Rollercoaster

What begins as a crackling-good high adventure peters out at the end--the result of management's decision to hold back on a spectacular closing sequence, not the authors' idea. The original idea was from child star Tommy Cook, then scripted by the two men who created TV's "Columbo" and wrote the teleplays for some excellent made-for TV movies, including MY SWEET CHARLIE and THAT CERTAIN SUMMER. Levinson and Link have been writing together since high school, more than 30 years ago, and this was their first full screenplay after having supplied the adaptation for THE HINDENBURG. The picture opens at a seaside resort, an upscale version of Coney Island, where Bottoms ...