BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Woodyanders Jodie Foster, Cherie Currie (the former lead singer of the seminal all-girl rock group the Runaways in her remarkably able acting debut), Marilyn Kagan, and Kandice Stroh are uniformly believable, splendid and touching as the titular quartet, who are a tight-knit clique of troubled, fiercely loyal adolescent girls with negligent, uncaring, self-absorbed parents who do their best to grow up and fend for themselves in the affluent San Fernando Valley, California suburbs. The girls are forced to make serious decisions about sex, drugs, alcohol, commitment, and so on at a tender young age when they're not fully prepared to completely own up to the potentially harmful consequences of said decisions. Foster, giving one of her most perceptive, affecting and underrated performances to date, is basically the group's den mother who presides over the well-being of both herself and the others; she's especially concerned about the good-hearted, but reckless and self-destructive Currie, whose carelessly hedonistic lifestyle makes her likely to meet an untimely end.This picture offers a poignant, insightful, often devastatingly credible and thoroughly absorbing examination of broken, dysfunctional families which exist directly underneath suburbia's neatly manicured surface and the tragic net result of such families: tough, resilient, but unhappy and vulnerable kids who have to confront the trials and tribulations of growing up on their own because their parents are either too inconsiderate or even nonexistent. Adrian ("Fatal Attraction," "Jacob's Ladder") Lyne's direction is both sturdy and observant while Gerald Ayres' script is somewhat messy and rambling, but overall still accurate in its frank, gritty, unsentimental depiction of your average latchkey kid's nerve-wrackingly chaotic, capricious and unpredictable everyday life. Leon Bijou's soft, dewy, almost pastoral cinematography properly suggests a delicate and easily breakable sense of tranquility and innocence. Giorgio Moroder arranged the excellent score, which makes particularly effective use of Donna Summer's elegiac "On the Radio." The top-notch cast includes Sally Kellerman as Foster's neurotic, insecure, peevish mother, Scott Baio as a sweet skateboarder dude, Randy Quaid as Kagan's rich older boyfriend, British 60's pop singer Adam Faith as Foster's feckless, absentee rock promoter father, and Lois Smith as Kagan's smothering, overprotective mother. Appearing in brief bits are Robert Romanus (Mike Damone "Fast Times at Richmont High") as one of Foster's morose ex-boyfriends and a gawky, braces-wearing Laura Dern as an obnoxious party crasher. Achingly authentic, engrossing and deeply moving (Currie's grim ultimate fate is very heart-breaking), "Foxes" is quite simply one of the most unsung and under-appreciated teen movies made about early 80's adolescence.

Elswet This work is striking in its accurate depiction of teenage life at the time of its execution. Though this is a broad generalization, parents of that time were too self-absorbed to be real parents, and those who were home tended to be far too distracted from the real issues, where their children were concerned. This film teaches us how to let go, even when it is painful, and does so with a sweet, melancholy, but informed style whereby Foster talks philosophically about feeling the pain of life. I loved that scene. It was my favorite scene in the movie, actually.The transition from funeral to wedding was meant to show that life does go on, and so must we. Baio's skateboarding through a pack of goons and outrunning them was meant to show us that the troubled times will pass, and we are meant to get through them, to better times.The whole metaphor of "moving on," and the procession of life, is present throughout the film, and serves to give us hope, in the end.I like this movie, though I do not watch it often, as it tends to make me melancholy.It shouldn't be viewed by young children, and probably only those raised in the 1970's-80's would want to.It rates a 7.4/10 from...the Fiend :.

TOMASBBloodhound What is it about young people that makes every generation of them seem like they are out of control? Foxes is a poignant and depressing look at the lives of four teenage girls in Los Angeles circa 1979. The film would seem to point the finger at poor parenting as the cause of most of the turmoil these girls face. Indeed, the parents we are introduced to leave a lot to be desired. They are either overbearing, abusive, or uninvolved with their children. Is it any wonder the girls often sleep together in the same bed like a pack of foxes. The four main characters seem to be their own family unit. One that is more reliable and supportive than the families that have spawned them.Jodie Foster plays Jeanie who appears to be the main character. Her mother (Sally Kellerman) is a forty-ish college student who seems to shack up with lesser men. She is still obviously trying to live out a childhood that perhaps was taken from her by an early pregnancy. In one interesting scene, Jeanie's mother lashes out at her daughter in a fit of jealousy. It appears her daughter and her friends have better bodies now, and that must be hard for a sexually active single mom to take. At one point, Jeanie's mom moves out and Jeanie is left alone. Her father appears to be some sort of manager for a rock group who is always on the road. This is perhaps an element of the original script where the four young ladies were supposed to be a rock group. Jeanie's friends are also troubled in one way or another. We have a drug-addicted friend who is always on the run from her abusive cop-father. Another is virginal until she hooks up with an older man (Randy Quaid) and the two somehow fall in love. Another is a manipulative sexpot who likes to get boys fighting over her. All in all, these women are bound for trouble from the very beginning of the film. And trouble becomes tragedy by the time the credits roll.Foxes is not a bad film, but there are problems with it. The film is really minimalist in terms of story and characterization, but maybe that was what they were going for. The final draft looks like it had undergone quite a bit of re-writing. Technically, the film is too dark, and some of the post-dubbing is poorly synchronized with the characters lip movements. The "On the Radio" song from Donna Summer is played constantly. It seems out of place with some of the scenes that feature it. When it works best are times when it is stripped down to somber piano notes in the quieter scenes. Scott Baio's character seems tacked on and useless.If you were a teenager back then, I'm sure it will ring more true than if you're a casual viewer. It kind of reminds me of the Smashing Pumkins song about 1979 and all the kids with their nihilistic attitudes. Foxes is not inspiring. It should serve as a warning shot to parents about keeping better track of their kids. Teenagers these days are every bit as at risk. Maybe more! 6 of 10 stars.The Hound.

curvesforwomen As I reach the "backside" of 35 I find myself shaking my head more and more at the sex crazed, drug influenced teens of today. It was great to be reminded that it was just as crazy for me back in my day as it is for teens today. This film drives that point home to the core. If you are a late 70's fan you'll love the film. From KISS-posters to an Angel concert this movie rocks ! Watch for a young Laura Dern. Why they didn't have more songs from the Runaways I'll never know ? I did have a problem with Randy Quaid's character deflowering a 16 year old girl. While he was away she and her friends have a party that destroys dude's house. The cops come and everything but no mention of all the underage drinking and how these kids got their hands on this stuff.Foxes belongs right there with Over the Edge, Fast Times, Dazed & Confused, and Kids as one of the all time teen angst flicks.I say buy it and watch it with your kids and talk about it all.