Product Details

• Actors: Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, James Rebhorn, Cameron Finley, Carrie Snodgress
• Directors: John G. Avildsen
• Writers: Monte Merrick
• Producers: Cyd LeVin, Danny DeVito, Jeffrey Swab, Michael Shamberg, Tony Mark
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: New Line Home Video
• VHS Release Date: May 2, 2000
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (145 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303697224
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,238 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The title refers to the time required by all rodeo cowboys to stay on a bull if they want a judge's score. For them, such a short time can seem like an eternity. The same is true of the beginning of this true story, a country tale of Lane Frost, a real-life, crowd-pleasing bullrider who rose to rodeo fame in the late '80s. The characters seem so irrepressibly good, so unreal, that the film comes out of the chute without a buck or much of a purpose. But Frost's story, and that of his relationship with his wife, Kellie (Cynthia Geary), eventually gains momentum. Luke Perry is an underrated actor, and he balances an "aw-shucks-ness" with an internal spark that makes that salt-of-the-earth stuff not so salty. When the film is finally over and the end credits show home movies and stills of the real-life Frost, you'll wish the ride was just a little longer. --Keith Simanton

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid ride, November 10, 2003

By 

K. Fontenot "Prairie Cajun Lives!" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 8 Seconds (DVD)

When this movie first came out, I did not know who Lane Frost was. After I saw it, however, I wish I would have known him. This film may come off as sort of sugary sweet to some, but adultery, drinking, fighting and cussing don't seem so sugary to me. Mr. Frost had faults. He was human. But he prevailed where others have failed. That is what make him a hero and Luke Perry's portrayal of Mr. Frost exemplifies that.

This movie suffers from a few inaccuracies, but those inaccuracies help move this film along at a pace that non-rodeo people can enjoy. The acting is fine, and that's really Luke Perry on some of those bulls. You've got to give the guy a nod for that.

The soundtrack is also very influential on the look and feel of this movie. "Once In Awhile" by Billy Dean is the pinnacle performance in this movie, and if you're eyes don't well up when you hear it, you've got no heart inside.

This is a decent family movie, although some younger kids probably shouldn't be exposed to some of the language and the adultery. It should be noted, however, that these things are key in making this a real story.

This is a solid movie about a real man, full of heart and fault, yet still a hero to us all.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie about a person that will be remembered in rodeo., February 12, 2000

By 

Jason Strebin (Irrigon, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 8 Seconds (DVD)

Lane Frost, was a bullrider that loved what he did day in and day out and that was RODEO. He had to overcome many different problems throughout his short career. In this movie it isn't all about one man who rode bulls for a living. 8 Seconds shows how much rodeo is to all of the Cowboys in rodeo. This movie showed me that Lane Frost was a man that had his ups and his downs throughout his short career as a pro bull rider. It showed me that rodeo is a way of life that is so unpredictable that you never know when your last ride is going to be and it showed me that there is more to rodeo than just getting on a horse, bull, or bronc. Rodeo is a way of life and it can bring people together and build those close relationships that you never want to lose and it can also take away the ones you love. I would have to say this is one of my most favorite movie because it showed me that you need to hang on to the things that last and never ever give up no matter what the coarse looks like ahead of you.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VIEW OF A CULTURE, May 24, 2000

By 

no longer a customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: 8 Seconds [VHS] (VHS Tape)

No, this isn't standard Hollywood-esque fare; No, this isn't a penetrating psycho-analysis of one man's life or of an extreme sport; No, this isn't even great film-making. But so what. One thing this film does do is to reveal a North American Western culture tenaciously clinging to life in a world that constantly mocks and denigrates it. Lane Frost was, (and still is), one of the best representatives of this culture. This was the world I grew up in here in South Texas, where honesty and a person's word meant something; where ideas of family and faith were REAL and not just political agendas for republicans and fundamentalist fanatics. Yes, there is a dark side to this culture, (I also grew up surrounded by racism and bigotry and religious nonsense), but ALL human societies have their positives and negatives. I for one have grown tired of seeing Texans and other people of the West constantly depicted in film and literature as know-nothing yokels. 8 SECONDS is a welcome reprieve from the usual way westerners are treated, along with TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL and TENDER MERCIES. And Lane Frost certainly deserves the tribute this movie gives him. How long the culture of the North American West will be able to survive the relentless cynical New York-L.A.-Perrier drinking-Vegan-Politically Correct but Intellectually Bankrupt Weltanschaung Machine is hard to say. But for an hour or two it was nice to relax and remember what is good about that culture and to bask in the glow of one our culture's greatest heroes.