Carefully-considered character piece, a solid drama and a genuine sleeper, has a would-be auto racer returning to his small hometown in Texas after his dreams have hit a dead-end; he meets up with a girl his knew back in high school, a waitress and shutterbug who still lives with her parents and has aspirations to go to an art school in Los Angeles. Subplot with the young man's suicidal sister, trapped in a bad marriage to an abusive lout, nearly takes precedence over the main story, though all the performances are equally strong. Kathleen Quinlan is the sassy, headstrong photographer who makes firm statements about herself and her future--and then second guesses her own words and instincts (the contrivance with Quinlan waiting for the school's letter of invitation to come in the mail can be overlooked). As her new beau, David Keith is still being used as a substitute for Kurt Russell, yet his character's quiet strength (and his slow-building frustration and anger) shows him off to a fine advantage here. As the alternate couple, Dianne Wiest is a wonderful "born victim" who turns the tables, but Cliff De Young--while completely convincing as Wiest's repugnant husband--fails to come up with anything fresh (he's the eternal substitute for Dabney Coleman). Barely released by Warner Bros. in 1983, the film attained a small cult on cable and video, and it's a worthwhile film for fans of human drama. **1/2 from ****
Review of Independence Day
Independence Day
(1983)
"You'd better watch out for her...she usually gets what she wants."
17 August 2017