Airborne

Airborne is a 1993 American comedy-drama film about inline skating directed by Rob Bowman in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Shane McDermott, Seth Green, Brittney Powell, Chris Conrad, Jacob Vargas and Jack Black. Plot Mitchell Goosen is a teenager from California who loves to surf and rollerblade. His zoologist parents are given the opportunity for grant work in Australia for six months. Eager to accompany his parents to the surf-friendly shores of the South Pacific, he is dismayed to find out that he will not be joining them and instead will be living with his aunt and uncle in Cincinnati, Ohio, to finish the remainder of his high school semester. He arrives in the midst of a winter storm to a blue-collar Midwestern city, quickly coming to the realization that this is far from the free-spirited beach atmosphere that he has been accustomed to. To add to his disillusion, he meets his cousin Wiley, who at first glance is an awkward teenager and whose parents' lifestyle and demeanor, though warm and hospitable, is a bit old-fashioned. Mitchell is met on his first day at school with obstacles. He is antagonized by the gritty hockey players who chastise Mitchell for his easygoing "Maharishi" philosophy and "California" appearance. The hockey players include Jack, Augie, Snake, Rosenblatt, and the Banduccis. With an upcoming game against the rival "preps", Wiley and subsequently Mitchell are asked to fill-in for two students undergoing punishment for misbehavior. Mitchell inadvertently scores a goal for the preps, cementing the disdain of the hockey players, and in particular Jack, who tackles Mitchell while still on the ice, concussing him and leaving him unconscious for what appears to be hours. Over the course of the next few weeks, Mitchell and Wiley are harassed relentlessly, culminating with Mitchell having a dream which convinces him to peacefully confront the situation. During the interim, Mitchell falls in love with Nikki. During a double date with his cousin and Nikki's friend Gloria, the leader of the preps, Blane, physically confronts Mitchell, who is only saved when Jack arrives to stand up for Nikki who, as it turns out, is also Jack's sister. Mitchell's dream comes to fruition when he decides to proactively join Jack and his ice hockey brethren for a street hockey game against the preps. Mitchell embarrasses Blane, causing a change of heart from his teammates.