There’s a Totally Forgotten Failed Skateboarding Comedy From 2003

You know how on YouTube you can find movies to watch for free with ads? Usually, these aren’t the best movies. There’s a reason why they are on YouTube for free with ads, after all. One of these movies, which I just found out about, is a 2003 coming-of-age comedy called Grind. I don’t remember it at the time, which makes sense. This movie was a major flop.
Grind seems like a warmed-over version of the raunchy road trip comedy that was big in the era, such as, well Road Trip. This time, though, it’s about aspiring skaters. Three recent high school graduates hit the road in hopes of impressing the legendary skateboarder Jimmy Wilson (not a real person) in order to become pro skaters. Even in 2003, this wasn’t how being a pro skater worked.

While Grind is a low-budget film, it’s not some random cheapie filled with nobodies. It stars a couple of notable young faces of the era in Mike Vogel and Adam Brody. Classic character actors like Stephen Root and Dave Foley are in it. Also, it is packed with some 2003-style cameos. Several Jackass guys, including Bam Margera, are in the film. So are Tom Green…and Ryan Sheckler. This was when Sheckler was a teenage skate prodigy.

The film, though, is basically “What if Road Trip was worse and also PG-13 so it couldn’t be too raunchy?” Even the skateboarding stuff is a little tedious. The movie made $5.1 million at the box office, which is awful. Now, you can watch it for free anytime you are so inclined, though I imagine the ads breaking up Grind will be better than anything in the film. So watch Grind, this forgotten 2000s skateboarding comedy…if you dare.