I used to watch this movie all the time when I was a kid. I loved it because it has some really good adventure in it. Its about a group of kids who decide to go on a road trip to find their Uncle Jack after their mom dies. They run away from foster care in LA and set out for Arizona with an LA detective on their tail and only $9 in their pockets. Luckily in 1988 that at least buys them a decent lunch for a day. They face a number of challenges along the way including being stranded in the desert, and facing bullies after hitting a jackpot on a slot machine. They also make friends with a school teacher on vacation who agrees to help them even after they steal her car.As an adult, having just rewatched this, the movie has even more to offer than simply nostalgia as I was expecting. It truly is a heartwarming movie about family and friendship and doing what is right even when it doesn't fit in with "the rules" or is inconvenient for you. I found myself in years multiple times thinking about how hard it would be for me now to lose my parents, my dog, and be separated from my family all at once. How much harder would that be for a group of children? I can't help but wonder what I would do if I were in Peggy's position.Anyway, this is a great family movie. One that I remember watching as a kid and I'm sure I will be sharing with my own children in the future.

I really did, I used to beg to watch it. I dunno why, I just was in love with the story. Recently I just uncovered the tape and decided to rewatch it, well it wasn't as fun as it was when I was a kid that's for certain. The acting is very very wooden, and the scenarios beyond cliché. And some things are perfectly illogical, for instance the oldest boy Mitch had never driven a car before in his life and suddenly his driving like a pro? Wow, I wish I was that talented LOL. The plot had a lot of potential though, and I think it was part of the charm that made me want to watch it over and over again when I was younger, kids defying adults, kids being rebellious, meeting their Uncle Jack. Yeah it was the dreams that made me watch this obviously not the realism. It moved to fast my liking, I realize that this is just a cute little family film but there should have been a lot more plot development, not only with the kids but with Jack, Jack's girlfriend and with Peggy. I felt that the relationship with Peggy and Jack moved a lot to fast and then in the end kind of left us hanging. That being said there were a lot of good moments where I still laughed out loud. Travis was the funniest out of the kids, that kid had a knack for comedy."Do you even know what that is?""Mud?" "Yeah because mud is green." LOL. I kinda hope that this movie WILL be remade. I mean Hollywood remakes the good movie, why can't they re make the bad, eh? I see Julia Roberts as Peggy, Dakota Fanning as Kate, Elle Fanning as Lori, Zach Mills as Travis Skandar Keynes as Mitch and George Clooney as Uncle Jack. Hey, I know it's not possible but a girl can dream eh? All in all not the best movie you'll ever see in your life but certainly an enjoyable light hearted one.

Four kids, two boys and two girls, lose their mother. Because there are so many children, the authorities decide it is virtually impossible to keep them together and make plans to separate them into different foster homes. The kids hate the idea and decide to take matters into their own hands. Escaping with their beloved dog, they decide to trek from Los Angeles to Arizona, where they have an uncle named Jack. On the run, they encounter problems, of course. It is necessary to pump-and-run at the gas station, when they have no more money to fill the car's gas tank, although they do promise the owner to return the money "someday". They also manage to crash their car in the Arizona desert and have to rely on the kindness of a sweet and pretty lady to get them to their destination. Will these children succeed in beating the odds and manage to stick together? This is an acceptable family film. The children are lovable and natural actors while the pretty lady who helps them out of a bad situation is an attractive woman with a winning attitude. On the other hand, the production values are merely adequate, as the film was probably made on a shoestring budget, and the costumes are nothing to write home about, either. The Arizona locale's beauty, however, is very apparent. Most importantly, the plight of suddenly orphaned children strikes one straight through the heart, as one can see how splitting siblings up in foster care would result in great turmoil and sadness. If you want to show your family a "good" film, with adventure and important messages, this might do for an evening. It has no objectionable language or situations and, more wonderfully, delivers a solid story for children of all ages.

"on our own" is a touching story of four kids who run away from foster home after their mother dies, with only one suitcase, their dog Ralph and $9 they set off in their mums old car in search of their uncle Jack. On the way their car breaks down and they meet Peggy Williams, a schoolteacher on holidays and she offers to help them out. Together she and the children search for uncle Jack but are forced to hide from the authorities that plan to take them back into foster care as they do so. This film tells a story of love, friendship and how important it is to stick with your family as the children venture out on their amazing journey.