A West Texas Children's Story (2007)

Set in the 1960s, a magical tale of two 12-year-olds embarking on an adventure to find new, cool parents and escape their neglected, overly adult existence.

Director:

Brad Isaacs

Writer:

Brad Isaacs

Stars:

Cayden Boyd, Lara Flynn Boyle, Matthew Modine

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cayden Boyd	...	Ben Reynolds
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Ben's Mother
Matthew Modine	...	Ben's Father
Noah Grabowski	...	Ben at 2
J.D. Garfield	...	Father in Diner
Johnny Cotugno	...	Plumber (as John Cotugno)
Jeff Griffin	...	Roofer
Candace Campfield	...	Accountant
Mary Evans	...	Cassie's Mother
AnnaSophia Robb	...	Cassie Kennington
Mike Miller	...	Sheriff LeClaire (as Michael Miller)
Bill Allen	...	Cassie's Father (as William Lawrence Allen)
Michael Clark	...	Truck Driver #1
Boots Southerland	...	Truck Driver #2 (as Boots Sutherland)
Val Kilmer	...	Henderson

Storyline

In the 60's, in West Texas, twelve year-old Ben is a boy neglected by his parents. His mother is obsessed by the movie stars of Hollywood and every afternoon she goes to the movie theater, while his father spends his spare time building a boat. One night, there is a car wreck in front of Ben's parents dining where only the girl Cassie survives with a broken arm. Ben's parents lodges Cassie during her recovery and she becomes friend of Ben. Later the mature girl convinces Ben to travel with her to Baltimore, where her modern and liberal aunt and uncle live. They hitchhike through Arkansas, Kentucky and Virginia in a journey of friendship and discoveries until they reach Baltimore. Their adventure ends when Cassie has a breakdown and is interned in the Mercy Psychiatric Ward in Virginia and Ben joins the Military Academy in North Caroline to stay close to Cassie. But the girl had a plan for them and Ben gives his best effort to make her dream come true.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | alcoholic father | abusive father | sexual abuse | child abuse | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

A West Texas Children's Story

Filming Locations:

Mountainair, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thunder Bay Pictures,West Texas New Mexico Films,WolfGang Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The working title was "A West Texas Children's Story".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ben: [narrating] I'm just a kid, there's a lot I don't know. But one thing I do know, is that my folks should never have married. And they definitely should never had a kid.

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Soundtracks

Overall Boy
(uncredited)
Written By Ryan Howe and Mark Davis
Produced By Ryan Howeand Mark Davis
Played as theme song during end credit role

User Reviews

A Sweet and Touching Road Movie

In the 60's, in West Texas, twelve year-old Ben (Cayden Boyd) is a boy neglected by his parents. His mother (Lara Flynn Boyle) is obsessed by the movie stars of Hollywood and every afternoon she goes to the movie theater, while his father spends his spare time building a boat. One night, there is a car wreck in front of Ben's parents dining where only the girl Cassie (AnnaSophia Robb) survives with a broken arm. Ben's parents lodges Cassie during her recovery and she becomes friend of Ben. Later the mature girl convinces Ben to travel with her to Baltimore, where her modern and liberal aunt (Heather Graham) and uncle (Dylan McDermott) live. They hitchhike through Arkansas, Kentucky and Virginia in a journey of friendship and discoveries until they reach Baltimore. Their adventure ends when Cassie has a breakdown and is interned in the Mercy Psychiatric Ward in Virginia and Ben joins the Military Academy in North Caroline to stay close to Cassie. But the girl had a plan for them and Ben gives his best effort to make her dream come true.

One of these days I saw the trailer of "Have Dreams, Will Travel" and I liked it so much that I bought the DVD. I have just watched this sweet and touching road movie and I really loved the story, the screenplay, the performances and the direction. I do not know whether it is intentional or not, but there are many scenes of the camera against the light creating dark images that I did not like. AnnaSophia Robb is amazing, with another awesome performance in a complex role. Cayden Boyd is also fantastic in the difficult role of Ben. Val Kilmer has a minor participation, but I believe this is his best interpretation and role in the last years. The secret of Cassie is a heartbreaking moment in the plot and the conclusion is very beautiful. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Em Busca da Felicidade" ("Searching Happiness")