TOUGHLOVE
US, 1985, 100 minutes, Colour.
Lee Remick, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie, Louise Latham, Jason Patric.
Directed by Glen Jordan.
ToughLove is an American telemovie of the mid-'80s with a social message for parents, alerting them to the problems of teenagers and the possibility of group support. The film is strongly anti-drugs.
It is typical of so many of the telemovies of the period, well made for a wide audience - in this case, especially, an affluent white audience. Lee Remick gives a sturdy performance as usual. Bruce Dern is very good as her schoolteacher husband who wants to ignore the problems and smooth them over. There is a good performance also by Piper Laurie as a worried mother - the film opens with her monologue about her problems. The film introduces Jason Patric (Solar Babies, Lost Boys). It is directed by Glenn Jordan, director of many telemovies including The Women's Room with Lee Remick, Les Miserables and feature films like Mass Appeal. The good message telemovie.
1.The impact of the film? Telemovie style? American situations? Universal? Problems?
2.The affluent settings, the homes, schools, the places where the teenagers hang out? The adult world, group support? Prisons? Musical score?
3.The style of the telemovie, the stars and the message, the domestic sequences, the drug sequences, the close-ups of characters in distress? Designed for a wide home audience?
4.The opening with Darlene: the close-up, her monologue about her problems and her relationship with her daughter? Arresting audience attention? Her work in the group, Kristin at home, their fights, complaints, the drugs, Kristin's friendship with Gary? Darlene and Jan and their friendship, sharing? Darlene and her strict rules with Kristin - especially threatening the selling of her clothes and possessions? Her death, her mother's grief, the funeral, Gary's absence and Scot giving him the news?
5.Jan and Rob and the ideal American home, their life and style, ordinary lifestyle, relationship with their sons, tension between themselves? Rob and his hopes for promotion? Jan and her caution, worrying about Gary? Observing the group, joining it? Rob and his resentment, not wanting to tell his story to strangers, considering these parents failures? His walking out? yet his having to return? Relying on group support? Buying the car for Gary? Favouring Gary, not favouring Scott? His having answers for the problems, bypassing the facts? Jan and her emotional concern? The behaviour of their son, going to the police station, the hospital for truth? Hearing the truth about Gary and drugs? Kristin? The meetings, Rob not getting his promotion because of his failure with his son? The group offering tough rules, their locking Gary out, letting him stay in jail for the 30 days, even during Thanksgiving? The stress on each? Jan and her emotional collapse? The couple with their son giving Gary the rules? His leaving, their worrying that they would never see him again? Tension, his return, throwing the drugs away, accepting the rules?
6.The portrait of Gary, the 17-year-old, background at school, friends? His relationship with Scott? Rivalry? His feeling bad, involved in the drug world, the drinks? Friendship with Kristin, the group, getting high, dangerous driving? Kristin's death? The reaction of his parents, their wanting him to go to therapy, the rules and his rejection of them? Going to jail and being left there, his desperate phone call? The return home, his leaving? Scott finding him out, telling him of Kristin's death? His decision to come home and abide by the rules?
7.The portrait of Scott, the younger son, not involved in the drugs, wanting to share his brother's life, the rivalry between them, feeling his parents ignoring him, overhearing their quarrels? His going to see Scott and challenging him?
8.Kristin, her friends, the drug group, their reckless behaviour, death wishes?
9.The couple from the group, the group work, the therapy? The rules? An interested couple with their reformed son, Gary's ignoring them? Finally abiding by the rules?
10.The principal, his friendship with Rob, not promoting him - the validity of the reasons? Hurting Rob?
11.The theme of drugs, self-hatred of teenagers, family love and discipline, making the right decisions about how hard to be - and the title of Tough Love?
