SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: GRIND

"GRIND"
(2003) (Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Mild	Mild	Heavy	None	None

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Heavy	None	None	Moderate	Heavy

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	Minor	Moderate	Mild

QUICK TAKE:: Comedy/Drama: Four friends perform their skateboarding tricks while traveling across the country and trying to get some professional skateboarders to watch their demo tape.

PLOT:

Eric Rivers (MIKE VOGEL) and his friends Dustin (ADAM BRODY) and Matt (VINCE VIELUF) are skateboard enthusiasts who want to become professionals but can't get their idols, such as Jimmy Wilson (JASON LONDON) or Bam Margera (BAM MARGERA), to watch their demo tape.

Accordingly, they decide to follow the professional skateboarding tour as it travels around the country. To do so, however, they need some wheels and that's where Sweet Lou (JOEY KERN) comes in. A twenty-something guy who still hits on high school girls and other young women, Lou has a van and soon the foursome hits the road.

As they encounter various obstacles along the way - as well as skateboarder Jamie (JENNIFER MORRISON) - the guys try to prove that their skateboarding skills are worthy of being discovered by their idols and the general public.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're into skateboarding or are fans of anyone in the cast, it's a good bet they might.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For crude humor, sexual content and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: MIKE VOGEL plays a skateboard enthusiast who wants to turn pro, but can't get anyone to watch his demo tape. He then gets his buddies to trail the professional tour and show off their kills. He uses some profanity.
ADAM BRODY plays his workaholic friend who has his doubts about their quest succeeding.
VINCE VIELUF plays their other friend and fellow skateboarder who's crude, rude and obnoxious. He also uses some profanity and repeatedly ogles young women's bodies.
JOEY KERN plays a slightly older acquaintance of theirs who drives them around the country in pursuit of the pro tour as well as most any young lady he can hook up with.
BAM MARGERA plays himself, a professional skateboarder who's rude to Jamie in one scene.
JENNIFER MORRISON plays a female skateboarder who befriends and falls for Eric.; ADAM BRODY plays his workaholic friend who has his doubts about their quest succeeding.
VINCE VIELUF plays their other friend and fellow skateboarder who's crude, rude and obnoxious. He also uses some profanity and repeatedly ogles young women's bodies.
JOEY KERN plays a slightly older acquaintance of theirs who drives them around the country in pursuit of the pro tour as well as most any young lady he can hook up with.
BAM MARGERA plays himself, a professional skateboarder who's rude to Jamie in one scene.
JENNIFER MORRISON plays a female skateboarder who befriends and falls for Eric.; VINCE VIELUF plays their other friend and fellow skateboarder who's crude, rude and obnoxious. He also uses some profanity and repeatedly ogles young women's bodies.
JOEY KERN plays a slightly older acquaintance of theirs who drives them around the country in pursuit of the pro tour as well as most any young lady he can hook up with.
BAM MARGERA plays himself, a professional skateboarder who's rude to Jamie in one scene.
JENNIFER MORRISON plays a female skateboarder who befriends and falls for Eric.; JOEY KERN plays a slightly older acquaintance of theirs who drives them around the country in pursuit of the pro tour as well as most any young lady he can hook up with.
BAM MARGERA plays himself, a professional skateboarder who's rude to Jamie in one scene.
JENNIFER MORRISON plays a female skateboarder who befriends and falls for Eric.; BAM MARGERA plays himself, a professional skateboarder who's rude to Jamie in one scene.
JENNIFER MORRISON plays a female skateboarder who befriends and falls for Eric.; JENNIFER MORRISON plays a female skateboarder who befriends and falls for Eric.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this comedy/drama that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, as is some off-screen sex (we see a rocking van), ogling of scantly clad women (revealing various amounts of skin), passionate kissing, some full and partial views of men's bare butts, and some slight homosexual material (played for laughs).

Beyond various bits of skateboarding stunts, all sorts of potentially imitative behavior is present. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while several instances of crude humor are present (including projectile vomiting and defecation related material). Some brief drinking occurs (with the sight of one passed out person), while some slapstick style violence, playful punching and other brief contact is present.

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

Note: Our print did not contain the outtakes during the end credits, so additional potentially objectionable material might be present.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: One of the guys states that Dustin will find himself middle-aged and with a beer gut if he quits now.
Miscellaneous people drink in a club (including Bam who has a beer), and a man is passed out on the steps.
A rival says that some "forties" (malt liquor) are on him.

