Review ‘North Hollywood’ (Filmin): Skate and adolescence

‘North Hollywood’ tells a story about skateboarding, friendship and adolescence

Review of the movie ‘North Hollywood’, starring skater Rylan McLaughlin, available at Filmin.

With a careful aesthetic and a lot of color, Mikey Alfred introduces us to his first tape, ‘North Hollywood‘, which focuses on the life of a teenager who wants to become a professional skateboarder.

The person in charge of embodying the protagonist, Michael, is also the skater Rylan McLaughlinwhom we could already see in a film with a very similar theme, ‘in the 90’s (Jonah Hill, 2018), even its protagonist appears, Sunny Suljicin some scenes.

Let’s go there with our opinions and impressions about the movie ‘North Hollywood’ that as we have already said, you can enjoy on the platform of the movie.

Skateboarding and the 90s

The movie starts with Good rhythm, and through scenes with dynamic and brief dialogues, it is mixed with skate scenes that make the action entertaining. And it is that, although it is brief, the film tells a simple but emotional story, reflecting the place in which many of us have been (or are) of not knowing what to do with our life.

The same thing happens to Michael, the protagonist, although it is interesting to highlight the arrogant attitude of the protagonist, which more than once leads him to fight and distance himself from his friends. And it is that, to a large extent, the story is not just an ode to skateboarding but especially the friendship.

To talk about the protagonist’s life, it is also necessary to understand his relationship with his father, which perfectly reflects the Love Hate. The character of Oliver, Michael’s father, is played by Vince Vaughnwho does a great job recreating that tension between father and son, that love that wants to protect but at the same time stifles and limits.

Without going too deep into the relationship or its pretext, we understand how the interaction develops, how both characters understand each other, no matter how different they are.

However, the crux of the matter is the pursuit of Michael’s dream, to become a professional skateboarder, and all the consequences that entails. Due to this, the film offers several scenes that portray the shocks that occur in the friendship of the protagonist and his friends.

The film also includes some surprises, such as the appearance of Angus Cloud (‘Euphoria‘), in the role of a lapsed skateboarder named Walker, and that of Miranda Cosgrove (‘School of Rock’, ‘iCarly‘), playing the love interest of the protagonist.

We value ‘North Hollywood’

The film may not be the one that has the most impact in terms of message, but even so, what it reflects, the aesthetics and the time it portraysas well as the concept of friendship which transfers to the screen.

It also implies extra value to see new actors on stageespecially if they share so many similarities with their characters in the film.

Thus, the Mikey Alfred’s debut feature becomes an entertaining and dynamic story, which in its 93 minutes has time to talk about various topics tied by the rope of the youth, skateboarding, complicated relationships and friendship.

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