Tex (1982) User Reviews

Unpretentious coming of age story

[bandw · 7/10 · 7 April 2012]

The story is of two teenage brothers living together on a small property in Bixby, Oklahoma (a small town about twenty miles south of Tulsa). Tex (Matt Dillon) is the younger and Mason (Jim Metzler) is the older. Their mother is dead and their father rarely shows up. The brothers are doing everything they can to avoid the clutches of social services.

The dynamic of their relationship is one of frustration, love, and anger. Their lives are not easy and money is running out. To buy food and get the lights back on Mason is forced to sell Tex's horse and of course that infuriates Tex and he takes off in a rage. The poignant scene that has Mason drive his pickup along the road to coax Tex back is an early scene that establishes the tone of the relationship between the siblings.

It is not clear where this story will go. There are some moments along the way where it looks like Tex is going to take a very wrong turn when in the company of a drug dealing friend.

The young Dillon and Metzler carry the movie by their natural performances; the kids talk and act like most kids of their age did in that place and time (early 1980s). The fact that the movie was filmed on location in Bixby and Tulsa adds to the feeling of authenticity.

This movie does not go beyond the scope of being a simply-told, affecting tale and, within that scope, it delivers admirably. Some sentimentality creeps in toward the end, but for what it is I found this modest movie satisfying.

Tex is stuck in a rut

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 7 March 2018]

I first came across writer SE Hinton's work when the great Francis Ford Coppola adapted two of her books and made contrasting films. The Outsiders and Rumblefish. Both were released in 1983 having been shot back to back and both featured Matt Dillon.

A year earlier, Dillon starred as Tex, in this adaptation of a SE Hinton book made by Disney. It is not as memorable as the Coppola movies.

It is one of these coming of age dramas filled with teenage angst and Matt Dillon gives an early brat pack performance. Someone should had told him back then to do some comedy.

Tex is the younger of two brothers growing up on their own, the older brother cares for Tex. Their mother has died, their dad has walked out on them. Tex likes the sister of his best friend, their father does not like Tex hanging out with either of them.

Tex and his brother get to be heroes when they apprehend a villain on the run who initially holds them hostage. Later Tex gets involved with a drug dealing friend.

The film is a slice of life drama about young adults. It features some early brat packers, apart from Dillon it also has Emilio Estevez and Meg Tilly. It does feel a bit to contrived and cliched but also shows a direction that Disney were moving away from its family friendly roots.

Adult themes eliminated for Disney

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 10 September 2019]

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.

Charming

[tink-8 · 19 June 2002]

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.

Matt Dillon's cinematic S.E. Hinton trilogy begins

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 18 February 2007]

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.

Period Movie for the Early 80s

[pc95 · 6/10 · 24 June 2011]

Starring a very young Matt Dillon in one of his earliest main roles, "Tex" is a completely by-the-numbers movie. It trudges over cliché after cliché, but it's age and settings sort of let's you forgive it's generic feel. It's core development is a drama of brothers growing up together and looking out for one-another. I liked the movie for it's simplicity and charismatic performances from Dillon and especially Metzler who stood out as the anchor in movie. Conversations were honest and occasionally poignant. One of the better aspects of the movie is it's unmuddied reflection of Southern society and school in the early 80s. In this way it excels. Supporting cast are fairly good including also young Emilio Estevez and Meg Tilly. Overall it didn't surprise me that it was Disney.

An okay teenage drama confronting realistic problems

[hikerhetav · 6/10 · 9 September 2020]

Matt Dillon has acted wisely and quite good in this flick. A typical American indie film reflecting local people's stories from '70s-'80s . I expected a deeper snese of realism in here but it is not there. The one I can think of as a better option is Buffalo '66 and it does a really good job there. The very theme of parent-children disturbed relationships has not much depth in this. But looking forward to watch more Matt Dillon films.

Just as good as the book

[TopperHarley29 · 8/10 · 14 January 2013]

When I saw that Disney made this movie I was expecting it to be a toned down adaptation of S. E. Hinton's novel. Boy, I was wrong. This was one of Disney's more mature movies and had all the important stuff from the book. Even the drug deal that went wrong. The characters are just as likable as they were in the book which is good. It's too bad that this movie is forgotten. There was one review that called the movie version of That was Then... This is Now a gem and I would've agreed with that statement if it didn't have that crappy ending. This is the real gem out of all S. E. Hinton adaptations. If you ever find this movie somewhere, I recommend checking it out.