BLOOD/GORE: A man states that a "doody bomb" exploded in the bathroom.
A guy has bad scratch marks/scars on his face.
There's some joking about farting.
Matt reacts and says that he stepped in "dog poo" but we don't see it.
We hear a farting sound and one of the guys says it's bad enough that he can taste it. We then hear more farting sounds.
A guy rides a rolling toilet down the road (he's seated with his pants down, but we don't see anything explicit).
As we see the guys standing in a line urinating, we see a few of their bare butts (from a distance). We hear urination sounds and then see a urine stream accidentally hit a guy's leg when one of them turns to the other.
We see projectile vomiting (from a young boy) hit one of the guys.
Matt and Dustin sneak onto Jimmy's tour bus, with Matt then defecating in the bathroom as a "present" for Jimmy (saying he's leaving a piece of him for Jimmy - but we don't see that). Dustin reacts to the smell (as do Jimmy and another guy when they board the bus, prompting Jimmy to angrily state, "No going number two in my bus").
We see a guy racing into a portable toilet that's later knocked over. We then see the inside of the door to the portable toilet (that Eric and the others are forced to clean) and see fecal matter on it and toilet paper hanging on it. Later, others react to the smell on them.
A guy comments that Matt doesn't "smell like anus anymore."

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Matt treats women like sex objects and confronts them as such, while Lou hits on various high school girls.
Matt forcibly takes a promotional giveaway skateboard from others to give to Eric.
A rival team has bad attitudes toward Eric and his team.
A tire on Lou's van is sabotaged and they have a blow-out (no one is hurt).
A young woman steals Lou's van (after having sex with him) and leaves him and the guys stranded in the desert.
Bam acts disparagingly toward Jamie and then won't watch Eric's demo tape after Eric stands up for Jamie's honor.
The guys try to pass off a small person as a child. He then hits them to get away from them.
A competitor hits Eric's skateboard several times while competing, once causing him to wipe out (he's okay).

FRIGHTENING SCENES: None.

GUNS/WEAPONS: None.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Pack your sh*t," "So much sh*t on my plate," "Talking sh*t about me?" "Not that big of a d*ck" (adjective), "Freaking (me out)," "Hell, yeah," "Loser(s)," "Dude," "Moron," "Open your ears, jackass," "Get the hell out of here," "Shut up," "Chicks," "Ass crack," "Freaks," "Pinhead," "Nerds," "Getting off your asses," "You two can sit here touching yourselves," "Nuts" and "Balls" (testicles), "What the hell /is wrong with you/is this?" an incomplete "What the..?" "Pissed," "Butt-suck music," "Bad ass," "Bitch(es)" (man and woman), "Freaky spazy chicks," "No way in hell," "Nuts" (crazy), "Haggard ass," "Moron," "Take a crap" (defecate), "Sucks," "Screw everything up," "Slut," "Busting my ass" "Punk(s)," "Smart ass," "Turds," "Stupid," "You're such a dumb ass," "Bust a cap in your ass," "Be-atch" (bitch), "That's cuz you don't smell like anus anymore" and "Fool."
Some kids may be enticed to try all of the skateboarding stunts and tricks that are on display in the film (including going down steps and railings, jumping vehicles on ramps, etc.).
A guy asks another guy, "How's it hanging?" and the second one replies, "To the left."
A guy has a pierced nose.
Matt rides a skateboard from somewhere up high and into a pool (with an unprotected cast on his arm). He then does various non-traditional style dives (without the skateboard) into the pool from the side of it.
Dustin mockingly makes a sexual motion with a broom handle.
Various women wear midriff-revealing tops.
Looking at a young woman's tight top, Matt asks her if she's cold (referring to her nipples). He then playfully grabs out at another young woman's clothed chest (not touching anything) while saying, "Mommy." Later, he comments about liking breasts two at a time and jokingly tells some women that he's with the "release the twins" foundation (meaning breasts from the clothing covering them).
Upon spotting a VW Beetle, both Matt and Eric's dad punch Dustin quite hard in the arm. Later, the guys do some playful punching on each other in several scenes.
A group of white skateboarders dress and act like stereotypical urban/hip-hop "players."
After a girl blows off Dustin in a bar, he says, "Let me get you another glass of bitch."
A guy moons Eric and his friends from another vehicle (we see his bare butt).
A guy throws a firecracker into Lou's van as they drive down the road. In turn, one of the guys throws a bigger one into the other vehicle, prompting one of them to throw what looks like a milkshake onto Lou's windshield.
A guy grabs his clothed crotch as a taunt to some rival guys.
The guys skateboard in a drained swimming pool.
A man rides a recliner on wheels.
An old lady gives the guys "the finger." Later, a person gives others "the finger."
A man has various tattoos.
A tire on Lou's van is sabotaged and they have a blow-out (no one is hurt).
A guy crashes an ATV while doing stunts in a parking lot (and nearly running over some people). Eric then has that ATV pull him through the parking lot so that he has enough speed to go up a ramp and do some aerial stunts.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): 1 "s" word, several asses, and terms such as "bitches" and "niggas" are heard in some songs. In addition, one has the lyric "Let's get it on" another has "You wish you could sex her. Various other songs had lyrics we couldn't understand, thus offering the possibility of them potentially having objectionable lyrics.

