Rating: 
Summary: Small can be big too.
Review: This is a well-written, well-acted buddy movie minus the offensive Texas redneck/testoterone cliches running amok in other films. If you need car crashes, shotguns, and drunken barfing keep looking. Four freshly-minted high school grads (out of a class of five) face the classic should-I-stay-or-go dilemma. A little simplistic at times, it nonetheless works its magic and you are hooked. In a huge, sweeping, landscape this coming-of-age charmer plays out and though the town may be tiny, it's heart is anything but.
Rating: 
Summary: I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
Review: This is one of my 3 all time fave movies (along with Can't Hardly Wait and Empire Records)! It's just so GOOD. It's the nicest movie. Ethan Embry does an awesome job, as usual, and Breckin Meyer is really good in it too. Squirrel is totally my fave outta the 4 guys, though. He's so cool. Even though he's the kinda out there-live in a trailer guy, he's still the nicest (well, so is Keller) and the cutest guy! You gotta see this movie if you haven't yet, cuz it's WONDERFUL!
Rating:
Summary: This is a great movie about relationships!
Review: This is one of the best movies about real people, I have ever seen. Every one of the characters are believable and very well portrayed. Great movie about Texas;written by a Texan!
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: This movie captures the simplistic complexity of the west Texas culture. It appeals to every restless heart of a small town inhabitant. It is funny, touching, and embodies the spirit of adventure! I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: great movie, much insight into small towns and growing up.
Review: This movie was a treat to see! No, it is not "perfect" but it is so pleasant. There is no violence or profanity and the movie loses nothing for it. Anyone who remembers coming of age can relate, whether from a big town or small. The yahoo from St. Louis who panned the movie as a hick movie obviously knows nothing about small towns and he/she stereotypes all people who aren't from big cities. Well worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: A "little" movie with a great big heart!
Review: This movie was given to a friend of mine and we watched it last night, not knowing anything at all about it! A "little" movie to be sure, but a truly fine one! Absolutely WONDERFUL acting by everybody, especially the quartet of young men, none of whom we had seen or heard of before. Maybe I am a bit out of it, or the film came and went in movie theatres so fast I didn't blink quick enough to see it. In any case, the video is well done. Other reviewers here have already the noted the gorgeous scenery and cinematography so I won't repeat what is so obvious to many. As others have mentioned, if you are only interested in explosions, car chases, sex and violence, then this movie is definitely not for you. But should you want an honest story about genuine characters who are the closest I've seen to "real people" in recent movies, then this is the movie you should experience. And it IS an experience: coming of age in a tiny town in a vast wild section of our country, coming to terms with family obligations, fear of the future and fear of leaving behind loved ones, all presented naturally and with complete honesty. The film is by a new director and screenwriter (Tim McCanlies); he should be commended for a thoroughly wonderful, even extraordinary, motion picture. It would have possibly been so easy to go the popular route with new material: spice up the story with all kinds of extraneous and unnecessary plot and personality gimmicks, but instead he has taken the route of sincere and honest truths about growing up, taking responsibility, and making life choices. Hurrah! Well done! Very well done indeed!
Rating:
Summary: A "little" movie with a great big heart!
Review: This movie was given to a friend of mine and we watched it last night, not knowing anything at all about it! A "little" movie to be sure, but a truly fine one! Absolutely WONDERFUL acting by everybody, especially the quartet of young men, none of whom we had seen or heard of before. Maybe I am a bit out of it, or the film came and went in movie theatres so fast I didn't blink quick enough to see it. In any case, the video is well done. Other reviewers here have already the noted the gorgeous scenery and cinematography so I won't repeat what is so obvious to many. As others have mentioned, if you are only interested in explosions, car chases, sex and violence, then this movie is definitely not for you. But should you want an honest story about genuine characters who are the closest I've seen to "real people" in recent movies, then this is the movie you should experience. And it IS an experience: coming of age in a tiny town in a vast wild section of our country, coming to terms with family obligations, fear of the future and fear of leaving behind loved ones, all presented naturally and with complete honesty. The film is by a new director and screenwriter (Tim McCanlies); he should be commended for a thoroughly wonderful, even extraordinary, motion picture. It would have possibly been so easy to go the popular route with new material: spice up the story with all kinds of extraneous and unnecessary plot and personality gimmicks, but instead he has taken the route of sincere and honest truths about growing up, taking responsibility, and making life choices. Hurrah! Well done! Very well done indeed!
Rating:
Summary: the best in a long time
Review: This movie was one of the best this year. It was so believable and they all seemed so real. Ethan Embry was great along with everyone else.I am from a small town and it felt so good to see a movie done so real like this one. Four guys who grow up in a small town and want to leave for the bright lights of L.A.Who wouldn't love this!
Rating:
Summary: Simply Warm and Charming...
Review: This starts out so simply, but cuts to the heart of the American midwest, having spent my summers there as I child, I understand that mentality very well. My mother was born in a small town in New Mexico, and the people there have a wonderful, if simple charm to themselves. They are caring, yet ultimately unchanging, they can't possibly understand why anyone would want to leave a small town, very much as the townspeople in the movie were.The four main characters in this film were portrayed wonderfully, by Breckin Meyer(Keller), Peter Facinelli(Terrel Lee), Eddie Mills (John), and the ever charming Ethan Embry(Squirrel). The friendship they had felt real, as if they had really known each other their whole lives. When their oath to leave town after their High School Graduation begins to fall apart when Terrel Lee Announces he cannot leave his family behind, each member examines his reasons for leaving the small town of Dancer. Of course, the truly bright spot in the film is the incredible performance of Ashley Johnson who you might remember from Growing Pains as the youngest member Chrissy. She plays John's little sister, she is simply heart-felt and charming in this role, amazing you with her ability to speak about difficult subjects better than some adults I know. Of course, you can't leave out Patricia Wettig as Terrel Lee's tyrannical mother, even though she only makes about three appearances in the film, she fills the screen with her presence each time. All in all, this film is a well done venture. I recommend this film to anyone who comes from a small town, or would like to know what one is like, this is your best bet. With so many brilliant performances, and a breathtaking backdrop of Texas behind it, it is simply magnificent.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT! One of the best and most under-rated films of 1998!
Review: This was a beautiful film with a simple yet powerful message about friendship and life changing decisions. Touching, heartfelt and utterly sincere, the movie is not for the cynical, pretentious, and too-hip-to-care crowd. It is instead a quiet celebration of not only small town life but also the unique and important memories and experiences that make us who we are. Never forced, manipulative or false-- the straight forward screenplay dares to take it's time and skirt the edge of gratuitous sentimentality without ever dipping into it. A heartfelt and profound film that leaves a lasting impact.
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