It’s hard to believe it’s been forty years, but in celebration of Rad’s 40th Anniversary, we actually get a chance to see this cult classic in theaters again! For those who may have forgotten, Rad is about a kid named Cru Jones, a teenage BMX enthusiast from a small town. The town was chosen as the venue for a national BMX race called Helltrack by the shrewd Duke Best, the leader of the Federation of American Bicyclists.
After being pressured by the locals, Duke held qualifying races for the local youth to be able to race on Helltrack. Unfortunately for Cru, the races are on the same day he is supposed to take his SATs. Cru must make a choice between planning for his future or grasping it now by taking a chance on qualifying. Rad endures to this day because it truly is a tale of perseverance and believing in yourself, and is a snapshot of small-town American comity of years past.
RAD 40th Anniversary | March 22 & 24
Seeing this trailer brought back fond memories of a friend I had in Junior High while stationed as a dependent in Yakota Japan named Michael Roof Jr. Mike was one of the funniest and kindest kids I ever knew. Mike was more than a class clown. He always put on a show with ease, and you knew he was destined for more, and he accomplished those goals to the surprise of no one. You might remember him for his role as Dil Driscoll in the Dukes of Hazzard, or Maddox in Black Hawk Down, or as Agent Toby Lee Shavers in both XXX movies.
Michael Roof Jr., Scott Speedman XXX: State of the Union PremiereMike and I would spend days quoting scenes from Rad, and he would sometimes ad-lib lines from the movie that would make us all laugh. Plus, he knew all the classic songs from Rad like Real Life’s Send Me an Angel, and we would break into random song from the movie while roaming the halls. Unfortunately, like most military brats, we moved to our next duty stations and lost contact as we grew up.
Sadly, Mike took his life at the young age of 32. I still remember the way he made us all laugh quoting Rad, and I’ll be watching this for both of us buddy.
You can catch the 40th anniversary of Rad in 4K on March 22nd and 24th.
And check out Mike and family in his show Raising the Roofs by clicking on the image below. The video is age restricted because his family is crazy! Classic Mike.
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Originally published here
English (US) · 