I watched this movie for two reasons. First, I am a huge fan of Blue Oyster Cult. Been listening to BOC since 1973 and have seen them about 60 times in concert. Second, I worked as a sound engineer, stage manager, production assistant and local crew stagehand at thousands of shows in Arizona. Though I only did a few "road" gigs and most of what I did was local work, I have many "roadie" friends that have been around the world with some pretty big named bands. So my love for BOC and my time spent working in the business is what drew me to this movie. While the story is a bit slow, I still liked it and could relate to many of the scenes. I remember going back to my old high school bedroom at my parent's house after moving away. It was pretty surreal just like in the movie when Jimmy comes home, puts on an old Robin Trower record and lays in his bed surrounded by posters of his rock heroes from the days of his youth and sings along at the top of his lungs. I can also relate to bumping into old friends after I had moved away and some of the dialog and reminiscing that takes place. Of course, I loved the soundtrack! Not many movies feature Buck's Boogie, Last Days Of May, See You in Black, Cities on Flames and The Red and The Black! Plus some Trower, Tull and of course Jackson Browne's tribute to roadies, The Load Out! One of my favorite parts is when they are in the bar and Jimmy is trying to describe BOC's music. Something that many have tried to do for years now and failed. Jimmy says "The Thinking Man's Metal" "That's how the critic's described them" and to me that best sums it up. Jimmy and Nicky are in the bar and Cities On Flame is playing on the juke box. Nicky says he never got BOC and Jimmy attempts to explain how good they were to him. The script goes something like this: "And the drumming, it would get all jazzy, but underneath all those f#@%ing heavy riffs!I mean Buck Dharma, his solo on Dominance and Submission is without question the BEST hard rock guitar solo of the era, hands down! It sums up everything that came before it. I mean Hendrix, Zeppelin, Townshend. Dharma, he takes a little bit from all of them and mashes it all together into one f#@%in' brilliant solo that says, THIS! THIS is what it's all about! It was like science fiction poetry on a turntable. All these weird worlds. They were just so much smarter than everything else that was around. Naw man, BOC, they were better. And they should have been even bigger!" For me the movie was just what I expected, no blockbuster, no action packed car chases, just a movie about coming home to your roots to see your aging mom, your rusted out old car, your old neighborhood, some old high school friends and the collection of vinyl and rock posters in your bedroom that would allow you to escape reality for just a little while.

There are a zillion reviewers out there who tell you almost any and all details about the movie; so I try not to do that. Also I try not to give out to much information or spoilers because that will kill the enjoyment of the movie for you. Basically I try to sum up the movie in a simple way and give you an idea if you would like it or not. I gave the movie 5/10 because it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either. The main character in this movie was really good, and the acting in general was pretty good, but to me the story wasn't all that interesting. You can have the best actors in the world but if the story isn't that compelling it usually isn't a good movie to watch. The joke about the T.V. show Seinfeld being a "show about nothing" is funny, but it's not really true. I love Seinfeld and the writing in that show was just simply amazing, even though every episode is about the everyday lives of the crazy characters, you are almost always engrossed in the show and wondering what is going to happen next, or what zany character will be developed, such as the Soup Nazi, The bubble boy, etc. etc. (way to many to name here, but you get the point). This movie may make some people reflect on their lives, and how can they make them better etc. but the basic story is really, really, boring. If you like Blue Oyster Cult, or slow movies with good acting that this is probably worth 2 bucks at a Red Box. I saw the movie for free so I can't complain. Is it a must see movie, absolutely not, but if you are bored and have nothing to do, this movie is better than sitting around and watching paint dry.

Could this movie have been better??? Probably; but as it stands the movie is still very good. Don't know that I would rate it an 8, but it was a very solid 7 and borderline 8 or a very high 7. The acting was good and all the characters play their roles perfectly. There are some scenes that seem a tad out of place and a scene or two that are inserted for no apparent reason other than to come up with a reason to try and tie in the end of the movie (you'll understand when you watch it) hence my 7 rating. The soundtrack is great at times and debatable during others. Its not a "must see" movie but it is definitely one to check out if your in the mood for a good flick.

I must confess up to the point of actually watching the Roadie, I had no idea what a roadie was or did. This is not my usual type of movie, however we should strive to challenge and expose ourselves to different movies. Just as you would a different language or cultural in order to grow and mature as an all around individual. The movie was interesting and I thought the plot, made a point in trying to relate to the viewer the regret of decisions that we make as youth, that do not pan out or other wise never manifest themselves. The characters were very likable and came across genuine and authentic in the Roadie, which must be stressed is a very necessary thing in a film like this. There was a feel that that the movies' main character could have been anyone of us: in regards to decision or choices that were made in our lives that never quite pan out. Perhaps you could take it a bit further and say that everyone in there life at least once or twice has not let go of an idea or notion until: well it was to late. Atlas, I would be remiss, if I did not mention that the sound track for the Roadie is excellent.