Roll Bounce

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Roll Bounce

PG-13

2005

1h 47m

Comedy

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Xavier (Bow Wow), a teenage boy in Chicago, struggles with the loss of his mother and turns to roller skating as a way to deal with his angst. He and his friends are the stars of the skating rink they frequent, but this is about to change. When it closes down, they have no choice but to try out a more upscale spot, the Sweetwater Roller Rink. There, they enroll in a skating contest, and have to prove themselves to the reigning champions, headed by a skater named Sweetness.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Sep 26, 2005

Sometimes a film wins you over with its sheer exuberance and sweetness.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Sep 26, 2005

3/5

This is the real deal, and it shows up the likes of pre-Eighties Xanadu and Roller Boogie poseurs with a funky, grooving panache that's all its own.

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Peter Hartlaub

San Francisco Chronicle

Sep 23, 2005

3/4

It will remind you what it was like to be a teenager during the last few days of summer. And even though the plot is a little thin, you probably won't even notice until long after the music stops.

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Joshua Starnes

ComingSoon.net

Apr 25, 2011

6/10

For the most part though, the honesty of the performances keeps everything afloat when it could drift into easy sentimentality.

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Apr 29, 2009

I enjoyed it in all its cheesiness.

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Kam Williams

BlackNews.com

May 7, 2007

1/4

For some reason, teasing people about their skin color has become a big theme of brainless black comedies like this. Plus, it unfolds like one long Pepsi ad, with dialogue extolling the cola's virtues in virtually every scene.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 13, 2026

Roll Bounce is a 3.5 star movie!

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Brian F.

@FedUpDVDCollector Jan 3, 2026

Nostalgic. Wish we had more Murphy and Epps.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 12, 2025

The worldwide gross is $17,521,290.00.

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Kagan K

@RT55080074 Aug 24, 2025

The music is amazing. The skating is some of the best I've ever seen. Even the credits are great. A very fun movie.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Jul 10, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Bart B

@beingbland Feb 9, 2024

Had some pacing issues but overall a pretty good movie.

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Malcolm D. Lee

Director

Shad "Bow Wow" Moss

Xavier "X"

Chi McBride

Curtis

Mike Epps

Byron

Wesley Jonathan

Sweetness

Kellita Smith

Vivian

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27%

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Synopsis

Xavier (Bow Wow), a teenage boy in Chicago, struggles with the loss of his mother and turns to roller skating as a way to deal with his angst. He and his friends are the stars of the skating rink they frequent, but this is about to change. When it closes down, they have no choice but to try out a more upscale spot, the Sweetwater Roller Rink. There, they enroll in a skating contest, and have to prove themselves to the reigning champions, headed by a skater named Sweetness.

Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Producer: Robert Teitel, George Tillman Jr.
Screenwriter: Norman Vance Jr.
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: State Street Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Crude Humor|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.4M
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Surround

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