suchenwi
I really love this piece, which I drew for 2 from the bargain bin. Not expecting very much, I was excited from the moment the Shiner Beer truck appeared.. (Shiner Bock is my favorite brew when in TX.) But there seems to be a fatal case of mismanagement here. The original MGM DVD cover shows a cleavage and navel, and not much else, so you'd expect it to be a sex movie (though it's - justly - cleared for age 6 and older in Germany). It's just a country/rock romantic comedy, no sex please... :) I suppose it didn't sell well here. So what did management do? They added a cardboard cover around the DVD, which still had the original poster image, but framed with the words "MUSIC FILM" and some notes at top and bottom. The blurb on the back was somehow reformulated too, but obviously the mismarketing failed again. Pity for them.. lucky for me, so I could buy this cult gem for a trifle.I enjoyed it so much, and had some laugh-out-loud moments. Meat Loaf is really convincing in all his tribulations, and Kaki Hunter has strong weird charms. Roy Orbison, Blondie and "you Cooper?" also strongly contributed to this experience, which I for the first time rank as a feel-very-good movie :) I watched it twice the first night, and will often again.
Salazar
To the people who gave this diamond in the rough a 1 to 5, go back to the hole where you crawled from! I watched this movie last year on MGM and I just fell in love with it instantly and is now one of my favourite movies. I've watched it with my sister and my close friend a few times and they both think it's great as well. Here's what it's all about: charming and bumbling trucker Travis W. Redfish is out on a truck drive one day with his best friend, fellow trucker B.B Muldoon. They come across a broken down caravan belonging to some band management people and wacky Alice Cooper lovin' groupie, Lola, who Travis just falls for at first sight. He gets them to Austin where the're supposed to go but get threatened that if they don't set up the band's gear in time Muhumad Johnson-"the ring leader of the rock n' roll circus" will "rape their careers". Travis saves the day and soon finds himself as a roadie (hence the title) for Mahumad's circus. All the while he tries to woo Lola but she keeps going on about how much she wants to lose her virginity to Alice Cooper. Will Travis win Lola's heart or will she run off with Alice Cooper? If you haven't seen this movie go and see it now. Ya won't be disappointed.
Infofreak
'Roadie' is an absolutely awful and unfunny road movie about a country hick (Meatloaf) who inadvertently becomes "the world's best roadie" while pursuing a wanna-be groupie (Kaki Hunter) whose ambition is to lose her virginity to shock rock legend Alice Cooper. Cooper plays himself and performs, as do Hank Williams, Jr, Blondie and Roy Orbison. The rest of the very odd cast includes 'The Honeymooners' Art Carney (as Meatloaf's Dad), Joe Spano ('Hill Street Blues') as a clueless road manager, and 'Soul Train's Don Cornelius as a flamboyant promoter to name just a few familiar faces. Also keep an eye out for a very brief appearance by Kurtwood Smith ('Robocop'/'That '70s Show') in a gaggle of security guards who chase Meatloaf towards the end of the picture. The eclectic cast is one of two reasons to sit through this crud. The other, main reason is the soundtrack which is an eclectic and interesting musical snapshot of Top 40 America circa 1979/1980. Cheap Trick's obscure 'Everything Works If You Let It' is the unofficial movie theme, and their 'Gonna Raise Hell' also features. Blondie cover Johnny Cash's 'Ring Of Fire', which is lots of fun. Alice Cooper performs with members of Utopia. Roy Orbison duets with Crystal Gayle. And we also hear Styx, Eddie Rabbitt, Joe Ely and The B52s. The only thing missing is Devo! Most movie goers will find 'Roadie' a pointless exercise, but obsessive musical nerd record collector types (like me) will be entertained. The movie stinks, but the soundtrack is fascinating!
PiEThO
I'm a rock 'n roll fan; have been since I was young. I'm also a fan of Meatloaf; for about the same amount of time; so I was surprised to find this on the shelves of my local video store.The story is simple, a handyman meets the woman of his dreams who just so happens to be in love with Alice Cooper. Meatloaf is very convincing as the country hick (yes COUNTRY HICK) engineering genius named Redfish and while Kaki Hunter tries to pull off the excited groupie routine, she's mostly annoying.For those of you who didn't know it, Art Carney is in this movie as Redfish's father, Corpus Redfish. He is, as always, excellent in his role as a grouchy junk yard owner.The movie has many memorable (and unfortunately, period) cameos in it by Blondie, Roy Orbison and, of course, Alice Cooper. Cooper actually shines as a rock star and has a very interesting manner; half manager/half psycho.I recommend this movie simply because it's a total shock. Everyone delivers solid performances and, yes, Meatloaf can act.