Drew Barrymore must have been about 13 when she made this during her career revival (after she had put her much-publicized substance abuse issues behind her), but she looks much more mature.This was the first movie I ever say Anthony Rapp in and he was excellent. He's got to be one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood today, if not THE most underrated, and his chemistry with Barrymore was pretty good. Matt Frewer turns in a good "Dad" role. The acting is pretty good on all counts, and it's creepy enough to watch once or twice, with a great "Whodunit" kind of twist between various characters. Cool scenes shot in a run-down camp trailer park, in an incomplete building, etc.
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matlock-628 April 2000
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Pookyiscute23 June 2006This is the kind of film, that from the very beginning, you can tell right away, not to expect much. However, it does surprise one. It has it's moments of being really terrible (one scene in particular, with the land lady of the trailer park), and other times, where it involves you in the story really well.
I almost turned it off not quite half-way through, because it was so bad, but after the first murder arises, the film picks up, and you start to suspect who the murderer might be. Although, I'm a movie buff, I hardly think it was such a surprise by the end of the film who the murderer ends up being. It's not the most well-written script, but like I said, it does get you involved in the story, and that's the whole point really.
Drew Barrymore, in one of her younger roles, plays a fourteen year old, who's on a road trip for the summer with her father. Her parents are divorced, and is looking forward to going home the next day, from which the film starts, to celebrate her fourteenth birthday with her mother. Unfortunately, they are stranded in the depths of the Nevada desert, without any gas for their car, and end up sheltering at a trailer park, run by a wicked woman, with two very strange children. One, is a dark and mysterious boy whom Barrymore's character grows interested in, however is warned by more than just her father to stay away from him.
The film may be too slow for some, but I thought it was alright. I was able to watch it all the way through, which is more than I can say for a lot of films. This, being the type that it is, really isn't all that bad, and if you're a big Drew Barrymore fan, you should check it out. I think you'll also find a different role for Anthony Rapp in this as well, who is really good.
If you're interested check it out, however don't spend a large amount of money buying or renting it. It's not worth it, for the quality of film it is. -
CyMaddux9 January 2006Fair thriller about a father/daughter tandem that gets stranded in a trailer park due to the lack of gasoline. Berrymore does an average job, the best acting probably on behalf of Pinky Sears. If nothing else, the story is just good enough to keep you tuned in and it sure doesn't hurt when you have two of the hottest females in Berrymore, and more so in Tilly, who I cant believe is 31 in this movie! she looks so fine. I wish Jennifer Tilly would have done some films before she got so old, but she still looks pretty fine in this movie. I have to give it a 5 because its just that- average.. and I laugh at the 54 people that gave this a "10" no way in hell.
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SnipChop878 March 2006MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
This movie is by no means an excellent film. It's about a young girl and her father (Drew Barrymore, Matt Frewer) traveling through the American desert. Like a lot of horror/thrillers have done before, their car runs out of gas in the middle of a trailer park. There, Barrymore and Frewer rent a ramshackle camper to stay in until they find some gas. Unforatnatly for them, a killer is on the loose, who seems to be obsessed with Barrymore.In the midst of these murders, Barrymore meets and falls a handsome and mysterious young man named Jimmy (Andreas Jones) and befriends a young geeky kid named Pinky (Anthony Rapp). Soon after she discovers than one of the boys may be the demented killer.
I watched this movie awhile back on cable, mainly because there was nothing better to watch. Although it was interesting and fun, it just lacks something that would make it a classic. Drew Barrymore, as always, shines in this movie as the film's heroine and Andreas Jones is perfect as the charming yet creepy young man who catches the eye of young Barrymore. I recommend it for someone who is a Drew fan or a fan of cheap horror films. Other than that, don't expect much. -
AnneSLReid2 January 2002Admittedly, this film did not deserve a place in the Oscars, but for an average thriller it is watchable.
Pic centres on a young girl just entering adolescence and interested in what every teenage girl is interested in - boys! It is her naivety and inexperience which lands her in trouble. Barrymore is generally good as the confused and lonely angst-ridden teenager, and is sometimes quite realistic in her scenes with Matt Frewer. As a teenager when I saw this a few years ago, I certainly could relate to her and her ineptitude with boys, but now it's just another coming-of-age film with a weak murder plot. Jones was convincing as the ice-cold lust figure for Barrymore, but we never saw enough of him and his character was too rigid. Girls will like him - especially in a wet T-Shirt (Barrymore isn't the only one!)
