''Roll Bounce'' is a 2005 American

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a

roller skating Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sid ...

crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also stars

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Cousin Skeeter'' (1998–2001). Good received further ...

Brandon T. Jackson Brandon Timothy Jackson (born March 7, 1984) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his roles in the films '' Roll Bounce'' (2005), ''Tropic Thunder'' (2008), '' Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief'' (2010), '' ...

Wesley Jonathan Wesley Jonathan Waples is an American actor best known for his starring role as Jamal Grant on the NBC Saturday morning comedy-drama series ''City Guys'' (1997-2001), Gary Thorpe in the sitcom '' What I Like About You'' (2002-2006), Sweetness in ...

Chi McBride Kenneth "Chi" McBride ( ; born September 23, 1961) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, where he is known primarily as a character actor, and in television, where he has had numerous starring roles. In film, he has played prominent ro ...

Kellita Smith Kellita Smith (born January 15, 1969) is an American actress, model and comedian. She is best known for her role as Wanda McCullough, Bernie Mac's wife on the FOX sitcom ''The Bernie Mac Show''. Life and career Born in Chicago, Illinois, She ...

Jurnee Smollett Jurnee Diana Smollett (born October 1, 1986) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress appearing on television sitcoms, including ''On Our Own (1994 TV series), On Our Own'' (1994–1995) and ''Full House'' (1992–1994). Sh ...

and

Mike Epps Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in ''Next Friday'' and its sequel, ''Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and ''The Hangover Part III'' as "Bla ...

. The name of the film is derived from the 1979 song "

Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" is a song by the American funk group Vaughan Mason & Crew that capitalized on the roller disco fad of the late 1970s. Released in the summer of 1979, the single reached number 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Soul Singles ...

" by

Vaughan Mason & Crew Vaughan Mason & Crew was an American funk and post-disco based group led by Vaughan Mason (October 24, 1950 – April 2, 2020). They are best known for their single " Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll", which reached number 5 on the US ''Billboard'' H ...

Plot

In 1978

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, after the local

roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located ...

the "Palisade Garden" closes down, 16-year-old Xavier "X" Smith and his friends Junior, Boo, Naps, along with his new neighbor Tori, spend their summer

in the ritzy uptown rink "Sweetwater" where they are disrespected by the five-year

roller disco A roller disco is a discothèque or skating rink where all the dancers wear roller skates of some kind (traditional quad or inline). The music played is modern and easily danceable, historically disco but in modern times including almost any form ...

contest champions, Sweetness and his crew, the Sweetwater Rollers. They enter the contest themselves to earn their place at the rink. Xavier reconnects with an old crush Naomi. Xavier's home life is strained after the death of his mother, leaving his father Curtis struggling to take care of Xavier and his sister Sonya while restoring his late wife's car. Curtis finds Xavier's skating a waste of time and prefers him to be at home taking care of chores. Unbeknownst to Xavier and Sonya, Curtis lost his job as an aerospace engineer and has had to take a job as a janitor. Curtis connects with Tori's mother Vivian, who was initially hostile for Curtis taking Tori to the roller rink with Xavier without Vivian's permission. Xavier learns about his father's unemployment when he finds his car for sale and confronts him. Xavier smashes the windows of his late mother's car in a rage, before both he and Curtis break down in tears. Xavier also wrongfully lashes out at Naomi. Following days of not paying attention to his father, Xavier opens a package addressed to Curtis, which are a pair of new skates for Xavier. His current skates, a gift from his mother, have begun to break down. Curtis explains he was hurting so much from his wife's death that he neglected Xavier and Sonya, and he promises to be a more attentive father. He makes amends with Naomi as well. At the skating competition Xavier and his team "the Garden Boys" are set to go last so the Sweetwater Rollers can steal their original song choice "

Le Freak "Le Freak" is a 1978 funk / disco song by American R&B band Chic. It was the band's third single and first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B number-one hit song. Along with the tracks " I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer", "Le Freak" scored number ...

". Naps finds "

Hollywood Swinging "Hollywood Swinging" is a 1974 song by R&B/ funk band Kool & the Gang from their album '' Wild and Peaceful''. It was written by Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell, George M. Brown, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Claydes Charles Smith, Dennis R. Thomas an ...

" is a suitable replacement song. For the first time in the history of the competition, the Sweetwater Rollers tie for first place with another team, the Garden Boys. Sweetness challenges Xavier to a one-on-one skate-off with no falls. Xavier throws out every move he knows and is set to win when he attempts a triple

Lutz jump The Lutz is a figure skating jump, named after Alois Lutz, an Austrian skater who performed it in 1913. It is a toepick-assisted jump with an entrance from a back outside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. It is the ...

, but falls and loses the competition. He does, however, earn the respect of Sweetness and the audience. Xavier and Naomi share a kiss, while Junior shares one with Tori, whom he had ridiculed for having braces before she had them removed. Everyone skates together.

