Surviving

Being a teenager isn't all sweetness and fun like in High School Musical; no, it's the time in a person's life when suicide is most likely to happen. Truthfully, older people moan a lot but grown-up problems --- except terminal illness --- are a piece of cake compared to being a teenager.

This telefilm is the best drama I've ever seen on the subject of teen suicide. It's Molly Ringwald's finest performance, absolutely.

I used to have this on VHS, but it got taped over. Too bad. I have no idea how you can see this great movie, but if you can find it do not miss the chance.

I found this movie while channel surfing the other night and since I'm a huge fan of Molly Ringwald, I decided to watch it. Well I was hooked instantly. It dealt with the very serious issue of teen suicide and how the families of the victims are affected. I found this movie absolutely fascinating and it wasn't over the top at all. Everyone in this film gave outstanding performances especially Molly and Paul Sorvino. By the last half hour of this movie I was crying hysterically and continued to for almost half an hour after it ended. It brought back so many of the feelings I had experienced in my early teens and found it very relateable. I highly reccomend this movie to anyone and can't wait until I can see it again!

Movies about suicide are certainly not going to be pleasant from the outset (and I know several people who refused to watch "Surviving" simply because of its theme), but I think viewers will find something special here. Ellen Burstyn plays a doctor's wife and mother of three who clouds her life with activity so that she can't see what's really going on; Marsha Mason is her friend in the neighborhood, a working mom who got fed-up a long time ago and can't muster the strength to care anymore. Their two eldest children (Zach Galligan and Molly Ringwald) are embarrassed by their parents, are convinced they are in love and wish to escape. The opening montage of family photos and the sad, wistful score is highly evocative (and all the shots of Ringwald are fascinating; she manages to convey depth of character even in still photographs). Mason has a more complex role than Burstyn, but Ellen (after coming out of her fog) has several strong scenes, particularly when berating her youngest son (River Phoenix) for taking sleeping pills ("How COULD you...how COULD you, Phillip?"). When Mason breaks down on her front lawn, it's tough not to cry right with her. "Surviving" doesn't tug at your heartstrings for effect (it's not "Love Story"); it earns your tears. The film was notoriously snubbed at Emmy time and got surprisingly low ratings; it's worth rediscovering. ***1/2 from ****

Excellant heartwrenching tearjerker about two teenagers in love. When they discover they cannot be together they do something that will affect their families for life. the two families must come together and help each other deal with their problems faced by what their children have done. Excellent acting, direction and a moving score. Recommended highly. Saw it a long time ago on tv. wish it was on video.

It's hard to describe much about the film without giving away key scenes, so I'll be brief and concentrate on other aspects. A suicidal teen (Ringwald) returns home after a botched attempt and falls in love with a neighbor boy (Galligan) whom she's known forever. She's having trouble readjusting while he discovers some unsettling things about his family and deals with pressure from his father concerning school. It seems all they have is each other and no one understands them except them, of course. Then after the expected scene of them caught in bed together, they are forbidden to visit again. This sends them reeling even more and leads to a harsh decision. The ads (when it's run on tv) or other plot synopsis might give away what they do, but I'll keep it hush here. Only other thing I can add is that the outcome to their action sends the film into a gripping emotional state for the rest of its duration. One of the most powerful scenes I've ever watched occurs on the front lawn with Mason, Sorvino and the two kids. If it doesn't grab ya and get the tears goin' (yes, it got me) then I don't know what would. The acting is just haunting, particularly Sorvino. Unfortunately after that, the film sags a bit, running out of juicy plot threads (except for one) and limps to its conclusion. Moments that follow divert between heart-wrenching to soap opera-ish and are slightly over acted. The highest mark for the film goes for the cast. A ton of well-known faces are featured, beginning with Galligan ("Gremlins"), everyone knows Molly ("Breakfast Club", "Sixteen Candles"), Burstyn ("The Exorcist"), Mason (most recently Frasier's dad's girlfriend on "Frasier"), Sorvino ("Goodfellas"), Phoenix ("Stand by Me"), O' Roarke (little girl from "Poltergeist"), and even the music is by James Horner ("Titanic"). He supplies a subtle clinking of a couple piano keys that's perfect. The few intolerable things: Galligan a bit hammy at times, plus he runs kinda girlish. And why is O'Roarke's voice dubbed? Even for a kid she had a long resume at that point, why dub her? And again, the ending drags a bit, which isn't helped by its lengthy running time. It's about 2 and half hours long, but was first aired over two nights years ago. The other night on Lifetime, they showed it one 3 hour block, so it could wear on you. That's if you can find out when it's on, it being a tv movie, you never know when it could pop up. But you'll be treated to great storytelling and a nice cast. I've always wondered how they got Ringwald to appear right in the middle of her stardom. The answer could be that Hunt Lowry, who produced some of her John Hughes films, produced here. The best of luck bumping into this on tv somewhere or maybe in the video store. Ranks behind "Firstborn" and "Shoot the Moon" as best family drama.