Hoping to dodge the Vietnam War draft, two teenagers enrol in college, and when study proves too demanding they drive across the country encountering free love, drugs and the hippie movement in this odd little film from the pen of On Golden Pond's Ernest Thompson. The film has several dramatic moments that rival 'Pond' in their intensity, most notably an altercation between co-lead Keifer Sutherland and his gung ho older brother who is excited about being drafted. The tension in the air between Sutherland and Bruce Dern as his war veteran father is well conveyed too. The film trips up though whenever it tries to inject comedy into the story. At its lamest, there is an extended sequence in which co-lead Robert Downey Jr. runs about an auditorium in his underwear after turning up stoned to his sister's graduation ceremony. It is also hard to know what to make of an early played-for- laughs sequence in which the friends hitch a ride with a much older man who only has one thing on his mind. The drama here is really good though, with both leads as well as Winona Ryder in support having their fair share of strong moments. The return home sequences are especially memorable in this regard, but with Thompson trying to make his film equally as funny as it is moving, the results are a little mixed, even if the film leaves a favourable impression overall.

Small town America, 1960s. Two friends, Ralph and Scott, are opposed to the Vietnam War and are determined to not fight there. This disappoints Scott's father, Cliff, and alienates Scott from him. Ralph and Scott leave the town but return when Scott's brother is declared MIA in Vietnam. This gives Cliff and Scott a chance to patch up their differences.Entertaining. Not very profound: covers ground that has been covered before, and is a tad idealistic. Still, good story, with good performances.Features Robert Downey Jr and Kiefer Sutherland in their early careers and Winona Ryder in only her 4th movie (previous was Beetlejuice, next was Heathers...). Great supporting cast: Bruce Dern, Joanna Cassidy, Mariette Hartley.Excellent soundtrack.

My son and I were in this movie, filmed in and around Savannah in November of 1987. We were in my Mother In Law's 1970 dark brown Plymouth, driving by the bus, just as her son, standing outside the bus, is saluting his Mom, Mariette Hartley. She was jogging up a bridge, near Hardeevile, South Carolina. Her line was, "Don't Die. Don't Die",as he heads off to Vietnam. Mariette later patted my son on the head, telling him how cute he was as a 10 year old boy. She declined to pat me on the head because I wasn't as attractive as my son! After this window of Fame, they cut our part out. So, I'm still one Pathetic Loser! Being around those stars was fun and they were all very friendly, not caught up in their own success. Thom Brooks Brooks Insurance School SABL Baseball Savannah, Georgia

Anybody who lived in the 60s, studied the 60s, or even heard about the 60s, knows that this movie reflects what the 60s were like about as accurately as the Barney movie shows us what dinosaurs were like. The script does all it can to tug at our emotions and make us feel all gushy about a better time while supplying no real plot and no interesting characters. Big loser of a movie. If you want to see a good movie about the 60s that also stars Kiefer Sutherland check out the great film Flashback.