Cast

* Bow Wow as Xavier "X" Smith *

as Curtis Smith *

as Byron *

as "Sweetness" *

as Vivian *

as Naomi Phillips *

Khleo Thomas Khaleed "Khleo" Leon Thomas (born January 30, 1989) is an American actor, influencer, gamer, host and entrepreneur. Khleo first garnered recognition as Hector "Zero" Zeroni in Holes, for which he was also nominated for a best supporting actor ...

as Mike "Mixed Mike" *

as "Be-Nard" *

as Tori *

Marcus T. Paulk Marcus Terrell Paulk (born October 12, 1986) is an American actor, singer, rapper and dancer best known for his role as Myles Mitchell in the UPN sitcom ''Moesha'', which aired from 1996 through 2001. Being a proponent of good causes and a f ...

as "Boo" *

as Junior *

Rick Gonzalez Rick Gonzalez (born June 30, 1979) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture ''Coach Carter'', as Spanish in ''Old School (film), Old School'', as Ben Gonzalez on the The CW Television Network ...

as "Naps" *

Paul Wesley Paweł Tomasz Wasilewski (; July 23, 1982), known professionally as Paul Wesley, is an American actor, director and producer. He is known for starring as Stefan Salvatore on the supernatural drama series ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017) as ...

as Troy *

Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of ...

as D.J. Johnny * Charlie Murphy as Victor *

Darryl McDaniels Darryl Matthews McDaniels (born May 31, 1964), better known by his stage name DMC, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Run-DMC, and is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop culture. Early life McDaniels grew ...

as D.J. Smooth Dee

Reception

''Roll Bounce'' received mixed to positive reviews from critics. , the film holds a 66% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 90 reviews with an average rating of 6.00/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "''Roll Bounce'' dazzles us with a classic late 1970's feel, but this coming of age film could have been more than just a spin around the roller rink."

Soundtrack

''Roll Bounce: The Album'' was released on September 20, 2005, by Sanctuary Urban Records Group.

Overview

The soundtrack features artists such as

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", "I'll Give A ...

, Foxy,

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

Yo-Yo A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 500 BCE. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in ...

, Michelle Williams,

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972) ...

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in the ...

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. T ...

and

. ;Other songs in the film include * "

Flash Light A flashlight ( US, Canada) or torch ( UK, Australia) is a portable hand-held electric lamp. Formerly, the light source typically was a miniature incandescent light bulb, but these have been displaced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) since the ...

" -

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

* "

Emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...

" -

Samantha Sang Cheryl Lau Sang (born 5 August 1951), known professionally as Samantha Sang, is an Australian singer. She had an earlier career as a teenage singer under the stage name Cheryl Gray, before adopting the stage name she is more widely known as in 1 ...

* " Can You Feel the Force?" -

The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to: Film and television * The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film * ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...

* " Love to Love You Baby" -

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

* "I'll Keep Loving You" -

Carl Douglas Carlton George Douglas (born 10 May 1942) is a Jamaican recording artist based in the UK who is best known for the 1974 disco single "Kung Fu Fighting". Early life Carlton George Douglas was born in Kingston, Colony of Jamaica. He later liv ...

* "

Barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...

" -

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

* " Rock the Boat" -

The Hues Corporation The Hues Corporation was an American pop and soul trio, formed in Santa Monica, California in 1969. They are best known for their 1974 single " Rock the Boat", which sold over 2 million copies. Group name and background Before achieving main ...

* "

Baby Hold On "Baby Hold On" is a song recorded by American rock singer Eddie Money. It was written by Money and guitarist Jimmy Lyon and released in 1977 as the first single from Money's debut album ''Eddie Money''. The song reached number 11 on the ''Billb ...

" -

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Parad ...

* " On the Beautiful Blue Danube" -

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

* "

Kung Fu Fighting "Kung Fu Fighting" is a disco song by Jamaican vocalist Carl Douglas, written by Douglas and produced by British-Indian musician Biddu. It was released in 1974 as the first single from his debut album, '' Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Lo ...

" - Carl Douglas * "

I'm Your Boogie Man "I'm Your Boogie Man" is a song written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch, and performed by Casey's band KC and the Sunshine Band, from their fourth album '' Part 3'' (1976). Background Richard Finch said that the song was writ ...

" -

KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits "That's the Way (I Like It)", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "K ...

* "Let's Roll" -

* " Easy" -

Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in ...

* " For All We Know" -

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

* "

Boogie Fever "Boogie Fever" is a song recorded by Los Angeles, California-based R&B group the Sylvers, from their 1975 album ''Showcase''. Their most lucrative single, it reached No. 1 in the US on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts as ...

" -

The Sylvers The Sylvers were an American R&B family vocal group from Watts, Los Angeles, California. The Sylvers were a popular act during the 1970s, recording the hit singles "Fool's Paradise", "Boogie Fever", and "Hot Line (song), Hot Line". Prior to bec ...

* " Pick Up the Pieces" -

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) are a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their album ...

* "

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

" -

Ohio Players Ohio Players is an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire (Ohio Players song), Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of t ...

* "

He's the Greatest Dancer "He's the Greatest Dancer" is a 1979 song by the American vocal group Sister Sledge. Released on February 3, 1979, the song was written and composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and recorded for the group's successful 1979 album '' We ...

" -

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. ...

* " Baby Come Back" -

Player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Malcolm D. Lee 2005 films 2005 romantic comedy-drama films 2000s sports comedy-drama films 2000s teen comedy-drama films African-American films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films American teen comedy-drama films American teen romance films 2000s English-language films Fox Searchlight Pictures films Films scored by Stanley Clarke Films directed by Malcolm D. Lee Films produced by Robert Teitel Films set in the 1970s Films set in 1978 Films set in Chicago Roller skating films 2005 comedy films 2005 drama films 2000s American films