        Ŀ
          8 SECONDS:  John G. Avildsen, director.  Monte Merrick,  
          screenplay.  Starring Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, Cyn-  
          thia Geary, James Rebhorn, Carrie Snodgress, Red Mitch-  
          ell, Ronnie Claire Edwards, and Linden Ashby.  New Line  
          Cinema.  Rated PG-13.                                    
        

          Luke Perry (Fox-TV's BEVERLY HILLS 90210) rides small in the
     saddle in ROCKY and KARATE KID director John G. Avildsen's tri-
     bute to world champion bull rider Lane Frost:  8 SECONDS.  Frost
     rode to glory in 1987, when he won the world championship in Las
     Vegas, one of the youngest men ever to do so.  Perry plays Frost
     with quiet power and a stoic veneer that's rarely broken.  What
     brings a smile to his face are bullriding, talking to rodeo kids,
     and his love for barrel-riding champion, Kellie Kyle, caringly
     played by Cynthia Geary (CBS-TV's NORTHERN EXPOSURE).  Both
     actors give strong performances, but, alas, the film story isn't
     up to their talents.

          Biopics generally tackle epic subjects, or epic events in
     the subject's life.  8 SECONDS is different, a simply-told story
     about an earnest young couple, with no flash or sizzle.  It has a
     country simplicity to it, which doesn't imply that country people
     are simple.  They're direct and straightforward, and don't
     complicate their lives with the mess that city folk sometimes
     have to put up with.  (At least, that's the message here.)  All
     Lane wants to do are ride bulls and love Kellie.  As he puts it,
     "I ain't got nothing against the bulls.  They just want to buck
     you off and get on about their business.  People hurt you a lot
     sooner."  All Kellie wants to do is love Lane and keep their life
     together as happy and stress-free as possible.

          When trouble does enter the Frost's lives (yes, they do
     marry), it seems too removed from their on screen lives to become
     so important.  Lane has trouble coping with his fame, and with
     his father's lack of support.  ("You're just lucky the other boys
     rode so poor," his father tells him after one win.)  He shows
     it by riding Kellie about her casual friendship with a calf-
     roper.  The situation, which I can only assume really happened,
     sounds contrived; there's no supporting motivation for Lane's
     sudden fury.  Or for the infidelity that occurs on both sides of
     the marriage.  A tighter screenplay would have melded these
     events more effortlessly; as it stands now, 8 SECONDS is a
     confused muddle when it depicts the relationship.

          More sharply-defined are Lane's friendships with Tuff Hede-
     man (Stephen Baldwin) and Cody Lambert (Red Mitchell), fellow
     bullriders on the circuit.  Tuff constantly carps at Lane, hiding
     his own envy at the better rider's talent.  He's constantly
     getting in scrapes on the road, living up to the good ole boy
     image he thinks rodeo cowboys should show.  Cody's a good-natured
     fellow, the poet of the circuit, always there to help pull Lane
     or Tuff out of trouble.  Baldwin and Mitchell give good, if
     uninspiring, performances in their roles.

          Ultimately, love wins out, as cornball as that sounds, as
     Lane realizes Kellie needs more than his dirty laundry to feel a
     part of him.  8 SECONDS is definitely a rodeo fan movie, though,
     despite some strong scenes between Perry and Geary.  The
     screening I went to was filled with a sea of cowboy hats and
     boots, so the filmmakers know who their audience is.  The movie's
     a near miss in quality, with a final reel conclusion that feels
     unfulfilled.

     RATING:  $$