Nevertheless, some good acting and not a bad film overall, particularly from the women like Susan Tyrrell and Karen Austin, who seem to hold it together better than the men! -
**SPOILERS** On the open road going back to L.A from a trip that covered the entire southwest Charlie and his soon to be 14 year-old daughter Joleen, Matt Frewer & Drew Barrymore, end up in the little and isolated Navada town of Banco out of gas and out of luck.
With the local gas station dry and no deliveries expected the Charlie & Joleen step right into a serial killer on the looses who's eying young Joleen with a weird love-at-first-sight obsession. The killings start as soon as Charlie and Joleen arrive in town with the local food-mart manager found dead in his store with his brains blown out. It turns out later that the killer has this psycho-like fixation that leads to his murderous rampage during the movie. It's Joleen who somehow, without her knowledge, gets to keep those feeling submerged by replacing the love and affection that his mother is no longer able to give him.
Drew Barrymore's in what is considered to be her first adult role, even though she was 13 at the time,is much better the you would have expected as the sweet and naive Joleen. Joleen with the killer, after he's revealed to the audience, for the last half hour of the movie with her dad Charlie and the local Sheriff Bill Childers, Dick Miller, leaving her alone with him thinking that they have the real killer in custody.
Alone and together the killer plays a strange and deadly cat-and-mouse game with the unsuspecting Joleen who's so in love with him that she wants to stay and doesn't want to leave town and go back home to L.A. Were given the usual suspects in the film to who the murderer really is and as usual he's the one thats the least likely of the bunch. The movie "Far From home" is very slow moving until the final sequence but it's doesn't lag or drag itself along. It's nicely paced without an overabundant supply of blood gore and victims like most slasher-like films, like itself, were back then in the 1970's and 1980's.
Chasing Joleen up this TV tower the killer is finally shot and killed by one of the locals in town Duckett ,Richard Masur, as he fell to his death on top of a large satellite dish. We get an explanation to the deceased murderers mindset by Duckett that ties up a lot of the loose ends in the movie. There's nothing really great about the film, unless your a Drew Barrymore fan,but it does hold your interest and the acting is a cut above what you would expect in a movie like "Far from Home". -
Matthew_Capitano26 January 20155 stars. . . . all for beautiful and talented Susan Tyrrell whose perfect and funny portrayal of a trailer trash mom steals the show.
Even Drew Barrymore's little bikini scene doesn't save this light scare-fest from expected oblivion, but the film is redeemed whenever Susan is on-screen, especially during the scenes that involve the 'loving' home-life she provides for her two rotten kids. Richard Masur is cool as an ascetic desert rat, but a wet mop would have fared better than Matt Frewer (of 'Max Headroom' notoriety) as Drew's goofy father.
Contemporary B-film which doesn't quite deliver the thrills, but stands as one to check out just to see Susan Tyrrell call her daughter to the evening meal by yelling "Dinnertime!" right into her ear at close range. . . . fish sticks, anyone? -
lost-in-limbo1 January 2012Twisted, little small-scale psycho suspense thriller sees father and daughter Charlie and Joleen stranded in a small desert community with an empty gas tank, so they end up staying in a nearby trailer park in their quest to find fuel to get back to L.A. There Joleen meets a real shady teenager Jimmy (played with brooding confidence by Andras Jones) and sexual attraction brews, but there's danger about due to a constant spade of murders in the town and the rebellious Jimmy (who brings it upon himself) looks like the main suspect. Think of "U-turn" crossed "Psycho" and you have your dark story, as its quite predictable but it's the eccentric characters and their interactions in the trailer park that make it rather entertaining. That's goes for a likable Richard Masur and especially Susan Tyrell's despicable commanding character. Drew Barrymore (who was only 14 years old) engagingly impresses with her turn (where sexual awakening comes into play and at time when where wearing three watches was a fashion statement) and Matt Frewer is convincing as her tired father. Karen Austin and the lovable Jennifer Tilly are also stuck travellers. Plus showing up is cult-favourite Dick Millar in a throwaway part as the town's sheriff. The plot is a mixed bag of sorts in how it wants to play out, where the first half is better constructed (kind of eerie) and the second half becomes your standard psycho on the loose, but the climax is well staged and the backdrop ominously sticks out. Gladly the script keeps it quite punchy and its impulsively off-the-wall nature can have an explosive edge.
