Far from Home

Lightning/Vestron. Director Meiert Avis; Producer Donald P. Borchers; Screenplay Tommy Lee Wallace; Camera Paul Elliott; Editor Marc Grossman; Music Jonathan Elias; Art Director Victoria Paul

Matt Frewer
Drew Barrymore
Richard Masur
Karen Austin
Susan Tyrrell
Jennifer Tilly

The poorly scripted would-be thriller Far From Home is of note only as a transition film to adult roles for child actress Drew Barrymore.

Film is set in remote Banco, Nev, where Joleen (Barrymore), just turned 14, is stranded with no gas at a trailer park with her dad (Matt Frewer) on a vacation tour of national parks. A mad killer is offing people in the vicinity. Chief suspect is sinister youngster Jimmy Reed (Andras Jones), who tries to rape Barrymore by the local swimming hole.

Loaded with atmosphere, pic [from a story by Ted Gershin] suffers from first-film-itis for director Meiert Avis - a surplus of odd camera angles and poor pacing. It's not as campy as producer Donald Borcher's previous heavy-breather, Two Moon Junction, but often as silly with a roster of caricatures.

With a baby face, dreamy eyes and a playboy model's body, Barrymore is sexy but ill-used by a tawdry screenplay that has her volunteering to 'go for a swim' no matter how many deadly bodies pile up around her. Interestingly, pic was shot less than six months after her child's role in See You in the Morning. Standout in supporting cast is Richard Masur.

(Color) Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1989. Running time: 86 MIN.

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