn't so much hot as a hoot. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
Doesn't depart from the inspirational coming-of-age formula. But it has got enough heart and disco-fever exuberance to connect with audiences. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Seriously uneven but often charming. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Lee, who played the retro groove thang broadly in "Undercover Brother," dives so wholeheartedly and unironically into this movie about, yes, roller disco, that any faults seem minor. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Apparently there's a fresh generation ready to take this at face value. That, in its own way, is refreshing. Read full review
50
VarietyJustin Chang
Funky disco-era throwback never fully jells with a surprisingly intense central tale of father-son estrangement, strongly acted by Chi McBride and 18-year-old rapper-thesp Bow Wow. Read full review
50
Village VoiceLaura Sinagra
Bow Wow isn't bad. But he and the dudes who fill out X's crew never quite nail the desired What's Happening!! vibe. Read full review
50
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
Nothing about this film is as cathartic as it tries to make itself be because the characters just aren't that absorbing. Instead of tugging your heart, it just spits in your eye. Read full review
50
Washington PostTeresa Wiltz
The film can't get its rhythms right, fluctuating wildly between comedy and pathos. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeJanice Page
This nostalgic licorice whip of a movie assumes there's still an audience for a straight-faced, family-friendly salute to the 1970s heyday of competitive roller disco. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyTim Grierson
The film's only creative spark comes from Bill Butler and Kishaya Dudley's lively skate choreography, and that you can see in the trailer. Read full review
40
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
A drowsy comedy about a handful of kids grooving and roller-skating, Roll Bounce has heart and good vibes but little else to recommend it. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle Smith
For most adults, and kids raised on "South Park," the painfully earnest story won't hold much interest. And the comedy is tame. Read full review
More From This Movie

59 Critic Reviews

6.3 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL