A fine selection of skate movies
July 2025
Waiting for Lightning (2012)
PG-13, Sports Action
Starring: Danny Way, Tony Hawk, Rob Dyrdek, Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, Laird Hamilton
Danny Way rises from broken home survivor to fame as a professional skateboarder and, in 2005, attempts to jump over the Great Wall of China.
Gleaming the Cube (1989)
PG-13, Action
Starring: Christian Slater, Min Luong, Steven Bauer, Art Chudabala, Micole Mercurio, Le Tuan
A California skateboarder (Christian Slater) solves and avenges the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.
Thrashin' (1986)
PG-12, Action
Starring: Josh Brolin, Pamela Gidley, Josh Richman, Robert Rusler, Brett Marx
Two skateboarding gangs battle each other for supremacy, and a member of one gang falls in love with the sister of his rival. Will Hook approve of Cory’s relationship with his sister?
The Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012)
Documentary
Starring: Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Shepard Fairey, Fred Durst, Ben Harper
When six teenage boys came together as a skateboarding team in the 1980s, they reinvented not only their chosen sport but themselves too – as they evolved from insecure outsiders to the most influential athletes in the field.
Grind (2003)
PG-13, Comedy
Starring: Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf, Adam Brody, Joey Kern, Jason London, Jennifer Morrison
A skateboarder and his two best friends make one last summer road trip across America, they dream of getting noticed by the professional skateboarding world and get paid to skate.
The Search for Animal Chin (1987)
Unrated, action
Starring: Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Rodney Mullen, and Tommy Guerrero
Skateboarders (Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill) known as the Bones Brigade show off their various talents during the search for their sport’s legendary founder.
Dogtown and Z-Boys (2002)
PG-13, Documentary
Starring: Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, Skip Engblom, Jay Adams, Sean Penn, Glen E. Friedman, Paul Constantineau, C.R. Stecyk III
This award-winning, thrilling story is about a group of discarded kids who revolutionized skateboarding and shaped the attitude and culture of modern day extreme sports.
Lords of Dogtown (2005)
PG-13, Drama
Starring: Emile Hirsch, John Robinson, Victor Rasuk, Michael Angarano, Nikki Reed, Heath Ledger
Three young pioneering skateboarders swiftly rise to stardom. However, they soon find their brotherhood threatened as they face different challenges in their personal lives.
All This Mayhem (2015)
Unrated, Documentary
Starring: Tas Pappas, Ben Pappas
Brothers Tas and Ben Pappas become the kings of professional skateboarding, but their hedonistic ways lead to a hard fall from grace.
Skater Girl (2021)
PG
Starring: Rachel Saanchita Gupta, Amrit Maghera, Kamlesh Gill
When a teen in rural India discovers a life-changing passion for skateboarding, she faces a rough road as she follows her dream to compete.
Skate Kitchen (2018)
MA15+, Drama/Teen
Starring: Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Dede Lovelace, Moonbear, Brenn Lorenzo, Jaden Smith
Camille, a teenage girl, feels lonely after she moves to New York City. However, things change after she befriends a group of skateboarders named ‘Skate Kitchen’.
Minding The Gap (2018)
MA15+, Documentary
Starring: Bing Liu, Zack Mulligan, Keire Johnson
Three young men bond through skateboarding to escape their volatile family life in their Rust Belt home town. As they face their adult responsibilities, some unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.
Mid90s (2018)
R, Comedy/Drama
Starring: Sunny Suljic, Olan Prenatt, Ryder McLaughlin, Gio Galicia, Lucas Hedges
Mid90s (stylized as mid90s) is a 2018 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Jonah Hill, in his feature directorial debut, inspired by Hill’s own childhood in the mid-1990s.
A Girls Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
MA15+, Horror/Western
Starring: Ana Lily Amirpour, Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manesh
Residents of a worn-down Iranian city encounter a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) who preys on men who disrespect women.
Street Dreams (2009)
R, Drama
Starring: Rob Dyrdek, Paul Rodriguez, Ryan Dunn, Ryan Sheckler
Derrick Cabrera dreams of one day becoming a professional skater; however, his parents and classmates cannot understand how Derrick is so passionate about something they think has no future.
Paranoid Park (2007)
MA15+, Crime/Mystery
Starring: Gabe Nevins, Daniel Liu, Lauren McKinney, Taylor Momsen
A skateboarder accidentally kills a security guard and, thereafter, is pulled up by the police for questioning. His life falls in disarray post the unfortunate incident.
Kids (1995)
R18+, Drama/Indie
Starring: Leo Fitzpatrick, Chloë Sevigny, Justin Pierce, Rosario Dawson, Sarah Henderson
Amoral teen Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) has made it his goal to sleep with as many virgin girls as possible — but he doesn’t tell them that he’s HIV positive. While on the hunt for his latest conquest, Telly and his best friend, Casper (Justin Pierce), smoke pot and steal from shops around New York. Meanwhile, Jenny (Chloë Sevigny), one of Telly’s early victims, makes it her mission to save other girls from him. But before she has a chance to confront him at a party, everything goes horribly wrong.
Skateboard Madness (1980)
Not rated, Documentary
Starring: Stacy Peralta, Gregg Ayres, Phil Hartman, Alan Gelfand
Skateboard Madness is the story of an adventurous skate photographer (Ledterman) who sets out to capture “something new, something fresh” for the pages of Wonder Rolling News. With his job on the line, Cat hits the road with this band of “freaked-out gonzo humanoids on wheels” to visit some of the epic skate spots of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Skateboard (1978)
A, Comedy
Starring: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Tony Alva, Kathleen Lloyd, Ellen O’Neal
A Hollywood agent finds himself in debt to a powerful bookie. To make a fast buck, he creates a team of exceptionally talented skateboarders and enters them in a downhill race. If they win, they will get $20,000.
Freewheelin’ (1976)
G, Documentary
Starring: Stacy Peralta, Camille Darrin, Russelll Howell
Stacy and his friends are the best skateboarders around. They know all the latest tricks and stunts, and each has mastered his own incredible style.
Skaterdater (1965)
R18+, Sport/Romance
Starring: Melissa Mallory, Gregg Carroll, Michael Mel, Gary Hill
The film tells a story with no dialogue. The group of boy skaters are suddenly at a point when one of the boys sees a young girl, and becomes interested in her. This causes a rift with a second boy, who challenges him to a skating duel that goes down a hilly street.