Angel Dusted (1981 TV Movie) User Reviews

This is not the one

[mike-marchant · 9/10 · 25 August 2005]

While Helen Hunt uses Angle dust in this movie it is not the one where she jumps from the window. She jumps from the window after snorting Angel Dust in another after school special titled Desperate Lives. That being said this film still rules. While it is definitely not one of the finest or funniest of the After School Specials it still gets the job done.

Whether you are a cynic looking for a good laugh from a made for TV version of refer madness or if you just want to relive those halcyon afternoons of racing home from school to see what ABC would come up with next I would recommend this one as definite must see.

A troubled family

[jjnxn-1 · 9/10 · 2 June 2013]

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.

Without a doubt one of the best TV movies ever made.

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 25 November 2021]

Does PCP ever fully leave the body, or just alter the brain so it causes unpredictable behaviors? That's what loving parents Jean Stapleton and Arthur Hill need to discover about son John Putch in this serious drama where he smokes a joint laced with PCP and has a break down which changes the family's lives completely. Stapleton and Hill have different ways of dealing with the crisis, and mom Jean finds it's difficult keeping her career going while dealing with this family crisis. Hill's reaction causes problems that seem irreparable in the marriage even though that is a very subtle subplot (but an understandable one) of the film.

Putch (Stapleton's real life son) is chilling as the victim of one of the worst party drugs ever, and Stapleton and Hill are equally brilliant as the troubled parents. Helen Hunt, a future superstar, shows great potential as the younger sister. I am really surprised that this did not garner any Emmy nominations because it is brilliant in every way, so true to life and very scary. It shows how even this most seemingly happy of families and all of a sudden be thrust into crisis.

The horror in Stapleton's eyes seems genuinely more scary because it is her son acting out the issue, and she is not just your typical concerns mother. She really plays the part and make you forget about her sitcom TV and musical comedy past. Hill adds a ton of dimensions to the father, and a scene where the two of them discuss how their careers are being affected by this indicates a reality that many families will identify with when crisis like this hits. Truly shear perfection in every way that at times will have you wiping your eyes as the emotions of the situation hits.