This TV movie made in 1985 is a remarkably well done summary of the plight of runaway kids, how it happens and what can be done to rescue them. The plot revolves around 15 year old Eric Roberts (Brandon Douglas) who is beginning to have normal but intense mid adolescent boundary clashes with his new step father Peter (David Ackroyd). After overhearing a conversation with him and his mom Sue (Joanna Cassidy), Eric steals money from her wallet and flees to New York on a bus from their suburban Philadelphia home.
Deftly dodging a pimp who hustles rent boys to pedophiles, he connects with a cool street smart black kid Slater (Larry Scott) in Times Square who, along with a 13 year old Hispanic boy Luis (Danny Nucci), housed with his single mother and younger sisters in emergency housing in Manhattan, become new drug mule recruits for a suave and savvy 20 something drug dealer called Otis (Howard Rollins Jr). These kids (mostly boys) are all deliberately chosen to be under 16 in case they are caught by police because they got off with just a warning.
Sue finds out Eric's travel movements from the bus station and travels to New York and seeks help from the Missing Persons Unit of the NYPD. She roams the streets distributing fliers with Eric's picture and details meanwhile Eric learns about tough life on the street after an initial period of euphoria. Her persistence pays off in time to rescue Eric from a potential bad drug dealer situation.
The complex issues of why kids run away from home are well covered. The adult actors were good - the child actors were superb particularly Douglas and Nucci. They were very authentic and having the child actors the age of their characters helped.
Deftly dodging a pimp who hustles rent boys to pedophiles, he connects with a cool street smart black kid Slater (Larry Scott) in Times Square who, along with a 13 year old Hispanic boy Luis (Danny Nucci), housed with his single mother and younger sisters in emergency housing in Manhattan, become new drug mule recruits for a suave and savvy 20 something drug dealer called Otis (Howard Rollins Jr). These kids (mostly boys) are all deliberately chosen to be under 16 in case they are caught by police because they got off with just a warning.
Sue finds out Eric's travel movements from the bus station and travels to New York and seeks help from the Missing Persons Unit of the NYPD. She roams the streets distributing fliers with Eric's picture and details meanwhile Eric learns about tough life on the street after an initial period of euphoria. Her persistence pays off in time to rescue Eric from a potential bad drug dealer situation.
The complex issues of why kids run away from home are well covered. The adult actors were good - the child actors were superb particularly Douglas and Nucci. They were very authentic and having the child actors the age of their characters helped.