PROFANITY: At least 1 "f" word, 8 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("hook up"), 3 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ck" and what sounded like "thing"), 1 term for breasts ("t*t"), 14 asses (1 used with "hole"), 13 hells, 2 damns, 2 craps, 3 uses of "G-damn," 2 of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "Dear Lord," "God," "Oh God" and "Swear to God."

SEX/NUDITY: We see Eric in his boxers. He then looks down inside them and then adjusts his crotch.
A guy asks another guy, "How's it hanging?" and the second one replies, "To the left."
Dustin mockingly makes a sexual motion with a broom handle.
Throughout the movie we see various women in varying forms of revealing attire (showing varying amounts of cleavage -- sometimes a great deal -- and other skin).
Looking at a young woman's tight top, Matt asks her if she's cold (referring to her nipples). He then playfully grabs out at another young woman's clothed chest (not touching anything) while saying, "Mommy." Later, he comments about liking breasts two at a time and jokingly tells some women that he's with the "release the twins" foundation (meaning breasts from the clothing covering them).
Jimmy and a girl passionately kiss (while clothed).
Matt states that he's had sex (when the others question his activities), but Dustin says they're talking about with humans, prompting Matt to ask who changed the rules.
When one of the guys asks a woman (who shows a tremendous amount of cleavage) to "hook us up," she states that she's already been hooked up (showing that she's pregnant). Matt then just stares at her cleavage.
After wiping out, Matt acts injured and says that he sprained (what sounded like) his "thing" (penis).
A clown who's holding balloons says, "Nice balloons" to some buxom young women in tight tops who pass by him.
We see various exotic dancers dancing in a club, including a women dressed like a French maid (with fishnet stockings and a short dress) while another is dressed like a nurse in a short dress.
A song has the lyric, "Let's get it on."
We see some passionate, clothed kissing on a couch (including Sweet Lou and some girl he just met).
A song has the lyric, "You wish you could sex her."
We see the silhouetted image of Lou spanking a young woman's bottom in a club.
A guy moons Eric and his friends from another vehicle (we see his bare butt).
We see the top of a middle-aged man's butt crack as his pants ride low. When Eric and his friends ask about staying at the man's motel, he says it depends on what they have in mind (and makes some sexual noises and slaps his hands together to suggest sex).
Dustin finds some men's underwear in a motel's honeymoon suite (where we see a small classic-style statue that shows bare breasts) and puts them on Matt's head. Moments later, the male motel manager asks if he can have his underwear back and the guys go racing from the place.
As we see the guys standing in a line urinating, we see a few of their bare butts (from a distance).
Among other things that Dustin says he's paid for (for the group) is porn (we don't see any).
Sweet Lou always hits on most any pretty, young woman he spots. When he asks one, "What's up?" she responds, "You" (innuendo).
Lou asks a woman if she wants to make out, she says sure, and we then see them passionately kissing in his van. We later see (from the outside) the van rocking back and forth (apparently from sex).
A young woman steals Lou's van (after having sex with him) and leaves him and the guys stranded in the desert. That prompts Lou to say "Wham, bam, steal the van."
Matt awakens in the desert, comments on a dream he had, and then starts wildly grabbing at his clothed crotch. He eventually pulls a lizard from his pants, says he was violated by it, and then adds that it actually felt good.
Dustin imitates Jimmy talking to a young woman on his tour bus, "Tonight you're going to be my love slave."
Eric wonders if Jamie is "hooking up" with Jimmy on the bus tour, prompting her to say (sarcastically) that she's the "tour slut at your service."
We see the top of a large man's butt crack as he races into a portable toilet.
Lou and Matt's sister passionately kiss while clothed and standing, and she pats him on the clothed butt as he walks off.
We see a very buxom woman in a very tight top that shows her nipples through the material.
A small person pats women's bikini-covered bottoms as he rides past them.
Eric and Jamie do some passionate, clothed kissing. They do this again later.

SMOKING: A guy has an unlit cigar.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Matt holds a grudge against his parents for abandoning him (in high school) to join the circus, but they all make up.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Following/pursuing one's dreams.
Skateboarding and trying to imitate/perform the stunts seen in the film.
Hitchhiking.

VIOLENCE: Eric falls while skating (played for laughs).
Matt forcibly takes a promotional giveaway skateboard from others to give to Eric.
Upon spotting a VW Beetle, both Matt and Eric's dad punch Dustin quite hard in the arm.
In response, Dustin bends Matt's fingers quite hard (once the cast is off the latter's arm).
A father to one of Lou's "girlfriends" bashes his van's tail light with a baseball bat.
The guys jump their skateboards over Lou's van (via a ramp). During that, Matt lands hard on his back and we then see his skateboard sticking out of a truck's windshield.
Matt pushes a clown back over his street display (stating he doesn't like clowns).
The guys are dragged out of a bar by bouncers after break dancing.
The guys do some playful punching on each other in several scenes.
A competitor hits Eric's skateboard several times while competing, once causing him to wipe out (he's okay).

Reviewed July 28, 2003 / Posted August 15, 2003

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