Jailbait (1993 Video) User Reviews

Not that impressed

[jazzjunkie · 3/10 · 24 April 2003]

I can not see the great film that others see. The story is stereotypical of movie about Hollywood. I must have been down there at the wrong times because I never saw all those nasty people there all the times I went down. Besides that the story was normal. Small town girl runs away looking for friend or others ends having no money and ends up working the streets. The main female char... does not work the streets but almost. The cop is a bit hard to take. It has the usual T & A but does it sparingly. All in all just OK. Nothing I would get again.

By the numbers, but still somewhat enjoyable.

[johnnymacbest · 5/10 · 26 October 2017]

Ever since I've saw the independent thriller film "Family" released way back in 2006, I've started to take an interest in Renee Humphrey's films. She's a talented actress, but in her earliest appearances in film, you can see how she's really grown throughout the years; here, she plays a young girl searching for her sister in a seedy part of Los Angeles. Let me tell you, out of all the films I've seen throughout the years, none have captured the grime, destitute, sleazy streets of Los Angeles so perfectly and you really get a sense of danger and uneasiness as the film goes along.

And speaking of the film, it's an enjoyable thriller, though nothing too special despite raving on the performances from the main cast. C Thomas Howell does an admirable job as a no-nonsense cop who gets tangled with the young girl and the journey is filled with twists and turns with all kinds of shady characters in seedy locales. Some questionable gaps in logic aside, it's their relationship with each other that really gets you hooked in, even if at times it becomes a bit formulaic. The final showdown between the cop and the high profile pimp is gripping, if not underwhelming, but for this nice little thriller, you can't go wrong. Worth a watch on a rainy day or to just past the time.

A rather enjoyable B-Movie

[FireEyedJune · 21 September 2003]

A B movie, but a pretty enjoyable one. Chock full of downtown L.A. cliches (hookers, thugs, junkies) and gratuitous nudity, but overall a better story and better acting than most movies of the sort. Renee Humphrey (also see "Mallrats" for her fun role as Trish) is very good, and C. Thomas Howell is much better than most reviews have said. Ah, remember those days when he starred in REAL movies? "The Outsiders", "Soul Man"? He seems to be slumming it here as much as his character. The two leads have enormous chemistry and the relationship presented here is surprisingly tender for this kind of film. As far as the supporting cast goes, the actor playing Roman is sufficiently creepy. In short: The film kept my interest even though I rolled my eyes a few times.

Entertaining Film

[whpratt1 · 1/10 · 25 January 2009]

This film is about a 17 year old named Kyle Bradley,(Renee Humphrey) who goes to the big city to find her half sister Merci who is a singer and she has the police after her for getting involved in a murder.

Kyle being a very young girl runs into all kinds of creeps who want to rape her and turn her in on the sex slave market. However, Kyle meets up with Sergeant Lee Teffler, (C Thomas Howell) who befriends her and gives her a place to live at his own pad.

Sgt. Lee finds out he is also looking for Merci and the plot thickens and Lee gets himself involved with a bunch of hoods who are cold blooded and love to kill and torture.

Sgt. Lee begins to fall in love with 17 year old Kyle and her age stops him from wanting to make love to her which causes many problems between the two of them. Entertaining film. Enjoy.

Surprisingly Good Acting For A "Straight To Video" Type Movie

[cosmicly · 7/10 · 28 March 2011]

Police, like doctors, are not supposed to let their personal feelings get involved with the people they serve. But sometimes there are human feelings so strong that they get in the way of professional rules and regulations. "Jailbait" revolves around the conflict that Detective Lee Teffler (C. Thomas Howell) experiences as he becomes the Knight In Shining Armor to a Midwestern girl (Renee Humphrey) who comes to Hollywood looking for her sister (Krista Errickson)--an aspiring singer who has become a hooker as well as a suspect in a murder case that Detective Teffler is investigating.

Another suspect in the murder case is Teffler's boyhood friend (David Labiosa) --they used to raise hell on the streets together-- who has taken a different path from the one chosen by Teffler. Rather than becoming a policeman like Teffler, his boyhood friend has become a cold, creepy, ruthless and sadistic criminal who specializes in white slavery.

The performances in "Jailbait" are surprisingly good for a "straight to video" type movie. Although not necessarily achieving Super Stardom, this is a group of actors worth watching for their talent, and for the heart that they put into their performances.

TRIVIA FANS may be interested to know that: 1) Krista Errickson went on to a distinguished career as a journalist and film maker.

2) Leslie Harter went on to get married to (and have 2 children with) "Back To The Future" director Bob Zemeckis.

Trashy b grader is addictive viewing fare

[videorama-759-859391 · 8/10 · 13 December 2013]

I must say a bad and clichéd film like this, manages to be very entertaining for a few reasons. 1- being cleavage, 2- being unintentionally funny- 3- C Thomas Howell who's descended into these B films, through no fault of his own. It's like he has to grin and take it. Not really caring about this film, through his on par performance, he plays cool super loner cop/once a street beggar for all of us to see. Streetwise as this films better known in Oz, doesn't have a bad story to it. A working girl has become a fugitive, after one of her tricks at a seedy motel, gets it in a sensitive region of his anatomy, a shock value scene in the investigation. She was seen leaving prior to the shooting, as she was tipped off by a slug of a character, dressed Hawaiian style, who likes to dog for the police. He mirrors sleazeball characters out of other vice films. Her younger sister, well played by Humphrey, acts tough on the outside, but who's scared on the inside, has just arrived at L.A, of course not knowing her beauty, is a pimp magnet. Her and Howell soon collide (yes they pash A little later) try to track her down (visions of Angel 3, I know) which has Howell visiting old haunts, a big player pimp, who uses his girls in sex tapes. This movie's an all so addictive watch. It's a prime example of how bad can be good. If a Howell fan, this demands your strict attention.

EXCELLENT

[bazdol · 4 March 2002]

Renne Humphrey does a nice job playing the role of Kyle the sexy seventeen year old runaway (she was nineteen at the time). She later appeared in "Sex Monster" as the lesbian lover of Meryl Hemmingway in the delightful sex farce. C. Thomas Howell is a little hard to take as the detective forcing off his attraction to her.

An Honest Review

[generationofswine · 10/10 · 12 January 2020]

This is one of those movies that really, honestly, and genuinely attempts to make a statement about something that, at least the writer, thought was important and needed to be said. Because of that, when you watch it, you do get the feeling that there was an honest to god attempt at something bigger. There was real emotion and heartfelt sincerity behind it.

So I'm giving it 10 out of 10 for effort. They wanted to say something about the horrors of life on the streets and on the street corners and they gave it their best shot. There is no way I can nay say that and feel comfortable. There was an attempt here, and you can tell.

But it suffers from low production values, and some of the actors saw it as a job, a paycheck, instead of something that could further their career, and the direction was... just god awful.

So, what you have here is a straight to video film with a script that honestly tries, and a director and producers that didn't cared less than the screen writers.

I never get tired of watching this movie.

[tom cody · 16 April 1999]

I have seen Jailbait more times than I can even remember. I am not exaggerating when I say that it has the greatest love story I have seen on film, and I never get tired of watching it. I can really sense the chemistry between Howell's character and Humphrey's character (as well as between Howell and Humphrey themselves) and I am more convinced every time I watch it that Howell's detective truly cares for Humphrey's runaway. It is a very inspiring film; it almost makes you want to do the same thing for some underprivileged youth, and makes you a little jealous if you have never had someone in your life that you can look after in such a noble way.