Starring Mark Little, Kayla Lorette
Directed by Andrew Bush
Perhaps cognisant of the fact that moviegoers werent exactly clamouring for a send-up of roller discos less-than-hallowed heyday, the Picnicface comedy troupe has wisely decided to have the running time of their big screen début correspond directly with its time period. Clocking in at 70-odd minutes, Roller Town gets impressive mileage out of its slight premise without ever outliving its welcome.
Taking its cues from countless other dance flicks, this is the story of Leo (Mark Little), a working class kid who falls for rich girl Julia (Kayla Lorette). While shes a classically trained roller skater studying at a prestigious conservatory, he frequents the seedy, subterranean Roller Town. After incurring the wrath of the towns wheeled preppies, Leo must also contend with two scheming gangsters who are intent on getting teens hooked on arcade games.
Boasting the glaring lack of production values that graced Picnicfaces short-lived Comedy Network series, Roller Town also displays the sketch comedy shows willingness to toss everything and anything at a screen and see what sticks. Consequently, the film delivers a deluge of throwaway gags, be it a DJ squirting glitter onto a hotdog or Leo tackling a treadmill while wearing roller skates.
Conversely, the troupe also proves adept at pushing jokes well past their natural limits and into the realms of absurdity, calling to mind David Wains oddball oeuvre. And appearances by disco trio The Bugaloos add another dimension to the demented proceedings, ensuring that patrons will leave the theatre with to use the Roller Town parlance a little dance in their pants. Curtis Woloschuk
