I found this recently at a Gay site having never even heard of it. I do remember Scott Baio of course, from his many roles in American TV and movies. I was very surprised at how powerful Scott's acting was considering the fluff he is usually in. In contrast to the reviews here, I would say that it has a pretty positive spin in that (SPOILER) Alex's best friend Brad (ScottBaio) stands by him against some pretty tough pressure from teammates, the coach, his girlfriend AND his own father. I don't know how many high school kids would do that in real life. And frankly, I think everyone in that era would have turned against the lone Gay kid. I graduated from high school not too much before this movie was made and I can tell you it was exactly like this movie portrayed in the high school I went to. This was simultaneously a heartwarming and sad story, but I still highly recommend it. ********10/15/2014 I just watched this again last night. I also read all the reviews here. One mentioned there was an "INTERVENTION" when the Alex went to the Gay bar. NO it was not an intervention Keep in mind these are HIGH SCHOOL kids and Alex's father was worried. Plus Scott knew the bashers were going to the Gay bar to be amused. Another thing I noticed but didn't want to mention before, it is increasingly tiring how much the coach had to say to "Scott" and Alex about how much trouble they were causing by being themselves but only ONE comment to the actual cause of the troublemaker (the bigoted "Dutch") OMG how much like real life is that? Still for 1986 this was a masterpiece.
Review of The Truth About Alex
The Truth About Alex
(1986 TV Movie)
pretty positive considering the times
9 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers