''Skateland'' is a 2010 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
written and directed by Anthony Burns. It premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival in January 2010. The film was released in the United States on May 13, 2011, with distribution by
Freestyle Releasing
Freestyle Releasing, LLC is an independent film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2004, specializing in releasing films theatrically. Unlike most distributors, Freestyle Releasing does not put up any prints and advertising ...
. The film stars
Shiloh Fernandez
Shiloh Thomas Fernandez (born February 26, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series '' Jericho'' and ''United States of Tara'', and the films '' Deadgirl'', ''Red Riding Hood'', and the 2013 remake of '' Evil ...
,
Ashley Greene
Ashley Michele Greene Khoury (born February 21, 1987) is an American actress. She is known for playing Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's ''Twilight'' novels.
Early life
Greene was born on February 21, 1987, in Jack ...
,
Brett Cullen
Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Fixx in ''Falcon Crest'' (1986-1988), Sam Cain in '' The Young Riders'' (1989-1990), Governor Ray Sullivan in ''The West Wing'' (2005-2006), Go ...
,
James LeGros
James Le Gros () (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in '' Living in Oblivion''.
Career
James Le Gros appeared as Rick in Gus Van Sant's 1989 ...
,
Taylor Handley
Taylor Laurence Handley (born June 1, 1984) is an American actor.
Early years
Handley was born in Santa Barbara, California. He attended Santa Monica City College.
Career
In 1998, Handley played Rory Buck in the movie ''Jack Frost''. In 20 ...
, and
Haley Ramm
Haley Michelle Ramm (born March 26, 1992) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jen Long in the police procedural series ''Without a Trace'' (2007–2008), Brenna Carver in the ABC Family drama '' Chasing Life'' (2014–2015), an ...
.
The film is dedicated to the memory of
John Hughes, who directed teen films throughout the 1980s.
Plot
The story takes place in a small town in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
in 1983. The film follows a 19-year-old boy named Ritchie Wheeler (
Shiloh Fernandez
Shiloh Thomas Fernandez (born February 26, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series '' Jericho'' and ''United States of Tara'', and the films '' Deadgirl'', ''Red Riding Hood'', and the 2013 remake of '' Evil ...
) who spends most of his time at 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 ...
where he works and hangs out with his friends, Brent Burkham (Heath Freeman), Brent's sister Michelle (
Ashley Greene
Ashley Michele Greene Khoury (born February 21, 1987) is an American actress. She is known for playing Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's ''Twilight'' novels.
Early life
Greene was born on February 21, 1987, in Jack ...
) and Kenny Crawford (
Taylor Handley
Taylor Laurence Handley (born June 1, 1984) is an American actor.
Early years
Handley was born in Santa Barbara, California. He attended Santa Monica City College.
Career
In 1998, Handley played Rory Buck in the movie ''Jack Frost''. In 20 ...
). Ritchie is struggling trying to figure out his future, what he wants to do with his life and if he wants to go to college. When a
tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
occurs in Ritchie's life he is forced to make these decisions earlier than he expected.
Cast
*
Shiloh Fernandez
Shiloh Thomas Fernandez (born February 26, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series '' Jericho'' and ''United States of Tara'', and the films '' Deadgirl'', ''Red Riding Hood'', and the 2013 remake of '' Evil ...
as Ritchie Wheeler
*
Ashley Greene
Ashley Michele Greene Khoury (born February 21, 1987) is an American actress. She is known for playing Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's ''Twilight'' novels.
Early life
Greene was born on February 21, 1987, in Jack ...
as Michelle Burkham
*
Brett Cullen
Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Fixx in ''Falcon Crest'' (1986-1988), Sam Cain in '' The Young Riders'' (1989-1990), Governor Ray Sullivan in ''The West Wing'' (2005-2006), Go ...
as David Wheeler
*
James LeGros
James Le Gros () (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in '' Living in Oblivion''.
Career
James Le Gros appeared as Rick in Gus Van Sant's 1989 ...
as Clive Burkham
*
Taylor Handley
Taylor Laurence Handley (born June 1, 1984) is an American actor.
Early years
Handley was born in Santa Barbara, California. He attended Santa Monica City College.
Career
In 1998, Handley played Rory Buck in the movie ''Jack Frost''. In 20 ...
as Kenny Crawford
*
Haley Ramm
Haley Michelle Ramm (born March 26, 1992) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jen Long in the police procedural series ''Without a Trace'' (2007–2008), Brenna Carver in the ABC Family drama '' Chasing Life'' (2014–2015), an ...
as Mary Wheeler
*
A. J. Buckley as Teddy
*
Melinda McGraw
Melinda McGraw (born October 25, 1968) is an American actress. She has starred in movies such as ''The Dark Knight'' (2008), '' Wrongfully Accused'' (1998), and ''Skateland'' (2010), and is also known for her television performances on ''Mad Men' ...
as Debbie Wheeler
*
D. W. Moffett as Jimmy Houston
*
Heath Freeman as Brent Burkham
*
Ellen Hollman as Deana Trammel
*
David Sullivan as Luther
*
Casey LaBow as Candy Boyce
Reception
Based on an unknown, but presumably small budget, ''Skateland'' only grossed $19,411 in the North American box office.
Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews. It holds a 47% approval rating on the
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
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 30 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film is composed of numerous songs that defined the late 70s and 80s.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
Skateland at Daemon's Movies * {{YouTube, N6Odjlb8-EM, Meet the Artists: Anthony Burns
2010 films
2010s teen drama films
American coming-of-age drama films
American teen drama films
2010s English-language films
Films set in 1983
Films set in Texas
Films set in the 1980s
Films shot in Louisiana
Films shot in Texas
Roller skating films
American independent films
Films scored by Michael Penn
2010 directorial debut films
2010s coming-of-age drama films
2010s American films