Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inane '90s comedy with strong language, lots of slapstick.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Ski Patrol
What's the Story?
Greedy developer Maris (Martin Mull) wants to tear down the aging ski lodge of Snowy Peaks and replace it with a sleek, upscale resort. So he enlists the help of the selfish and shallow ski instructors to make sure the lodge's ski patrol unit fails to pass its safety inspections. The ski instructors use every dirty trick they can think of to sabotage the guys in the ski patrol (Roger Rose, T.K. Carter, George Lopez). With Snowy Peaks' lease renewal on the line, they can't afford another mistake. Can they prove who's behind all the accidents before Pops, the beloved owner of 40 years, is forced to sell?
Is It Any Good?
SKI PATROL is silly and stilted, and although it's relatively harmless (besides the language), it's also not very clever and suffers from a lack of heart. The plot is one long cliché about the lovable band of misfits who have to save the (summer camp/ski lodge/vacation resort) from the clutches of a greedy developer (includes talent show!) and only exists as a framework to move from one skiing gag to the next.
Big kids who haven't seen this story line a million times and who can handle the strong language will get some big laughs from the juvenile humor and will enjoy rooting for the gang to save the day in between the awesome skiing and snowboarding tricks. Some of the ski footage is entertaining, as are the dated costumes, but neither is enough to redeem an otherwise inane movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about silly comedies. Why are they so popular?
What's your favorite funny movie? Is Ski Patrol as good? Why, or why not?
Are you a fan of skiing or snowboarding? How have those sports changed since the late '80s/early '90s?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 12, 1990
- On DVD or streaming : October 23, 1993
- Cast : Roger Rose , Yvette Nipar
- Director : Richard Correll
- Studios : Epic Productions , Sarlui/Diamant
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 91 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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