Made at a time when such things as drug abuse, casual or chronic, were not discussed openly and we were blessedly not confronted daily with the reality show dregs of humanity, this film examines a very real problem.
The story of a favored son whose well meaning parents put more pressure on him than they realize to succeed and the way he tries to cope with the stress. Not just the story of someone with a problem this shows how a family has to learn to rework years of structured life and come to an understanding of each other. Full of quality work from all, John Putch playing son to his real life mother Jean Stapleton is excellent in the lead and Arthur Hill wonderful as his father. But it's really Jean Stapleton who drives this film with her powerful work as a mother who has tried her best and now must struggle to understand how sometimes even that is not enough. Worth the time to seek out.
The story of a favored son whose well meaning parents put more pressure on him than they realize to succeed and the way he tries to cope with the stress. Not just the story of someone with a problem this shows how a family has to learn to rework years of structured life and come to an understanding of each other. Full of quality work from all, John Putch playing son to his real life mother Jean Stapleton is excellent in the lead and Arthur Hill wonderful as his father. But it's really Jean Stapleton who drives this film with her powerful work as a mother who has tried her best and now must struggle to understand how sometimes even that is not enough. Worth the time to seek out.