Desperate Lives

1982 "Who's killing young kids with drugs and crime?"
5.6| 1h36m| en
Details

A brother and sister get caught up in the drug scene in their local high school, with tragic results.

Director

Producted By

Lorimar Productions

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Reviews

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting
Beanbioca As Good As It Gets
Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
wifenlaw OK so the whole point was Nancy's Just Say No crap which didn't work any better than todays cigarettes is drugs crap that makes me want to smack the child with the snotty attitude that it's coming from. But my main two images are Helens swan dive and Tricia looking thru the steering wheel.. its SO prettttttyyyyyyyy... to this day still use that line with this movie's image in mind. I think of this movie often in life, partly for the guy in my HS who jumped out the second story classroom to spend his remaining days in a wheel chair, and "weeeeeeeee! " Down the side of the cliff... The rest of it is classic afterschoolspecial Cheesy drama class acting, shoot my middle schoolers drama performances are way better that those in this movie. . I still love this movie. Good try Nancy! It stuck with me, but didn't help me just say no...
johnny cook In addition to the synopsis Rick Springfield sang the title track.I remember this movie from my child hood and it deeply affected my understanding of hard drugs. When I was born DARE wasn't really as prominent because it lacked organization. I think due to this School related Drug education seemed to me more influential than prohibitive but this movie affected me toward the contrary.The Synopsis is that a life devoted or sidetracked to drugs is a life that will have a notorious end.It did have a message strong enough to have a lasting impact on then my still developing intellect.
style-2 This was Diana's first movie after Mommie Dearest, and it was fairly brave, at the time, for a TV movie. Yes, it's a bit of a mess, but it certainly deals with a messy subject -- one that can be dealt with any number of ways. When the students at an assembly, and Diana Scarwid goes around to their lockers with a shopping cart, it is an absolute scream. When she finally confronts the students, she is foaming with righteous anger and chews up the scenery like no other actress before her. When they burn all the contraband and the students begin to add their own stashes to the bonfire, Scarwid is victorious. GREAT performance in a campy movie...
jennacea I watched this movie back when it first came out on cable I believe . And I loved it . I have since tried to find it to rent or even buy but I never find it. I could always remember Helen Hunt ( she made quite an impression) but always thought the brother was played by Christian Slater.I believe that this is a movie I could watch over and over and still enjoy it. The closing scene in the pep rally was so intense that for say 15 or 20 years it has stuck with me. I as a mother would actually like to get a copy to show to my own children. This movie reminds me of a time when movies had plots and weren't always raunchy with over rated sex scenes. Defiantly a movie to watch if you have teenagers. And as a teenager myself a few years back , who grew up in a small town , it wasn't all that unrealistic to see the drug use in small town America. And I believe today this movie would still have an extreme impact on teen viewers. Two thumbs way up and 10 stars .