"God I love the desert." -
jhaggardjr18 November 2001"Far from Home" is a stupid mystery thriller starring Drew Barrymore as a sexy teenager who's stranded, along with her father, in a trailer park being stalked by an unknown killer. A good cast wastes their considerable talents in this mess which didn't involve me from start to finish. It's neither scary or thrilling. It is interesting to watch Barrymore in her first grownup role, but she should have selected a better script than this.
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lharmon13 March 2000The film was good, but would have been much better if there was more of the woman in the trailer. She was the best thing in the whole movie! She kept us all wanting for more. Perhaps she might have played the Drew Barrymore part?
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alan_wyper5 December 2007Ah the curse of insomnia compels me to watch yet another crappy late night movie on the goggle-box.
Horny teen Drew Barrymore and her dishevelled looking dad, run out of gas in the Nevada desert and wind up stuck in a godforsaken town / trailer-park. According to the sign the population is 132, every one of them a stereotype.
As luck would have it father and daughter have arrived just in time for a spate of murders. However, any interest that might arise from these slayings is soon curtailed by the fact that you can guess who the killer is almost straightaway.
Meantime, dad keeps searching for someone / anyone with gas to sell, while Drew attracts the attentions of the local bad boy by wandering around in her swimsuit. And for a fourteen year old she certainly fills out a bikini top disturbingly well.
Of course it all ends as it began - predictably. But at least I managed to get some sleep afterwards. -
eric-14428 March 1999Drew Barrymore stars with Matt Frewer, Jennifer Tilly, Susan Tyrell and Richard MASur in this murder mystery. Barrymore and her father Frewer are stranded at a trailer park owned by Tyrell. They make friends with Tilly and her mother while someone is stalking them one by one. You can probably guess who's doing it but that doesn't take out the suspense or the one liners. Recommended
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LW-0885423 December 2023A surprisingly dark and adult story which is sort of a Neo western murder mystery thriller. The film has an uneasy edge to it, its surprisingly frank and gruesome in places, quite menacing, it all looks good too, effects are done practically, the hot desert like location provides a great sense of isolation from safety and civilisation. Drew Barrmore is also really good in the film and there's a real sense of danger to it which she herself can't help but be drawn into. The script has enough twists and turns also to keep you interested. I'm surprised by the bad reviews, if the film makes you uncomfortable that's perhaps because it's meant to.
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Matt Frewer and Drew Barrymore, plus 1989 Jennifer Tilly -- and Susan Tyrrell too? Gotta see this!
I liked the first half or so of this one pretty well. It jumps right into the quintessential creepy small town in the middle of nowhere right off the bat, but we quickly discover that the people here are tongue-in-cheek stereotypes and give us some surprising laughs. So we have a movie that's a cross between a dark comedy and a low-budget suspense/horror movie. Oh, plus jailbait Drew in a 2-piece and other skimpy clothes. She's an adult *now*, so... that makes it OK... right???!? Eek.
Anyway, among others, Susan "acquired taste" Tyrrell is in fine form here; she made me laugh out loud several times. I think the director was having some fun in a few of her scenes. I know I was! The whole cast does fine. In most ways the movie is competently-enough made. There are some good moments here. However, in the end, the quirky mix of horror and dark comedy which starts us off with such promise loses out to a traditional horror third act, leaving the comedy out. I felt that the movie let me down at that stage.
It's still a watchable movie, but it misses being a great movie (at least for a B movie) by changing formula horses in mid-stream. As a result I can only give it a 5.
For the record, I hope Hollywood can let kids be kids and not sexualize 13-year-olds in the future. As much as I roll my eyes when a 23-year-old plays a high schooler, there is something worse, and that's putting a kid in front of a camera and inviting us to view her as a sex object. Drew played this role well, and she seems to have grown into a really attractive and healthy adult lately, so I guess there's no reason to go on a warpath over this now. Still, I was uncomfortable watching some of these scenes. Yes, she had a great body, but she was 13 (or maybe 14)! Come on.
In spite of the flaws, if you like off-beat movies (or Drew Barrymore), you will probably find this worth watching, especially prior to the third act. -
mcfly-3128 November 1999Im only one year younger than Drew Barrymore and if teenage boys are anything like I was a few years ago then she will certainly catch eyes with this flick. Though only 14 here, she sports the body of a 20 year old, which is clearly visible in her bathing suit and wet t-shirt scenes, but there is a plot here, too. Shes traveling with her dad through an extremely baron portion of Arizona with no gas left. They stop in some crapola trailer park and take a rental from the trashy Tyrell, in a perfectly grungy performance. Some mini mart dudes been killed, and during the next day and night we get POV (point of view) shots of the killer as he offs residents of the small area. We get some decent mystery of who it might be, though some may solve it quicker than others. The cast is also suprisingly good for a low grade pic, with Drew, Frewer, Tilly, and Masur. Rapp is thrown in as a nerdy crush, with Jones the bad boy who lusts for Drew. And some great middle of nowhere atmosphere, as the desolation is nicely photographed. Dust swirls and tons of empty surrounding land are a good touch. But mostly on display here is Drew, and those of the male persuasion shouldnt be disappointed.
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SnoopyStyle14 April 2015L.A. writer Charlie Cox (Matt Frewer) and his restless daughter Joleen (Drew Barrymore) are driving home after a cross country trip of the national parks. She's turning 14 and can't wait to return home. They stop at the small desert town of Banco, Nevada. Gas station owner Ducket (Richard Masur) has no gas and Joleen encounters local Jimmy Reed. Sheriff Bill Childers (Dick Miller) is investigating a murder at the store and tells them to go to the nearby Palomino Guest Ranch and Trailer Park. It is owned by the hard Agnes Reed with her bad boy son Jimmy and bratty Sissy. There are Louise (Karen Austin) and Amy (Jennifer Tilly) at the park. Also there is nice boy Pinky Sears.
After her childhood success, a young Drew Barrymore is trying to continue with some jailbait roles culminating in 'Poison Ivy'. This could be a tense slasher thriller but the movie plays up the jailbait element at every turn. It's a bit awkward. It would be so much more appealing for her to be a little reserved and play up more of the innocence. She's a very compelling actress and it would make Jimmy Reed more threatening. The music cues for Jimmy get a bit annoying. The Reeds are so over the top that it borders on camp. The narration is mostly unnecessary, the title is too weak and the twist is too obvious. There are some good elements in this like Drew but it also fails in too many places. -
joeshoe8914 April 2007It's too bad they couldn't get this one on Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Wow is this movie awful! The cast is perfect for a stinker like this. Max Headroom as the dad (remember he and Jennifer are the same age so he would have been 17 when Drew was born) and Susan Tyrell a queen of rotten movies. The mega-hot Jennifer Tilly looking great here. Richard Masur another bad movie staple (Anyone have his classic Fallen Angel? I do.). There are so many bad lines it's a must see even if just for the narration (another bad movie must). I felt bad for Jennifer getting stuck in a tiny car that couldn't have more than a couple gallons of gas in it when it explodes like a 3 megaton bomb hit it. Drew does look great at 14 and could really fill out a swimsuit top (That lucky Letterman!). I could just imagine Mike and the bots doing commentary for this one!
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dwpollar25 March 20011st watched 1/20/1996 - 2 out of 10(Dir- Meiert Avis): Dumb and not very well put together or acted. Barrymore trying to be a b-movie queen for the younger audience doesn't happen.
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Hey_Sweden8 November 2015"Far from Home" is mostly noteworthy for its casting of 13-going-on-14 years old Drew Barrymore in her first adolescent role. Drew plays Joleen Cox, a girl on vacation with her father Charlie (Matt Frewer), a journalist. Running out of gas in a remote part of Nevada, they're forced to take temporary lodgings in a trailer park. Here they meet the local residents, chief among them two boys who take an interest in Joleen. Andras Jones ("A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master") is the punkish Jimmy Reed, son of landlord Agnes Reed (the legendary Susan Tyrrell). Anthony Rapp ("Adventures in Babysitting") is the more sensitive, well meaning Pinky Sears. Unfortunately, one of them just might be psychotic enough to kill people.
