Synopsis
A 17-year-old boy becomes friends with Billy Magic, the radio DJ he idolizes, and eventually slips into the payola and corruption of the entertainment world.
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Cast
- Kevin BaconBilly Magic
- Brad RenfroKarchy 'Chucky' Jonas
- Maximilian SchellDr. Istvan Jonas
- Calista FlockhartDiney Majeski
- Paul DooleyFather Norton
- Jonathan Rhys MeyersKevin Boyle
- Luke WilsonHenry
- Tony DevonDanny Hogan
- Damen FletcherAmos
- Jerry SwindallAndy "Croak" Stas
Recommendations
- 90
Chicago Reader
Under the thoughtful direction of Guy Ferland - what emerges is solid and affecting. - 80
Newsweek
While the elements in this coming-of-age saga may seem familiar, Eszterhas brings a fresh, immigrant's-eye perspective to his tale. - 75
Boston Globe
It's a surprisingly sweet underdog immigrant coming-of-age story set in 1961. [24 Oct 1997] - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
I liked this movie a lot - not just for Bacon and Renfro, but also for the work of the wonderfully-named Calista Flockhart, as the girl who dates Karchy. - 75
Chicago Tribune
Director Guy Ferland, who has made one previous feature, handles this material smoothly and well, aided by the juke-box bright colors caught by cinematographer Reynaldo Villalobos. And Eszterhas, who has never shown much flair for comedy - except for the mother lode of unintentional laughs in "Showgirls" - puts humor into this story of surprising warmth and bite. [24 Oct 1997] - 70
Los Angeles Times
The film is also strengthened by a pair of adroit lead performances by Brad Renfro and Kevin Bacon, actors who completely understand their characters and know how to make the most of them on screen. - 67
Austin Chronicle
With help from talented young director Ferland and a sublime performance from Kevin Bacon, Eszterhas has created a gentle and affecting ode to universal growing-up conflicts within a beautifully rendered evocation of a specific time and place. - 60
Empire
A carefully evoked and unhurried number that won't bring the house down, this nonetheless ends up being more absorbing than you'd think.
