![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/g/grind03.jpg)
Grind
Eric Rivers (Mike Vogel) really, really wants to be a sponsored skater, just like his idols Jimmy Wilson (Jason London) and "Jackass" star Bam Margera. So to live the dream, he gets his friends together to caravan behind Jimmy Wilson's summer tour. His friends are the somewhat-off and often-inappropriate Matt (Vince Vieluf), the college-bound Dustin (Adam Brody), and the modeled-on-Matt-McConaughey's character in Dazed and Confused Sweet Lou (Joey Kern). Together they run into name players (Summer Altice, Dave Foley, Bob Goldthwait, Donald "Orge" Gibb, Tom Green, Christopher McDonald) and other "Jackass" regulars (Erhen McGhehey, Jason "Wee Man" Acuna) while trying to get noticed. Rivers, of course, meets a girl in Jamie (Jennifer Morrison), who's also a pro skater. A relatively harmless film, Grind (2003) is a formula picture that goes through its motions without ever becoming particularly memorable. In what must of have been an episode of bet-hedging, the film is PG-13 rated, and because of that, it never tries to get too extreme with its gross-out gags (though one episode involves a child puking). That said, the skateboarding photography is well done, and many of the cameos are amusing (particularly Dave Foley's). Grind's worst element is the character of Matt, who — again, since it's a PG-13 movie — doesn't have the excuse of being a stoner to be as obnoxious as he is, though he may have the film's best/most famous line (about "releasing the twins"). There's one scene that stands out, simply because Bam Margera is playing himself in it: Eric approaches Bam to give him a tape, which Bam says he'll watch — but Bam starts picking on Jamie, and when Eric stands up for her, Bam throws it away. Though this sort of scene is rote in films like this (the protagonist proving his hero status by showing he values people over his personal gain), the fact that Bam is playing himself puts an interesting spin on it. Warner presents Grind in full-frame only (1.33:1) with no available widescreen edition (although the menus are anamorphic). The audio is in Dolby Digital 5.1. Extras include a commentary with stars Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf, Adam Brody, Joey Kern, and director Casey La Scala, a music video by The Donnas, and the theatrical trailer. Snap-case.
—DSH
