Kickin It Old Skool 2007

In the sweltering summer of 1986, a fledgling breakdancing phenomenon emerged in the form of twelve-year-old Justin “Rocketshoe” Schumacher (Darnell “Prince Def Rock” Jackson, Aki “Chilly Chill” Terasaki, and Hector “Popcorn” Jimenez), leader of The Funky Fresh Boyz. With a passion for spinning on his head and a crush on Jennifer, Justin was ready to take the annual talent show by storm. His rival, the insufferable Kip Unger, made an appearance, showering Jennifer with an expensive necklace that left Justin feeling deflated. As Justin’s parents, Marty and Sylvia, cheered him on from the sidelines, The Funky Fresh Boyz took the stage, their infectious energy captivating the audience.

In a bold bid to impress Jen and claim the top prize, Justin risked it all by attempting a daring headspin maneuver that sent him flying off the stage and into a life-altering coma. Twenty years would pass before Justin’s fate would be reevaluated. Dr. Cameron Frye delivered the sobering news: there was little hope of recovery, and his parents were faced with the heart-wrenching decision to remove life support.

As Marty and Sylvia prepared to say their final goodbyes, a janitor’s routine sweep of the hospital room was disrupted by the familiar tune “Rockit” by Herbie Hancock, a song that had been the soundtrack to Justin’s earlier triumph. The jarring melody somehow managed to stir Justin’s comatose brain into action, and he began to stir. When his eyes finally opened, Justin found himself twenty years older, with a sudden onset of adulthood looming before him. His parents’ financial situation was dire, their savings depleted by the mounting medical bills. Jennifer, now a girls’ dance instructor, had moved on and was engaged to none other than Kip Unger.

Kip’s obnoxious promotional schemes had propelled him to host a national breakdancing competition, with a grand prize of $100,000. Justin realized that winning this contest could be the key to repaying his parents for their sacrifices. However, Kip remained steadfast in his disdain for Justin and concocted a plan to keep him from participating and rekindling his feelings for Jennifer. The stage was set for a thrilling showdown between old rivals, with the stakes higher than ever before.

As Justin struggles to adapt to the drastic changes in his physical well-being and the jarring cultural shifts of two decades past, he finds himself on the precipice of a potentially disastrous misunderstanding. A former acquaintance from their Funky Fresh Boy days, Darnell (now a mall security guard), intervenes, rescuing Justin from an awkward situation that could have been misinterpreted as predatory behavior. As they reconnect, Darnell fills Justin in on the seismic transformations that have reshaped their world, including his own stumbles as a toy store employee and failed inventor, whose marriage is marked by regular outbursts of domestic discord.

Justin’s reintroduction to the rest of the gang reveals that Aki, once a poster child for Asian stereotypes, has shed his accent through diligent English studies and now moonlights as an accountant. His romantic pursuits are centered on Yun, whom he hopes to woo with promises of breakdancing prowess - albeit a prospect with only a 2% chance of success. Meanwhile, Hector’s fortunes have taken a drastic turn, as he’s traded in his athletic frame for the humble life of a meter maid.

Initially, the foursome’s attempt to rekindle their faded breakdancing skills is met with spectacular failure, but Justin’s guidance and Aki’s determination to reclaim his robotic prowess through study of the RoboSapien toy lead to rapid improvement. As they rehearse and reminisce about old times, Justin begins to express his long-standing admiration for Jen in a way that’s all too familiar - a harmless crush, he thinks. However, with the aid of the internet and some unorthodox practice sessions featuring Hector attired in a bra, Justin becomes an unlikely ladies’ man.

A surprise visit from David Hasselhoff provides the perfect opportunity for Justin to take Jen on a date aboard KITT, the iconic Knight Rider vehicle. As they prepare to make their move, Kip’s call serves as a harsh reminder that Jen is still committed to her fiancé, leaving Justin feeling crestfallen and Jen embarrassed by the sudden turn of events.

As the Funky Fresh Boyz’s birthday party celebration dissolves into discord, Justin finds himself face-to-face with Cole, the pint-sized dynamo behind the Iced Cole Crew. The diminutive dancer issues a bold challenge to Justin: a dance-off in the parking lot. With flashes of his past drifting through his mind like wisps of fog, Justin’s anxiety and depression reach a boiling point as he vomits on Cole and makes a hasty retreat. His morale shattered, Justin abandons all hope of competing in the show. In his place, the rest of the Boyz opt to send a homeless breakdancer into the fray. Kip, reveling in his perceived psychological victory over Justin, rubs it in Jen’s face, prompting her to finally cut ties with him.

As the dance tournament unfolds, the Funky Fresh Boyz and the Iced Cole Crew each make their way through their respective brackets, driven by a fierce competitive spirit. Meanwhile, Jen tracks down a despondent Justin at his local watering hole, convincing him that she’s ready to take a chance on him and urging him to rejoin the competition.

With his parents’ concerns momentarily assuaged by a heartfelt speech in which he recites the theme song from Diff’rent Strokes, Justin finds the courage to defy Kip’s attempts to bar him from dancing. The crowd, stirred by Jen’s impassioned plea, and Cole, won over by Justin’s determination, allow him to take the stage once more. In a stunning turn of events, the Funky Fresh Boyz emerge victorious when Justin executes the iconic headspin maneuver of ‘86.

The aftermath is marked by Kip’s fit of rage, which ultimately leads to his downfall as he’s fired from the network. His subsequent encounter with a stranger from earlier in the film leaves him reeling, while a homeless dancer exacts revenge for past slights by urinating on him. As the dust settles, the Funky Fresh Boyz claim their prize money, and Justin and Jen tie the knot, securing a bright financial future for his parents.

In a poignant epilogue, Jen struggles to teach Justin the ways of an iPod, only to discover that he’s stumped by the device’s cassette tape compartment. Elsewhere, Darnell has founded the 98¢ store, but his wife continues to mistreat him. Hector has found new purpose as a Jennifer Lopez impersonator in Las Vegas, while Aki exchanges vows with Yun in a lavish Jewish ceremony, boosting their chances of intimacy to a mere 3%. As for Kip, his injuries never fully heal, and he’s reduced to serving as a judge on Dancing with the Stars.