Over the Edge (1979) Reviews

• Just the way it was

  aash-22000-12-29

  I first saw the movie when it opened in the spring of 1980, on a double bill with "Little Darlings". I ended up seeing it twice. I was the age of the kids in the film at the time, and my bull***t detector didn't go off once during the course of watching this film. The kids were real, the words natural and unaffected, and the whole thing about the boredom that is so prevailing when you're a teenager was right on the money. I remember as I watched the movie thinking that the clothes the kids were wearing looked worn just enough, like they had come out of the actors' own closets. Matt Dillon's first movie - I read that he auditioned for the part as something to do while he skipped school for a day. He reminded me utterly of my then high school boyfriend, right down to the voice, clothes and cocky attitude. The music was exactly what me and all my friends were listening to - Cheap Trick (the earlier, not-played-on-the-radio songs) and the Cars. Ok, so perhaps it was a little unrealistic at parts, and the soundtrack could have done without the Valerie Carter song, but wow, what a great little movie. Rent a copy, go home, slap it in your vcr, and get out your bong and a couple of beers. You won't be dissapointed, not even a little bit.

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• A teen movie that gets it right!

  JeffG.1999-08-30

  I generally dislike teen movies. Mainly because they're so unrealistic, romanticized versions of high school and teen life. Usually featuring a bunch of stereotypes and some dumb, superficial plot. "Over the Edge," hovever, is one of the few teen movies that actually gets it right. The movie focuses on a bunch of teens living in the boring, lifeless town of New Granada. A place with with nothing to do. No mall, no movie theaters, not even a fast food place. Nothing to give them somewhere to go or something to do. The adults in the movie can't be bothered with them and are more interested in bringing people into New Granada and developing the town rather than meet the needs of the town's youth. This makes the teens restless and bored and they resort to drugs, guns and crime to keep them occupied. The also misbehave in school and frustrate their teachers. The local authorities try setting up a curfew, holding meetings and assemblies, and even shut down the local recreation center which provided the teens the only place they can go for fun and social contact. All the while overlooking the real source of the problem. The local sherrif who occasionally harasses the kids (often unfairly) only adds to the problem. The frustration finally builds and builds until the movie's destructive climax. Based on a true incident, "Over the Edge" is a film which, unlike most teen movies, deals with more weighty topics than who's taking who to the prom. This is a much more realistic portrayal of teen life than "Sixteen Candles" or "Can't Hardly Wait." While the movie brings its message across, it does so without comming across as preachy. I'm also amazed at how prophetic this movie ended up being, gieven the recent shootings at Littleton. The nation's media and politicians put the blame on the entertainment industry (movies, TV, videogames, etc.) and are overlooking the real cause of what happened. This is very much like the adults in "Over the Edge." Closing down the rec center and setting up a curfew didn't make the problem go away because they had nothing to do with the cause of the problem. In fact, they just made things worse. "Over the Edge" is a well made and underrated film that sadly rings just as true now as it did in 1979. The next time someone tells you that "The Breakfast Club" is the greatest teen movie ever, show them this movie and set them straight.

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• The way the 70's REALLY were!

  plotrow2006-08-26

  The kids are not all right in New Granada! This film very accurately portrays what life was really like for many teenagers who lived in the suburbs during the 1970s. Growing up, my own life was very much like those of the teens in this movie: I was a teenager in the mid-70s and I lived in exactly the same sort of constantly under-development, suburban wasteland where whole mobs of kids were pretty much left to their own devices by parents who were too busy chasing the American Dream to notice what we were really up to; a place where there was easy access to lots and lots of cheap drugs and alcohol, and where boredom reigned supreme (remember, these were the days before the Internet, VCRs, or even home video games). If you were ever rebellious and grew up during the same time period and in the same sort of suburban community, then I guarantee that virtually every character in this movie will remind you of someone you knew back then (maybe even yourself!).

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• Reality

  haildevilman2006-10-15

  This was a teen movie that wasn't a 'teen' movie. The best thing about this was how it showed that the parents imagined need to raise their kids in a sanitized environment can lead to mind-numbing boredom. Then to petty crime. Then to worse. But at the same time, the kids weren't made out to be these confused little angels either. You sympathized with them while knowing they needed to take responsibility. Matt Dillion's debut is also his best film. Most of the young actors were inexperienced. Some of them haven't been seen since. But they all still did a HELL of a job. Why isn't Michael Kramer better known? He was brilliant. The one complaint I can come up with was some of the parents emotional overacting. Great film though.

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• I was an extra in this film...

  dutch-5-7411952011-03-21

  John Evens Jr. High School in Greeley Colorado had a casting call prior to the filming for extras. If I remember right we got 25 dollars for each days work and we got fed. Greeley was pretty much the perfect place for this movie. There was a huge teen violence problem there. even at age 12 I carried a pistol and roamed the city at will with other kids fearing attack from gangs of older teens. Drugs were everywhere. The movie captured all that stupidity plus the Apathy and ignorance of the adults. I loved the scenes where we rioted in the Circus tent styled John Evens Jr. High School......made it hard to attend class the following year. History has proved that the film makers knew what kind of society America would become...Cookie cutter homes,strip malls and teen murderers......Art predicts life.

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