Not quite good enough, all in all

[r96sk · 6/10 · 15 September 2020]

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.

brat without a purpose

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 1 August 2015]

Tex McCormick (Matt Dillon) is a young delinquent living in the farming town of Bixby, Oklahoma with his older brother Mason. Mason is a basketball player who is looking for a scholarship in Indiana. They are struggling to pay the bills with their absentee father on the rodeo circuit. Mason is forced to sell Tex's horse. Tex is angry. His best friend is Johnny Collins (Emilio Estevez) and he likes Johnny's sister Jamie (Meg Tilly). Their father Cole Collins (Ben Johnson) tries to keep Tex from his kids. Tex and Mason picks up a hitchhiker but he turns out to be a violent fugitive. Mason deliberately crashes the truck and the fugitive is killed in a shootout. The brothers become media heroes and their father returns. A family revelation sends Tex over the edge.

Matt Dillon is playing Tex as an idiotic bratty teen. I don't remember much from the book since I read it some 30 years ago. There has to be a more appealing way to portray the character. Also the story is an overloaded melodrama. It may work in a book but it's problematic when a violent shootout is nothing more than a pit stop. It's a bit too overwrought.

He looks good in the cowboy hat...aside from that, not a whole lot happening

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 10 July 2010]

In her review for the New Yorker, film critic Pauline Kael quipped that the young actor Matt Dillon who stars in "Tex" possessed an extraordinarily natural grasp of acting. This may be true, although another comment from Kael--that Dillon had never played a role like this before--isn't altogether accurate. Tex McCormick is a rascally, down-home country kid, an Oklahoma high school student struggling to stay out of trouble after he and his brother are abandoned by their father, and the role feels like an expansion of Dillon's character from 1980's "Little Darlings". There are no surprises from this up-and-coming star, no revelations, and not a trace of personal substance on display. Dillon falls for the daughter of self-righteous Ben Johnson, who seemingly always plays self-righteous (no surprises from him, either). Johnson's way of acting is to pontificate clearly, as if he were making a speech in the town hall. This Disney drama, taken from S.E. Hinton's novel, is rather slow and fuzzy--and after an hour, the audience is still waiting for the plot to take shape. The rural locations are capably captured, but the drama inherent in the story of these two brothers lays flat. *1/2 from ****

One of my favorite movies

[bamomof6 · 10/10 · 16 September 2009]

This movie was filmed in my home town and my high school it is one of my favorite movies the actors really made the movie it is really strange to see you high school in a movie the school i went to is Bixby High School in Bixby Oklahoma its really nice to see how the town looked then and what it looks like today i have read all SE Hilton's books and watched all her movies Tex is got to be my all time favorite movies out of the all wish that they would make a remake of the movie to show where the characters are now in life thank you SE for all of your story lines they really get you into the story and make you cry with all the different scenarios

Its pretty much just like the book

[blu_cat_eyes · 10/10 · 6 July 2000]

Disney Pictures did a pretty good job on this movie. Matt Dillon played a really good Tex McCormick and the other actors and actresses were really good too. The movie was almost like the book except for little differences. The only thing i did not like were the cast members. Now! wait don't get me wrong they all did a wonderful job, but the only one that seemed to fit the description of the character as in the book was Matt Dillon. That dosen't really matter, its the movie not the book. So it should be different,and its a good movie. Just that you can't really rent it anywhere so you will probaly have to buy it. I had to.

BIXBY NOT Broken Arrow

[garnetavon19 · 9/10 · 5 July 2005]

This movie was not based in Broken Arrow it was based in Bixby Oklahoma it's a little ways aways from Broken Arrow. I grew up and went to school there and when they are eating in the cafeteria thats the art room this is a very good movie although I don't like the fact that all the Disney movies (with a few exceptions)one or more of the parents are gone. Why is this? Does anyone know? Tex is a good movie and the most of the landmarks that are in the movie are still there in Bixby and that little town is growing very quickly. If anyone has any questions I would love to answer them. I would recommend this movie to anyone living in the Bixby/Tulsa/Mounds area. Thank you

Great!

