Airborne: When the 90s Were the 90s
Admittedly, Airborne is not the most well-known sports movie of 1993. Baseball films The Sandlot and Rookie of the Year came out in April and July respectively, each drawing in large numbers of young, predominantly male sports fans—each dreaming of being one of those on-screen boys of summer, or perhaps daring to dream about sports movies for girls (see: Bend it Like Beckham). Also, one of the most beloved sports movies of all-time, Rudy, was released on the same day as Airborne (September 17), absolutely decimating Airborne at the box office on its way to cementing itself in the pantheon of American sports films. In short, if Airborne was barely noticed in 1993, the chances are low that it has become more appreciated over the years. Airborne is—I’m saying this as a fan—the opposite of a fine wine. It is a cheap box of wine: enjoyable at the right time in your life, but something you don’t admit to indulging in at this age. Airborne was what I needed in my life. It was about a teenager who could rollerblade like crazy, felt like a fish out of water, and was too much of a romantic for the tough guys at school.
Mitchell Goosen, a surfer-dude type from California, is forced to stay with his cousin’s family in Cincinnati when his parents are called away for a work trip. All sorts of fish-out-of-water hijinks ensue, mostly around the culture clash between Mitchell’s Jeff Spicoli-like vibe and the literal and figurative cold Midwestern reception he receives. But then, hockey is introduced. First, street hockey—at that time, my life’s sole passion. Then, the big ice hockey game, pitting Mitchell and the tough guy public school kids against “the preps” from the local private school. As a former hockey player, I’ll say this: the hockey scenes are fitting for the age group. The kids (or their body doubles) can play at a really good high school level and the camera-work really shows it off well. Plot note: Mitchell’s possible moment of glory is quickly his downfall when he scores a game-ending own goal. [sad trombones]
The movie culminates in a sequence which was clearly overlooked when they made the AFI Top 100 lists. Following a dream about a Spanish-speaking shark named Pepe (don’t ask), Mitchell finds himself teamed once again with his fellow public-school kids against the preps at the top of Devil’s Backbone, the legendary downhill city-cross course the kids will race down to settle once and for all which group is superior. The downhill action sequence is amazingly done. The skating is awesome (even to my now-40-year-old eyes). The music (done by former Police drummer Stewart Copeland) is perfect for the sequence. And, in perhaps the most necessary part of the film, Mitchell gets the acceptance he’s wanted all along by helping the head of the tough guys after he falls toward the end of the race, resulting in our heroes crossing the finish line together for the win. In doing so, Mitchell also gets the girl.
Sports movies often tell the true stories of impossible odds or situations—Miracle and Invictus come to mind. Others, like Air Bud, use sports as a vehicle for morality plays for younger audiences. Airborne is a mix of both. There is a human truth to the film. Like Holden Caulfield, Mitchell is extremely relatable to vast swaths of adolescents—we’ve all felt out of place. The other characters are the usual archetypal characters in these types of movies, and do a good job in those roles. There is a clear superimposed morality, sometimes explicitly stated by the characters, as when Mitchell and his cousin discuss Popeye’s “I am who I am" statement in a moment of fraternal bonding. I thought perhaps rollerblading would be how I could get the girl or win the glory. But it was not to be. However, I learned to begin to accept myself as I was, rollerblading-fanatic and all. Summer 1993, the only movie I saw in the theaters was Airborne.
Best movie of the year.