Reviewed by Melissa Garza
“Hey, get off my back.” – Sam (Peter Weller)
Wendy (Teri Garr) is a single mother of two sons. Jake (Christopher Collet) is a teenager who constantly picks on his younger annoying brother Brian (Corey Haim). One night, Wendy gets sick of being alone. Her ex-husband and the father of her children, is remarrying and she becomes depressed. She ends up meeting Sam (Peter Weller), a nice guy who her sons are introduced to one day during breakfast.
Sam is an honest man who sells and installs security systems. He compliments Wendy all the time and even buys Jake an awesome dirt bike. He hosts a barbecue and then throws the ball around with the boys. All is going well or it would seem. Jake however thinks that Sam is trying too hard and believes that Sam is a bad guy. He tells his girlfriend Lisa (Sarah Jessica Parker) as much but she believes he is just being paranoid.
When Wendy lets Sam move in, Jake and Brian become even more suspicious. They attempt to fight the idea but Wendy insists. Things continue to get worse and worse as Sam begins to show a more aggressive side. When Jake questions a real estate investment that Sam proposes, Sam gets angry and warns Jake to ‘get off his back.’
Later, Sam attempts to be a nice guy. He purchases a pinball machine and tries to talk to Jake, but the kid won’t have it. He thinks Sam is up to no good, and when Wendy and Sam leave for the day, Jake decides to snoop. He searches their bedroom and finds cocaine. As the house erupts into chaos, Jake and Brian bond and become closer. Jake steps up to the plate and becomes responsible. He no longer picks on him, but watches out for him.
One day, when Jake rushes home to be there for Brian, he comes face-to-face with a thug that claims to be Sam’s friend. Later when Jake confronts Sam about it, Jake gets hostile. He then takes his anger out on Wendy and slaps her around. She refuses to acknowledge the abuse for what it is and defends him. Soon, they are having drug parties and snorting cocaine. Jake comes down and sees. Wendy feels guilty but doesn’t stop the party. She ends up passing out on the couch with Sam. The next morning, Brian and Jake find them still in a stupor.
It soon becomes evident that if Jake wants his family back, he has to fight for it. He ends up facing off again Sam in a great showdown that is as good as the lead-up before it.
Peter Weller is a fantastic actor. The character could have easily been a one-dimensional villain without any redemptive qualities. Weller instead shows different sides to Sam. There is definitely a side of him that wants to succeed. He has pipe dream after pipe dream, but always looks for the easy score to achieve it. He doesn’t have the ambition or drive to make it work, but instead relies on shortcuts that don’t pay off and delusions. He wants to be liked and he wants to be well-received by Wendy’s kids. One is even inclined to believe that when he claims to really love Wendy, he means it. Still, the bad far outweighs the good. He’s an abusive bully who when he doesn’t get what he wants, he acts erratically. He doesn’t think twice about beating Wendy or getting her hopped up on drugs. He has no issue raising his fists to the kids and in the end, it’s safe to say that if he isn’t stopped, he could even be driven to murder. The character is so layered that he makes Wendy’s reactions easy to understand. When she turns to cocaine and away from her kids, it’s understandable. She’s obsessed with him and controlled by him, because like most abusers – when he’s nice, he’s remarkable, but when he’s not – he’s horrible.
Teri Garr, too does wonderful. Though one can condemn Wendy for being a bad mother as she descends into addiction and an abusive relationship, she remains sympathetic. Even when despising her actions, at the core Wendy is a good woman who is just looking to be needed again. Sure, she looks in the wrong place and doesn’t leave when she should, but given the circumstances it’s hard to blame her.
Christopher Collet is great in the lead. The transition of Jake from boy to man is believable due to Collet’s excellent acting abilities. He brings intensity into the role and quickly emerges as the hero.
Corey Haim too does great in the role of Brian. As a child actor, he was outstanding. It is no small task to deal with the expectations that Haim, undoubtedly had to endure. One can only hope that he battles his own demons and is able to come back stronger than ever before. Though, he wasn’t allowed or given the opportunity to prove himself in the atrocity that was “The Lost Boys 2,” his chance can still come again. Personally, I hope it does.
Robert Downey Jr., also has a small role as Jake’s friend Lee. It is always a treat to see the man who now reigns as the King of the Big Screen, and this is no exception. Though it would’ve been great to see more of him, Downey worked with what he had, and as always stole the scenes he was in.
Finally, Sarah Jessica Parker did well as Jake’s girlfriend. Though I am not nor have ever been a “Sex in the City” fan, I did enjoy “Square Pegs.” That’s a TV show, I’d like to see as a film. Nonetheless, Parker did great as the sympathetic listener to Jake.
Now, with all this talent and all of these stars, why is this film not on DVD? It’s a great movie that delivers from the moment it starts to its heart pounding conclusion. It packs such a punch. It is able to be both raw and capture the 80s over-the-top nature of the decade. This is a must-see and once it is seen, is one you will watch over and over again.
Overall Rating: 8/10 RIP COREY HAIM
Full Movie Available on YouTube
