Type keyword(s) to search

TV TATTLE

HBO's Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off captures the skateboarding icon in a very rudimentary way

  • The HBO documentary from director Sam Jones "has its own edges softened by the straightforward style," says Nick Allen. "It becomes like a lot of glory days docs, in that it looks back on a certain phenomenon with a collection of amazed words from everyone who was there, but doesn’t feel as fast-energy by its storytelling methods. It’s exciting to learn about Hawk’s origins, and the traits that led to such a stand-out career, and yet it’s telling when this sports maverick's tale is being told about in a fairly rudimentary way." Allen adds: "Jones’ film has a reverence for Hawk but does not let that turn his piece into hagiography—the skateboarder is given time to mention the things he did not excel at in his personal life due in large part to his focus on skateboarding. He talks about fame being 'the worst drug,' and it’s interesting to hear words on that from such an unlikely celebrity. But true to the doc's superficial tendencies, its ability to dissect larger subjects only goes so deep. And when the documentary tries to go deeper on the toll of skateboarding on aging bodies, for Hawk and his peers, those final notes are too stretched out to be poignant."

    ALSO:

    TOPICS: Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off, HBO, Sam Jones, Tony Hawk, Documentaries