[ludi1us · 10/10 · 23 September 2007]

In the rough days of teen life trying to find where one belongs in relationship to one's self, family and friends and the need for change and breaking away.This movie portrays all of that with great care and fantastic acting by the entire cast.I highly recommend it. What a great film this was- there was good acting, a good script, unexpected moments of hilarity- and best of all this film stayed close to the book. Many of the characters' lines in the movie are directly from the book. If you are a fan of S.E. Hinton and her writings, you won't be disappointed by it. In my mind, "Tex" was even better than "The Outsiders," at least in terms of the movies. Matt Dillon is superb as Texas McCormick, a quiet, somewhat immature teenager living in Oklahoma, the usual setting for Hinton's books. There are few moments in the film (don't worry, I won't give them away) that were extremely funny. However, not only is the humor entertaining in the movie, but the drama is well done too. Tex faces changes at home, with his friends Johnny and Jamie, and at school, and the result makes for a captivating story line. The selection for the supporting cast is right on in almost every case- Jim Metzler plays Tex's brother Mason, who has to tend for his younger brother while also looking ahead to college and his own future. Emilio Estevez is Tex's spunky friend Johnny and Meg Tilly is Johnny's independent-minded sister Jamie, the object of Tex's affections. Even the filming and quality of the movie is not bad, considering that it was made two decades ago. The music is usually fitting in each scene, and the script came off sounding realistic and genuine. All in all, this is a movie well worth checking out. I think the only thing wrong with this movie is the rating it received; there's probably enough swearing in this movie to have earned it a PG-13 rating. Highly recommended.

An unfairly forgotten Disney produced drama, Tex adapts the S.E. Hinton novel in a way that presents a fascinating and frank coming-of-age character study

[IonicBreezeMachine · 8/10 · 3 September 2022]

In the small town of Bixby, Oklahoma, 16 year-old Texas "Tex" McCormick (Matt Dillon) is looked after by his 19 year-old college bound athlete brother Mason "Mace" McCormick as their father is often away for extended periods of time working the rodeo circuit leaving Mace as Tex's de-facto parent. As the two struggle to keep their heads above water they must contend with interpersonal drama, financial burdens, class disparity, and the possibility that Mace may leave while Tex will stay behind.

Tex is an adaptation the S. E. Hinton novel of the same name. Tim Hunter and his writing partner Charles S. Haas had come across the writings of Hinton while doing research for their 1979 teen drama Over the Edge and discovering that teens were reading Hinton's books such as The Outsiders. After coming into contact with Hinton's editor, the two learned of Tex and brought the project to Walt Disney Pictures due to the company's desire to branch off from their family friendly staple and dive into broader more mature skewing fare. Covering taboo topics such as teenage drug use and sex, Haas and Hunter experienced surprisingly little interference from Disney regarding the thematic elements present in the novel and the screen adaptation and were given mostly free reign to stick to the core material. Upon release the movie experienced solid acclaim from critics with many praising the film for its realism and down to earth approach to the issues covered in the film, despite warm critical reception the movie only performed modestly making $7.4 million against a $5 million budget due to Disney's marketing department uncertain as to how they should promote the film. Of the adaptations of S. E. Hinton's work the movie never tapped into the mainstream success of The Outsiders nor the endearing cult appeal of Rumble Fish and has been left largely by the cultural wayside despite it being the first S. E. Hinton adaptation to hit the market. It's really a shame the movie isn't better known because it's a solid character piece with a strong emotional core.

Like how Hunter and Haas tapped into the frustrated teenage landscape in Over the Edge, Tex presents a story of two young man who are forced to fend for themselves by circumstances such as an absentee father and a lack of any real opportunities in the rural town of Bixby and the disillusionment that breeds within those whose means are limited. The movie isn't really plot based as it's more a sequence of events that are tied together with Tex as the focal point with topics of personal sacrifice, teenage love, and scrapes with delinquency and danger that reveal more and more of his character as the film moves along. Matt Dillon gives a solid performance as Tex and he really embodies the frustration and disillusionment in the character. Mace is also well played by Jim Metzler who conveys the struggle of balancing his aspirations of obtaining a sports scholarship to Indiana while also providing his brother with at least some form of stability. The movie is rounded out by a strong supporting cast with Meg Tilly as Tex's prospective love interest Jamie, Francis Lee McCain as principal Mrs. Johnson who tries to focus Tex's delinquent behaviors into more constructive efforts, and Zeljko Ivanek has a memorable minor role as a hitchhiker who's brief stretch in the film is edge of your seat tense. The only criticism I can give Tex is maybe there's a few too many elements clamoring for attention as somethings feel like they could've benefitted from a deeper dive and there's also a fortune teller scene used to foreshadow character journeys that does feel a bit on the tropey side and calls attention to itself.

Tex is a solid teen film from Disney and even if it hadn't come from the company as an experiment in appealing to the teen demographic it would still be a solid film regardless. Dillon makes a solid lead as Tex and there's a solid ensemble backing him up as we go through a series of interesting episodes that test Tex's character and relationships with his family and friends. Solid recommendation if you haven't seen it.