Break Out

I pretty much rented this movie because the cast on the cover was rather impressive, and one of the people I work for told me it was really good. All I can say is, those people that raved about Kids have no idea what they are talking about, this is a much more realistic and true look at life on the street than Kids ever was. Small parts from Will Smith and Alyssa Milano (you won't recognize her till you see her name in the credits at the end) stand out strongly and Sean Astin gives a very good performance that is unlike most of the films you would see him in (Rudy for example). I really don't want to give away anything about the plot because I rented it not knowing hardly anything about it and I think that's the way it should be watched. This is just a flat out great movie.

This overlooked film about teens surviving on the streets of Los Angeles came and went pretty quickly when initially released. Pity, because it's a film that deserves a wider audience. Within the device of a journalist doing interviews as research for an article on runaways, we're introduced to a band of teens who have formed a defacto family and the various situations they encounter on the street. King(Durmont Mulroney)is the leader and protector of an assortment of kids that include druggie Greg(Sean Astin), Little J(Balthasar Getty), smart-mouthed Brenda(Ricki Lake), and newcomer Heather(Lara Flynn Boyle), whom King takes a shine to. The film follows then through their days of riding boxcars, sleeping under overpasses, and hanging out in public places while avoiding cops, drug dealers, and pimps. While the film downplays some aspects of the streets( the violence and emotional devastation of child prostitution is acknowledged but not conveyed directly), others are show with uncomfortable intensity. For some of these kids, it's a one-way trip down. Sean Austin's fate as the speed-freak Greg is disturbing; the final shot of his character in the film haunted me for days.

"Where The Day Takes You" is about the homeless youth who come from all over the country to escape their dysfunctional families to live on the streets of Hollywood.It is here that this youth form surrogate families with other homeless youth.

This film chronicles one such family of homeless youth headed by King who is the father figure.A violent confrontation with another homeless leader turns for the worse and King finds himself desperately trying to keep his family together while avoiding the law.

The movie is surprisingly honest about dangers of living on the street and yet portrays the real sense of community that this homeless youth shares with each other.

My only issue with this film was perhaps the Melissa Etheridge music which distracted me.It got more tolerable with repeated viewings of this film but to be fair I am not much of a Melissa Etheridge fan.

If you like movies about Hollywood or films featuring young attractive actors playing disaffected youth then I would suggest this film.

The exploits of the kids in this film are way too real. I used to live on the streets and this film is the first time I've seen street life without the Hollywood polish on it. Granted all the faces are familiar, and everyone in the film is a star, they play the parts with grit and realism. It's really great to see that this lifestyle is portrayed as less than glamourous, because all too often "homeless" movies make it seem like it's easy to get out of it........

The truth in Hollywood's dark-side is unveiled in this story. Awesome acting combined with a Special FX that combines into a chilling truthful movie. DONT Miss this one !