In many ways, Yeah Right! is just like any other skateboarding movie you've ever seen. Awesome stunts? Check. Painful falls? Check. Fisheye lens? Check. But there's something a little extra here...in short, there's several occasions of digital manipulation and camera tricks that make some of the stunts seem almost superhuman. Some are more obvious than others, but there's a few scenes that I'm still not sure are 100% real or not...and that's the best compliment I can give them.

First, a little background information. Yeah Right! is a product of Girl Skateboard Company Films, and was spearheaded by the incomparable Spike Jonze (directing chores were divided between Spike himself, and newcomers Ty Evans and Cory Weincheque). Apparently, this film was originally only available in skateshops, but has thankfully been given the DVD treatment by our friends at Rhino Home Video. Incidentally, there was a trailer for this DVD on The Work of Director Spike Jonze disc, and it's a real attention-grabber. I'd been eagerly waiting to check this out since I first saw the trailer, and it was really worth the wait!

There's a few familiar faces to casual skateboarding fans, such as Rich McCrank and Erik Koston, but there's also plenty of new faces (for me, at least). This is presented in the typical "skateboarding video" fashion: each performer gets their own section to show off their best stuff, with a few breaks in-between segments. The music also deserves special mention: there's a nice selection of music artists represented, including David Bowie, Interpol, and even Frank Black. With a running time of just over 60 minutes, there's a lot to experience in the film's brief running time. Let me tell you...you're not going to believe everything you see!

Yes, that's Owen Wilson seen above...he's getting ready to skate (or is he?). Following a very funny skit, Mr. Wilson prepares to do a stunt, after being heckled by his friends to back up some trash-talking. It looks like him (who else has that nose?), sounds like him...but is it really him skating? The answer is simpler than you think, but you'll have to see to find out. It's scenes like this that really make me appreciate the humor thrown into this production. For awhile, I was convinced that every skateboarding movie was the same, but Yeah Right! offers a few genuinely refreshing moments that you'll want to replay again and again...even if you know it's not really happening.

Overall, Yeah Right! gets very high marks for sheer entertainment value...while some of the tricks may seem a little standard (if you're a hard-core skating fan), the technical value of this production really sends it over the top. From start to finish, this film is a real winner...it's an eye-opening effort from Girl Films, and a refreshing change from the traditional skateboarding movie. Rhino's DVD isn't half-bad either, so read on for the full scoop!

Video:
The video here is excellent. Presented in 1.33:1 full screen (the original aspect ratio) Yeah Right! looks as good as you might hope. At it's core, though, it's a skateboarding movie, which means most of this footage was shot on the fly. There's many instances where you can see the camera operator (or their shadow), but the flow of the footage is smooth and energentic. There's a bit of dirt that pops up from time to time, but it's nothing to worry about. Colors are nicely rendered, and even the night scenes hold up remarkably well. The CGI and special camera tricks blend in flawlessly with the rest of the action, adding to the illusion of some of the tricks. While a widesceen aspect ratio might have been more dynamic, I can't complain, as what we get here is what was intended. Overall, this was a strong visual effort for the genre, so you won't be disappointed in the least.

Audio:
As good as the video is, the audio is even better! This is presented in Dolby Surround, and is a surprisingly aggressive mix. Music takes over when needed, and the few segments of dialogue are easily understood. While surround effects are used sparingly, this is as good an audio presentation as needed. Yeah Right! sounds great, and that's an especially high compliment for a film that is primarily a visual experience.

Extras:
The extras here aren't bad, but I wanted to see more after the excellent main feature. Still, it's hard to complain, as we get a fairly nice mix of supplements to choose from. First off is a brief look into The Skatetrix, a place of higher consciousness for skaters everywhere. Actually, it's more of a brief clip where a still shot is rotated, Matrix-style (another segment of the main feature had a similar effect). Next up are a series of slightly expanded clips from the main feature, starring Rogers (a 16 year-old skater from Boston), and Owen (Wilson). Both of these weren't much different than the final versions in the main feature, and are probably here for quick reference. Also included are two similar clips, entitled Invisible Ramp and Green Boards; the former simply replays a montage of all of the scenes using invisible ramps, while the latter replays the invisible board sequences...only the boards are now in plain sight (they are painted bright green). These two seemed a little confusing when seen next to each other...it's almost as if they were admitting to the illusion of using real boards, but were still insisting that ramps weren't used during the appropriate scenes. Moving on, you also get a nice Slideshow, which is a self-running collection of photos taken behind the scenes (presumably by Spike Jonze), as well as a collection of ads for the film (posters, etc.). Last but not least is a collection of Outtakes, which runs about 25 minutes...this features additional skating and interviews, and is a nice inclusion. Overall, it's a pretty good selection of extras, if not a little thin.

Menu design and presentation:
The presentation here is suprisingly minimal...the menus are bright green, with small photos and plain text representing your choices. On the negative side, most of the descriptions for everything (chapter stops, extras, etc.) aren't very descriptive, and can be a little confusing at first. Also, it seemed a little odd that music wasn't used for the menus (only a few sparse sound effects)...music takes on an important role in the film itself, so the menus seem a little empty without them. The actual packaging was not issued with my screener copy, but I imagine it'll be very similar to the menus themselves. Overall, the design wasn't bad, it just didn't seem as creative as I would have hoped...especially given the nature of the film.

It would have been nice to see a little more of everything. While this disc is definitely worth the cash, it could have run for three hours with no complaints from me! Still, you get a nice mix of stuff here, but there could have been a little more participation from Spike or any of the other crew members. Some of these effects are really awesome, and I would have liked to see how they were done from start to finish. The only hints that we get (like the Green Boards clip) only show the footage with no narraration, which is somewhat of a disappointment. I guess the magicians didn't want to reveal their secrets this time (although I can't blame them, actually). Also, this isn't a dialogue-driven movie, but subtitles should always be included...and they weren't in this case. The film's trailer was also strangely absent, and should have been an obvious inclusion.

Yeah Right! is a great release, and is Highly Recommended for skate fans and non-skate fans alike. Also, any Spike Jonze fans would also really love this one, as his creative energy really shines here! Any fans of Owen Wilson may also be interested, if only to check out his "skating" clip...it's worth the price of admission alone! There's a lot of love that went into this, and the low MSRP of $19.99 makes it an easy addition to your list. There's a few minor things that could have been improved upon, but there's a lot to like about this disc. While it may be a little on the short side, you'll want to watch it more than once...quality is the key word. Skip this DVD? Yeah Right!