I think that the critic that reviewed this film for People Magazine put it the best, he said that it is a fourth rate "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". I wouldn't even give it that much! This is one of the worst tv films that I ever saw. It is so bad that I was looking at the director's credits to see if Ed Wood directed it! Ricky Schroder (oh I am so sorry its RICK now!) is one of the few child actors who ever made a real and sucessful transition to adult roles (he starred on NYPD Blue for example). He is very talented and I just thought he deserved so much better than this. What was so bad was the script, it was like it was written by somone who thought he knew how young people talked but who was an old fart who didn't know anything. I mean some of the lines that Schroder is forced to deliver are absolutely painful. This film is meant to be a searing indictment of our juvenile justice system, a Dickensonian mental health care system that abuses its patients, or just parents who don't give a damn about their children. There are so many important social issues that need to be addressed and this film fails MISERABLY on all counts!!!It is laughable and a joke. Take my advice folks, if you want to see a really good family film that will make you feel good and that features RICK Schroder in it, rent The Last Flight Of Noah's Ark. My sister got the DVD for me at Christmas and it is a good film that you can watch with your kids. That is so rare nowadays.
