This is How We Roll is a Roller Coaster documentary that is directed by Taylor Bybee of Coaster Studios fame. The doc tells the rags to riches story of the great Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). Released on October 8th, 2021 for the streaming service Vimeo.
This is How We Roll Experience
The film clocks in at 80 minutes long. This doesn’t feel just like a long Youtube video. This feels like a well-produced and shot documentary. The story starts off by telling how Fred Grubb and their family went from living poor and the inception moments for RMC. As the company gains some success it brings in more and more of the heroes that helped to make RMC what they are today. By the end, you will feel like you have a good understanding of how these people from nowhere turned an industry on its head.
This is How We Roll: The Good
Wisely the film has a focus. Instead of trying to be about everything it really does focus on Fred Grubb. He comes off wonderfully likable. As far as main characters go Fredd is a great one. It would have been very easy to try and focus on all the major players. As the company becomes more and more successful you feel a sense of pride for him. This brings me to my favorite scene.
The best scene in the doc has Fred taking a trip with his Grand Daughters to Six Flags Over Texas to ride New Texas Giant. This being the first roller coaster to get the RMC treatment. Watching them be so impressed with what their Grand Dad made is one of the more touching moments I have seen in a while. This even pays off more at the end for another ride on a new coaster.
Great Supporting Cast
While Fred is the main character all the other RMC folks get their stories told. The film never gets bogged down with their stories but you feel like you get to know them by the end. Watching the master Alan Schilke dirt bike and ski were highlights.
Also seeing how Jake Kilcup went from Office Max salesmen to overnight designing roller coasters really blew me away. What a fascinating turn of events something like that would be. Great stories like this help make this movie so entertaining!
The Bad
The most major issue I had with the film is how overdone the music is for about the first third. I believe it is supposed to give an epic sense of scale. It is for my taste a little too bombastic and overscores some of those moments in the film. This does get better as the film goes on.
There is a missed opportunity here. Early on Fred tells a story about the first roller coaster he ever road. Which was the Mighty Colussus at Six Flags Magic Mountain when he was a kid. I figured this was setting up for later in the film since I knew that RMC would later come in and give the RMC treatment to that coaster. They do discuss Twisted Colussus but Fred never comments on what it is like to transform his first coaster.
Last is sort of a compliment. I wish the film was longer. 80 minutes is just too short.
Final Verdict
This is How We Roll is a great movie! It is not just a bloated YouTube video as I had feared. Instead, it tells a touching story that really makes you feel like you have a sense of how it all went down. Tyler Bybee and his team should be very proud of what they have on their hands. I highly recommend you go and buy this film and watch it with the whole family. With only minor issues that detract, I can confidently say that if you love roller Coasters you are going to love this film. Because of these reasons This is How we Roll gets a nine out of ten.
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