Rooftops (film)

Last updated
Rooftops
Rooftops 1989 film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Wise
Screenplay byTerence Brennan
Story by Allan A. Goldstein
Tony Mark
Produced by Stuart Benjamin
Starring
Cinematography Theo van de Sande
Music by Michael Kamen
David A. Stewart
Distributed by New Visions Pictures
Release date
  • March 17, 1989 (1989-03-17)
Running time
95 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2,043,889

Rooftops is a 1989 American crime and dance musical drama film directed by Robert Wise, which follows the misadventures of two homeless teenagers in Manhattan.

Contents

Rooftops was the last theatrical motion picture directed by Wise and the second of his films about poor young New Yorkers, the first being the famous West Side Story .

Plot

Squeak, the main character's best friend has tagged the wrong place and a local crew of misfits seeks to teach him a lesson. A chase ensues through the streets of New York City, through abandoned buildings and on rooftops. Squeak is finally cornered before his best friend and the film's main hero, T, comes to his rescue. The rest of the film focuses on T and his group of friends, among them a reformed prostitute, a young woman, and a deaf basketball player.

T is famous among the neighbourhood for taking place in a dance called "combat" in which "combatants" attempt to force each other off of a square fighting surface through only intimidation, no contact is allowed. T falls in love with Elana and she reciprocates his feelings. T is also exposed to Capoeira, which he naturally compares to his own fighting style.

The main antagonists are a group of drug dealers who are slowly taking over the city's abandoned buildings, stringing out the local youth and establishing themselves as the law of the streets. Squeak crosses the drug dealers and pays for it with his life. The rest of the movie follows T and his friends quest for redemption at the hands of the drug dealers, and ends in a climactic rooftop battle.

Cast

Critical reception

The film was not well-received by critics. The film has a composite score of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes from 20 reviews. [2] Roger Ebert opined that the film was unrealistic and sugarcoated the grim realities facing homeless teenagers. [3]

Soundtrack

The music credits included the title song "Rooftops" performed by Jeffrey Osborne, "Avenue D," performed by Etta James, featuring David A. Stewart, and Bullet Proof Heart, written and produced by Grace Jones. [4]

Home media release

Rooftops was first released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1989 by International Video Entertainment.

Platinum Disc released the film onto DVD in 2002, but the DVD was in full screen and did not contain any bonus material. That DVD has since been discontinued.

The current DVD is a double feature release with A Midsummer Night's Rave.

Related Research Articles

<i>Above the Law</i> (1988 film) 1988 action film by Andrew Davis

Above the Law, also known as Nico: Above the Law, or simply Nico, is a 1988 American crime action thriller film co-written, co-produced and directed by Andrew Davis. It marked the film debut of Steven Seagal, who also produced the film alongside Davis, and stars Seagal alongside Pam Grier, Sharon Stone, Ron Dean and Henry Silva. Seagal plays Nico Toscani, an ex-CIA agent, an Aikido specialist and a Chicago policeman who discovers a conspiracy upon investigating the mysterious shipment of military explosives seized from a narcotics dealer.

<i>Starsky & Hutch</i> (film) 2004 film by Todd Phillips

Starsky & Hutch is a 2004 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. The film stars Ben Stiller as David Starsky and Owen Wilson as Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson and is a film adaptation of the original television series of the same name from the 1970s.

<i>More</i> (1969 film) 1969 film by Barbet Schroeder

More is a 1969 English-language romantic drama film written and directed by Barbet Schroeder in his directorial debut. Starring Mimsy Farmer and Klaus Grünberg, the film deals with heroin addiction as drug fascination on the island of Ibiza, Spain. Made in the political fallout of the 1960s counterculture, it features drug use, "free love", and other references to contemporary European youth culture.

<i>K-9</i> (film) 1989 film by Rod Daniel

K-9 is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Jim Belushi and Mel Harris. It was directed by Rod Daniel, written by Steven Siegel and Scott Myers, produced by Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon, and released by Universal Pictures.

<i>Bad Lieutenant</i> 1992 crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara

Bad Lieutenant is a 1992 American crime film directed by Abel Ferrara. The film stars Harvey Keitel as the title character "bad lieutenant" as well as Victor Argo and Paul Calderón. The screenplay was co-written by Ferrara with actress-model Zoë Lund, both of whom appear in the film in minor roles. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>The Rules of Attraction</i> (film) 2002 film by Roger Avary

The Rules of Attraction is a 2002 black comedy drama film written and directed by Roger Avary, based on Bret Easton Ellis' 1987 novel. The story follows three Camden College students who become entangled in a love triangle; a drug dealer, a virgin, and a bisexual classmate. It stars James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth, Kip Pardue, and Joel Michaely.

<i>Silver Bullet</i> (film) 1985 film by Dan Attias

Silver Bullet is a 1985 American horror film based on the 1983 Stephen King novella Cycle of the Werewolf. It stars Gary Busey, Everett McGill, and Corey Haim, with Megan Follows, Terry O'Quinn, Lawrence Tierney, Bill Smitrovich, Kent Broadhurst, David Hart, and James Gammon in supporting roles. The film is directed by Dan Attias, written by King and produced by Martha De Laurentiis.