The script by Tommy Lee Wallace (longtime John Carpenter associate who directed "Halloween III: Season of the Witch") is much too routine, and very predictable. Viewers may also feel uncomfortable with the cameras' ogling of Drew at any and every opportunity. However, while the story may be too trite to work all that well, director Meiert Avis takes full advantage of the rural settings. He and his capable crew, including cinematographer Paul Elliott and production designer Victoria Paul, milk these settings for as much atmosphere as possible. So "Far from Home" is at least successful enough on a visual level. It might disappoint people expecting more of a slasher film and a higher body count, but it does get fairly gory on occasion.
One good thing is that these filmmakers do make some nice casting choices. Drew does alright in the central role, possessing a natural likability and vulnerability, as well as the expected resentment towards her paternal figure, well played by Frewer. He's good as the kind of father that means well but can still be seen as annoying. Richard Masur is wonderful as Duckett, a latter-day hippie kind of character. Jennifer Tilly is decent and as sexy as ever as Amy, who for whatever reason shares a trailer with another local, Louise (lovely Karen Austin). Jones and Rapp are both good. Tyrrell is a real force of nature during her time on screen. The always welcome Dick Miller plays the Sheriff, and John Spencer can be glimpsed on a TV monitor.
An adequate B movie at best, watchable but also forgettable.
Five out of 10. -
atomickitticat16 April 2001when i rented this film it was just because i am fourteen and i wanted to see a movie dedicated to someone my age. i love drew barrymore and andras jones so this was a special treat. drew barrymore was the perfect example of a teenage girl and what she thinks of her father. andras jones was chilling as a beaten teenage boy with a chilling obsession. i would really recommend this movie to anyone that wants to have something to do that is worth their time.
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gcd7026 January 2008A fourteen year old girl travelling the U.S. National Parks with her estranged father finds herself trapped in a tiny, desolate town when dad's Rambler runs out of gas. Here she becomes involved with a rebellious teenager who appears to have some dark secrets.
Director Meiert Avis ignores all the angles and possibilities of Ted Gershuny's slightly promising story and focuses on his sexy young star instead. Barrymore, just thirteen, parades around in crop tops and bikinis, but she isn't able to carry the weight that Avis requires of her. Tommy Lee Wallace's screenplay is poorly developed, which doesn't help, and his complete failure to evolve the movie's interesting characters is a disappointment. Richard Masur's "Duck" never gets a chance, and we don't even catch a glimpse of the killer's psyche. On top of all this is the see through plot. Most viewers that are half awake will manage to figure out the 'twist', long before it's even hinted at.
Performances are only reasonable (Richard Masur is an enjoyable exception) in a movie that does benefit from some tense music by composer Jonathan Elias and great cinematography from D.P. Paul Elliot, who makes the most of the desert locale. And editor Marc Grossman does an above average job with "Far From Home", considering the far from satisfying material with which he had to work - though perhaps he could have snipped a little more for our sakes.
Sunday, November 6, 1994 - T.V. -
Jory-210 August 1999Okay, most of the movies during Drew Barrymore's "bad girl" phase were pretty bad but this is a good movie. And for all you theater fans, you will recognize Anthony Rapp (as always) the nerd, Pinky. Rent this one and ignore Drew's voice overs and her bad lines like "Did you ever do it?"
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Drew-Barrymore-Obsessed21 June 2005SPOILER WARNING!!!! Well I liked this movie but it was odd on the other hand. Drew Barrymore was almost raped and it was shady. Matt Frewer and Drew come in this shady trailer park and she cannot get out. Sounds like your average thriller right? Think again. It was an excellent and by far the best thriller ever not just the cast but the director as well. The director had to think this out right to get it perfect and he did. It was perfect. It was a cross from Halloween scary to Land of the Dead scary. Many people say it was good for the 80's I must agree. So YEAH it is a ten cause cast plot and director perfect thriller and good renter if you're board.
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Made when Drew Barrymore was still in the sexy teen stage of her career (though some might say she still is), Miss B and her father stop off in a small town, and Drew's charms catch the eye of a warped teen who proceeds to bump off all the obstacles in the path to make her his own...
Creepy stuff, which though not classic by any means does manage to keep you entertained, and the death of one character in an exploding car, though suffering from a major plot flaw (it's been established earlier that said car has a defective door handle, which traps her inside the car... apparently the concept of getting out through the OTHER door didn't occur to her), is truly frightening. Not the highpoint of Drew's career, but better than the likes of "Poison Ivy" and "The Amy Fisher Story."