Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

moonspinner55 Even in her earliest performances ("Go Ask Alice" and "American Graffiti"), Mackenzie Phillips projected such a wise, knowing sense of herself that most young adults could instantly identify with her angst. In this rather ordinary TV movie concerning the begrudging friendship between a street urchin and an elderly man, Phillips (in hooker hats and kooky clothes) gives a thoughtful, sensitive portrayal, managing to turn this stale plot around and maybe even make it mean something. Martin Balsam is certainly her acting equal, but I'm not sure how convincing his character is (as written) or, indeed, if anyone his age, in his position would take so much time to reach a belligerent young woman. Low-budget and not especially memorable, the film was just a holding pattern for Phillips, a cautionary tale that might've been shown in high schools, but she gives it some resonance.