Rooftops (1989)
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0% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
35% of users liked it
(1,138 ratings)
Set in the Manhattan street milieu that served him well in West Side Story, Robert Wise's Rooftops tells the story of T, a quiet, soft-spoken teen-ager who has left his broken home and is living in a makeshift shelter in an old water tower on top of an abandoned tenement building. There are… More Set in the Manhattan street milieu that served him well in West Side Story, Robert Wise's Rooftops tells the story of T, a quiet, soft-spoken teen-ager who has left his broken home and is living in a makeshift shelter in an old water tower on top of an abandoned tenement building. There are other kids like him, including Squeak, a talented graffiti artist who joins T after an altercation involving his mother's boy friend. T and Squeak manage to scrape together what little money they need through minor sins (stripping cars, etc.), and at night all these street inhabitants get together in a vacant lot to "combat" dance, in which they use a combination of karate and dancing to force an opponent off of a platform. Into this mix comes Lobo, a drug dealer who moves into T's building and turns it into a crack house. Lobo's beautiful cousin Elana serves as his lookout - not because she wants to, but because her father's heart attack has left her family in dire financial straits. T and Elana become interested in each other, but T and Lobo are at odds with each other - which fact leads to a showdown in which T must put his "combat" skills to good use. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Directed By
- Robert Wise
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts
R,
- In Theaters
- Mar 17, 1989 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This romantic musical drama about homeless Manhattan teens living on rooftops doesn't reach any heights.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
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Jason Gedrick
as T
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Troy Beyer
as Elana
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Eddie Velez
as Lobo
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Alexis Cruz
as Squeak
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Tisha Campbell
as Amber
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Allen Payne
as Kadim
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Rafael Báez
as Raphael
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Jay M. Boryea
as Willie
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Paul Herman
as Jimmy
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Robert La Sardo
as Blade
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Rockets Redglare
as Carlos
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Stuart Rudin
as Wino
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Bruce Smolanoff
as Bones
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Jaime Tirelli
as Rivera
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Millie Tirelli
as Squeak's Mom
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Lauren Tom
as Audry
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Coley Wallace
as Lester
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Robert Weil
as Hotel Clerk
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Luis Guzman
as Martinez
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Steve Love
as Jackie-Sky
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Woodrow Asai
as Yard Foreman
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Edouard de Soto
as Angelo
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Angelo Florio
as Cop at Dance
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Jed James
as X
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Edythe Jason
as Lois
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Herb Kerr III
as Jorge
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Peter Lopez
as Burn
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Kurt D. Lott
as Zit
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Diane Lozada
as Older Sister
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Danny O'Shea
as Rookie Narc
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Imani Parks
as Younger Sister
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Jose Ynoa
as Young Cook
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John Canada Terrell
as Junkie Cop
