Rollercoaster

PG

1977

1h 59m

Mystery & Thriller

List

53%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

An unnamed young extortionist (Timothy Bottoms) sets off a bomb on an amusement park roller coaster, causing multiple fatalities, then says that he will do the same to five other rides around the country simultaneously unless he's paid one million dollars. Amusement park employee Harry Calder (George Segal) gets unwillingly drawn into the precarious situation when the FBI's lead agent (Richard Widmark) presses him into service as the go-between with the authorities and the bomber.

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Thomas H

This was a great movie, not what I expected. I think the bad reviews are from people who expect lots of explosions and cheesy special effects. This was a cat and mouse type suspense film, very well made. Timothy Bottoms and George Segal were both perfect for their roles.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/13/23

Full Review

Steve D

Little to the characters and nowhere near as exciting as it thinks it is.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/12/23

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Jens B

pretty suspenseful with a lot of cool shots and scene-setups, great for a hot summer movie night (I hated the band scene, almost as bad as the band in "Graduation Day")

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/07/23

Full Review

Physco G

Its slow and two hours long, I was hoping it would get cooking but it was just too dam slow but that's the least of your worries it feels like a rejected inspector callah aka Dirty Harry script, other than a basic plot (no spoilers) a crazy guy up to no good, I can't tell you a lot it's considerably confusing! Is he a cop or a safety inspector or both I'm not sure I wouldn't watch it again anytime soon. I seen this movie based on a giant 90×90 movie poster in a coffee shop it looked great! It was considerably toned down to avoid an R rating its PG by the way

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

jon c

The only thing scarier than a roller coaster is not surviving one The late George Segal, a young Helen Hunt, and the late Henry Fonda An extortionist is targeting roller coasters full of innocent passengers; after he bombs one he says he'll do the same thing to five others across the country Unless he's paid a million dollars all the patrons will die Henry Calder is then called into the situation by the FBI by Agent Hoyt; now Henry is caught in-between the authorities and the bomber on what exactly to do There's some good suspense, nice acting by Segal, it's got that summer feel to it with the whole going to-do-fun recreational activities thing, and the villain is a sneaky individual staying one step ahead and pulling Henry along for the ride so to speak There's cool camera POV angles when it comes to the rides too The film is less of a bombastic thrill-viewing like the poster and ads suggest and more of a potboiler It probably could've benefited from more urgency and distinguishing itself from others of its kind Still Segal makes for a good viewing and it's not often you see amusement parks be the target of a deadly conspiracy An above-average time killer

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I am really surprised that there are no reviews from ordinary viewers about this film. The film may be viewed as a typical 1970's disaster movie, because there were so many of them. But what sets this film apart from some of the others, is the wry humour from George Segal's character. Rollercoaster is a gripping thriller, which will keep you entertained right until the end. Worthy of note is the performance of the rock group Sparks, and an early film appearance from Helen Hunt, who went on to greater things.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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James Goldstone

Director

George Segal

Harry Calder

Richard Widmark

Agent Hoyt

Timothy Bottoms

Young Man

Henry Fonda

Simon Davenport

Harry Guardino

Keefer

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Kenneth Turan

Washington Post

Rollercoaster, slambang title notwithstanding, is a singularly tepid piece of work, so dull not even Sensurround can keep you fully awake.

Jan 8, 2018

Full Review

Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

There's a million-dollar payoff involved, some suspenseful scenes, and realistic rollercoaster rides.

May 5, 2023

Full Review

Tony Vandenberg

Washington Blade

Rollercoaster is heavy on sensurround and short, I fear, on everything else.

May 23, 2022

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Fans of vintage disaster flicks will most likely find Rollercoaster a trudge to get through, but George Segal is a likeable lead in a film which could have been a lot more distinguished.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 8, 2020

Full Review

Bill Newcott

Movies For The Rest Of Us

Goldstone knows it's not the rumbling of theater seats that makes us feel good about shelling out $3.50 for a movie. His whimsical approach to a tired genre makes Rollercoaster a ride to remember.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 2, 2020

Full Review

Donald McLean

Bay Area Reporter

It's a downhill ride all the way.

May 1, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

An unnamed young extortionist (Timothy Bottoms) sets off a bomb on an amusement park roller coaster, causing multiple fatalities, then says that he will do the same to five other rides around the country simultaneously unless he's paid one million dollars. Amusement park employee Harry Calder (George Segal) gets unwillingly drawn into the precarious situation when the FBI's lead agent (Richard Widmark) presses him into service as the go-between with the authorities and the bomber.

Director: James Goldstone
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Jan 6, 2004
Runtime: 1h 59m