<i>The Brother from Another Planet</i> 1984 film by John Sayles

The Brother from Another Planet is a 1984 low-budget American science fiction film, written and directed by John Sayles.

<i>Jeffrey</i> (1995 film) 1995 American film

Jeffrey is a 1995 American romantic comedy film directed by Christopher Ashley, based on the play of the same name by Paul Rudnick, who also wrote the screenplay adaptation. The film stars Steven Weber, Michael T. Weiss, Patrick Stewart, and Bryan Batt.

<i>Suspect</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by Peter Yates

Suspect is a 1987 American legal mystery thriller film directed by Peter Yates and starring Cher, Dennis Quaid, and Liam Neeson. Other notable cast members include John Mahoney, Joe Mantegna, Fred Melamed, and Philip Bosco.

<i>The Basketball Diaries</i> (film) 1995 film by Scott Kalvert

The Basketball Diaries is a 1995 American biographical crime drama film. The movie deals with drug addiction and its unfavorable outcome in lives of common people. Directed by Scott Kalvert in his feature directorial debut and based on an autobiographical novel by the same name written by Jim Carroll. It tells the story of Carroll's teenage years as a promising high school basketball player and writer who develops an addiction to heroin. Distributed by New Line Cinema, The Basketball Diaries stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll, along with Bruno Kirby, Lorraine Bracco, Ernie Hudson, Patrick McGaw, James Madio, Michael Imperioli, and Mark Wahlberg in supporting roles.

<i>Angel Rodriguez</i> (film) 2005 American television film

Angel Rodriguez is a 2005 American television film, that showed at the Toronto International Film Festival under the title Angel. HBO picked up the film and released it under the longer name both on their movie channel and on DVD.

<i>Fort Apache, The Bronx</i> 1981 film by Daniel Petrie

Fort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 American crime drama film directed by Daniel Petrie. The film stars Paul Newman as Murphy, a hard-drinking, lonely veteran cop, and Ken Wahl as his young partner, Corelli, both of whom work in a crime-ridden precinct in the Bronx. Although Murphy's life takes a good turn when he falls in love with young nurse Isabella, the arrival of police captain Connolly threatens to tip the neighborhood's delicate balance into anarchy. Danny Aiello, Kathleen Beller and Pam Grier play supporting roles. The film was written by Heywood Gould and produced by Martin Richards and Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer.

<i>Wise Guys</i> (1986 film) 1986 film directed by Brian De Palma

Wise Guys is a 1986 American black comedy crime film directed by Brian De Palma and produced by Aaron Russo from a screenplay written by George Gallo and Norman Steinberg. It stars Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo as two small-time mobsters from Newark, New Jersey, and features Harvey Keitel, Ray Sharkey, Lou Albano, Dan Hedaya, and Frank Vincent.

<i>Checking Out</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by David Leland

Checking Out is a 1988 American comedy film, directed by David Leland and starring Jeff Daniels.

<i>Cadillac Records</i> 2008 musical biographical film

Cadillac Records is a 2008 American biographical drama film written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and a few of the musicians who recorded for Chess Records.

<i>Peace, Love & Misunderstanding</i> 2011 American film

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Elizabeth Olsen, Nat Wolff, Chace Crawford, Kyle MacLachlan, and Rosanna Arquette. It was filmed in the town of Woodstock, New York, the same town in which the film is set. The film had a gala premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2011. It was released to theaters on June 8, 2012, starting in limited release. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on October 2, 2012.

Sidewalk Stories is a 1989 American low-budget, nearly silent movie directed by and starring Charles Lane. The black-and-white film tells the story of a young African American man raising a small child after her father is murdered. The film is somewhat reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin's 1921 feature The Kid. The film was televised by PBS as well as saw limited exposure on VHS and cable television in the 1990s.

<i>The Saint of Fort Washington</i> 1993 US drama film by Tim Hunter

The Saint of Fort Washington is a 1993 American drama film directed by Tim Hunter and starring Matt Dillon and Danny Glover. Dillon won the award for Best Actor at the 1993 Stockholm Film Festival for his performance.

<i>Match</i> (film) 2014 American film

Match is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Stephen Belber, based on his 2004 play of the same name. The film stars Patrick Stewart, Carla Gugino and Matthew Lillard. The film was released on 14 January 2015, by IFC Films.

References

  1. "Rooftops".
  2. "Rooftops Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  3. "Rooftops :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Roger Ebert. 1989-03-17. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  4. Jet - Mar 27, 1989 - Page 56 Vol. 75, No. 25 Directed by Robert Wise. The many music credits include the title song Rooftops performed by Jeffrey Osborne Avenue D performed by Etta James featuring David A. Stewart and Bullet Proof Heart written and produced by Grace Jones.