‘Roller Town’; Saturday Night Live and or Fever

Roller Town

Directed by Andrew Bush

Written by Andrew Bush, Mark Little, Scott Vrooman

Canada, 2012

If comedy is tragedy plus time, a satire of the cultural immolation that is the 1970’s is long overdue. From tacky flare trousers and ridiculously wide neckties, to disco music and roller rinks, the 70’s was, for the most part, a time of oblivious cheese and corn. The Canadian comedy, Roller Town, attempts to satirize that era, but instead of being sharp or witty, its scattershot skit show approach leaves much to be desired and ultimately falls into the same kitsch.

In a time and place where he never has to take off his skates, Mark Little is Leo, a hotshot roller rink virtuoso who secretly wants to get into the roller-skating version of Julliard. One night, at the eponymous Roller Town, he meets a girl named Julia (Kayla Lorette), who’s in said school but secretly wants to be a hotshot roller rink virtuoso. Living in a sort of Footloose world, the two must face the impending threat of a disco ban, brought on by Julia’s mayor dad, a bunch of posh thugs, and a mob of video-arcade pushers.

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