Mischievous Johnny Banes (scrappy Dion Gossett) has an unfortunate knack for getting into all kinds of trouble: he smokes, lies, steals, rudely disrupts class, doesn't do his schoolwork, and even mugs an old guy for his money! Worse yet, Johnny's vain struggling actress mother Denise (nicely played by Sandy Reed) and hard-working insurance salesman stepfather Phil (a strong and likable performance by Renny Roker) spend more time squabbling with each other than they do with Johnny. Writer/director Horace Jackson concocts a somewhat clumsy, but well-meaning and insightful social drama that pertinently addresses how severe parental neglect contributes substantially to juvenile delinquency. Moreover, Jackson tosses in occasional "what the hell?" unexpected oddball moments: Denise gives Johnny a rubdown in a scene that's simmering with incestuous undertones and in one especially startling sequence a creepy pedophile assaults a little girl in a bathroom. The jolting downbeat ending packs a pretty potent punch, too. The kid actors are all appealingly natural (Gossett in particular impresses as the moody and unhappy Johnny). Rich Holmes is memorably hateful as stern history teacher Mr. Bishop. Dennis Coffey's funky, syncopated score and Mark Rasmussen's plain, no-frills cinematography further enhance the gritty realism of this moving and effective picture.