Tex

From the same woman who wrote The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton comes this story Tex concerning a pair of brothers Jim Metzler and Matt Dillon. They have a widower father Bill McKinney who was a rodeo clown and still follows the rodeo circuit. The two kids are on their own a lot and Metzler becomes the designated adult . Metzler is a star basketball player who wants to go to that Mecca of basketball Indiana state. Dillon is immature and does a lot of foolish pranks with his rich friend Emilio Estevez.

S.E. Hinton has a few adult themes in her work and note that this is a Disney production. Looking at the novel synopsis I see quite a few more adult themed situations have been eliminated to give Tex a PG rating.

Dillon was good and Tex was a step up in his career. But I think you'll be most impressed with Metzler who I thought was best in the film.

Tex is a great coming of age film that is timeless.

In 1982's rural small-town coming-of-age drama "Tex" the titular simple but loveable Oklahoma high-schooler Matt Dillon lives alone with older brother Jim Metzler (while dad Bill McKinney's away for months at a time with the rodeo) hanging out with friends like siblings Emilio Estevez & Meg Tilly, gettin' into dirt-bikin', horses, drinkin', crushes, pranks, fall outs, run-ins with authority & makin' out... while in the background the realities of real life start to loom. In his first (of many) films as director Tim Hunter, and his co-writer Charles S Haas, don't over-cook it but get the balance just right. It's 42 yrs old, but that just helps it play as pure nostalgic Americana. A magical gem.

Matt Dillon shines in the role he was made for-a troubled teen. Though not as effective as The Outsiders, Tex has a special charm all its own. Matt Dillon's excellent acting and the moving storyline bring the tale to life. Charming.

Not bad, but I can't honestly say I enjoyed 'Tex'.

It's too forced for my liking. I didn't feel a connection to the characters, nor did I really rate the performances of the cast. The premise isn't super watchable either. All just very meh, to be honest.

Matt Dillon is OK in the main role of Tex, though it is safe to say his acting - thankfully - improved as he got older; as seen in 'Wayward Pines'. I can't say any of the other cast members did anything to remember.

Not quite good enough, all in all.

I would rank "Tex" as the second best of the S.E. Hinton adaptations starring Matt Dillon (happy birthday, Matt!) behind "The Outsiders"; "Rumble Fish" was too weird to make any sense. This one casts him a young man trying to make his way in Oklahoma after his mother dies. Although its status as a Disney movie gives it kind of a strange feeling, it still comes out very well, with good performances by pretty much all the cast members. But I will say that he reached his apex with "The Outsiders". In all these movies, he was showing the sort of talent that eventually earned him an Oscar nomination for "Crash". Worth seeing. Also starring Meg Tilly, Frances Lee McCain (the "Gremlins" mom), Ben Johnson, Emilio Estevez and Zeljko Ivanek.