Review of No Small Affair (1984) by Geenucoco — 22 Apr 2014

As I the movie came to an end, an amazing feeling swept over me. Growing up as a youth in Long Beach, California in the twenty-first century, it always seemed that the problems the youth face today were a lot worse than in the past. This movie does an astonishing job illustrating the crazy and dangerous life that teenage boys lived through in the American heartland over four decades ago! As I watched, the similarities between my adolescence and theirs gave me a very grateful feeling to have made it out of that stage of my life. For me, this movie was a very spiritual reminder of the possible dangers, temptations, loyalties, friendships, and overall craziness of teenage life.

Plot.

The movie begins in the 1960`s with three Topeka youth meeting up to sneak into a drive-in movie theater. After the movie have a fierce confrontation with the boys from the other side of town. The plot line is full of drama, confrontation with rivals, murder, running away, death, police and violence. It makes for one of the best movies you have ever seen.

Acting.

The acting in this production is definitely up to standards. You can feel the emotions in the actors voices and see them in their eyes. It is so real it almost makes you not want to believe that they are actors. This was a very heartfelt production and I wish they would have made a sequel; before the teenage actors reached their fifties.

Music.

The music in this film was very deep and comforting. They featured the song "Stay Gold" by Stevie Wonder. It keeps a deep and spiritual vibe in tune with the craziness of the youth.

Characters.

The characters seem very interesting for mid-western youth, with some featuring names such as Sodapop and Ponyboy, and others with less interesting names such as Johnny. The characters are very believable and awe-inspiring.

Ending.

The story has a sad, interesting, spiritual, and above all, unbelievable ending. A character, saddened by the death of a close friend, loses his sense. He is in a comic book store reading, and upon being asked to leave, simply rips up the comic book and points a gun at the cashier. He then runs through the park with police pulling up on all sides of him, before being shot to death. The ending leaves you sad, spiritual, and above all, grateful. I recommend this movie to anyone who is experiencing, or has experienced a crazy childhood.