I think this movie will be...
Fantastic! I'm a sucker for babies, and I love these kinds of stories. Plus, I think the morality of the 70's will have some pretty interesting takes on a familiar story - the pregnant teen.
Would I Recommend It?
Sure. The movie got a bit boring and preachy, but it was an interesting look into the attitudes of the 70's. And there was a lot of retro stuff to look at, which was like a feast for my eyes.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
The Story
First of all, wow. Sue Ann comes off as super, super young. Which is actually pretty young, seeing as she's only supposed to be 15. Her boyfriend (Chuck) is a track star, and oops, she's pregnant. She tells him and he wants her to get an abortion. She's already 5 months along, so it's too late. The other option (in the 70's) is to get married. They tell their parents and everyone freaks out. So off they go for a quickie marriage. Easy peasey. Chuck backs out at the altar. He's pissed.
Sue Ann gets shipped off to a home. Her mom tells her that she can come home with the baby and they'll just tell everyone they got married but Chuck got really mean and left her. Yeah, I think that's the solution to this problem.
So Sue Ann is at the school for pregnant girls. They learn how to make cookies and they do exercises. They also have some group therapy where they talk about what they're going to do with their babies. Poor girls, they've had some rough lives.
Sue Ann has the baby. It's a girl, she names her Elizabeth. She's not sure whether she wants to keep the baby or give it up. Also, a couple finds out they can't have kids.
Sue Ann goes home with the baby and has to stand up in front of her church while the minister calls her a sinner and tells the congregation that she's repented (!?) and that she's going to keep her baby. That was seriously messed up.
The Durita's (the adoption couple) have waited 4 months for a baby. Still nothing. They might have to wait 4 years because teen moms are deciding to keep their babies.
Things aren't going super well for Sue Ann. The counselor suggests she become emancipated. They plan for when school is back in session.
Sue Ann moves out on her own into a cheap apartment. She has some super sketchy neighbours. She leaves Elizabeth with her neighbour who has a kid, but when she comes home the baby-sitter is strung out on something. Another neighbour tries to rape her. Luckily, her counselor comes and saves the day. She has to find a better place to live.
She goes to live at a home for unwed mothers. She can take care of the baby her way and still go to school. Did these really exist in the 70's? Because they should still exist. Looks supportive.
Sue Ann goes back to a different school. She doesn't tell anyone she has a baby. Things are going OK. She's working, going to therapy, taking care of the baby, making some friends.
Chuck comes back. He agrees to give Sue Ann some money, but he doesn't want to see the baby.
Sue Ann is a bit upset. Elizabeth won't stop crying. So she throws her down in the crib. She's ok, but Sue Ann decides she's going to give up the baby.
The Durita's get the call. They're excited.
A voice over says that 1 in 10 teen girls will get pregnant this year. 80% will decide to keep the baby. For a while, anyway. I wonder what that stat is now?
The stuff that's actually not that bad
- I really like Chuck's car. It's so retro, but I can't tell what it is. Maybe a Charger?
More cheese, please
- Oh, the music. It's SOOOOO 70's. All flutes and stuff. I love it.
- There is a song that I SWEAR was written for this movie...Child with a Child. It sounds like Anne Murray.
Well that's dated
- I love the fashion in this movie, but it's definitely dated.
- The counselor at the school has THE BEST white girl fro EVER.
- Mrs. Durita promises to quit her job when they get the baby. Because mother's can't work in the 70's.
Rating
3.5 pregnant teens out of 5
I think this movie will be...
Awesome. Although I feel bad about snarking a movie focused on domestic violence because it is a very serious issue and women in abusive relationships should be taken very seriously. Still, the more serious the issue, the more easily these TV movies can go way off track into the melodramatic and super cheesy.
Would I Recommend It?
Yup. It's not exactly an uplifting movie, but portrays domestic violence and the attitude toward domestic violence realistically enough that, if you're into that kind of thing, it's worth a watch.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
The Story
Tracey and Buck meet at a hotel. He's on a construction crew that moves around a lot. They start a relationship, knocking boots in said motel. Tracey is really into the whole thing and brings Buck lunch on the job site. Buck gets chirped hardcore by the other guys. Uh oh, something's not right in this relationship.
Tracey gets pregnant. Oops. When she tells Buck he hits her. She leaves him. He comes to her and explains that he thought she might have cheated and the baby isn't his. She tells him she doesn't want to move around with his work anymore. He agrees. They get married. Regrettable choice.
Their marriage sucks and Buck ends up beating the crap out of Tracey. She leaves him. The violence escalates. He kidnaps their kid and Tracey calls the police. The police dismiss it, Tracey starts to file for divorce. Buck freaks out and gets sentenced. He has to stay away from them for 6 months.
Buck starts doing way crazy things. He waits outside Tracey's house. He yells from there that he's going to kill her. The police have lost the restraining order and they don't believe her. Buck starts coming around yelling a whole bunch. He's always very threatening.
Tracey gets a restraining order. Buck continues to be crazy. The cops continue to not take her seriously when she makes complaints, because, you know, they're MARRIED. He comes to the house. She calls the cops. When the cops arrive, Buck chases after Tracey and stabs her, kicks her repeatedly and generally goes insane.
She wakes up at the hospital. The lawyers suggest she sue the police department because the way they handled her case was such a shit show.
Tracey's recovery is pretty brutal. Buck is sentenced to 20 years, but Tracey's pretty sure he's going to get out early and kill her. The lawyer wants her to focus on the charges against the police department and not worry about Buck.
In court, the police have obviously messed up big time. Tracey also testified. She's in rough shape.
The verdict: The police department does not discriminate against women. But the police officers are held liable for Tracey's injuries and she gets 2 point something million dollars. She's happy about that.
Text rolls over the end of the movie to say that Tracey got her money and a new law stated that domestic violence calls must be taken seriously. Also that Buck threatened to finish the job when he got out of jail. Bummer. I kind of want to google to find out whether he actually tried when he got out in 1991...
The stuff that's actually not that bad
- The scene where Buck finally stabs Tracey is really 'effing disturbing. The chaos of it felt pretty real to me.
More cheese, please
- The music in this movie is quite fantastic. It alternates between "oh no, something exciting and bad is happening" and "it's time to be sexy in the 80's"
- When Buck freaks out, the acting is....well, overacting. And he yells A LOT.
Well that's dated
- Tracey wears a whole lot of eyeliner and has awesome bangs.
- Buck has a sweet mustache.
- I feel weird that Buck and Tracey's kid is only slightly older than me and that the incident happened in the year I was born.
Rating
3.5 lawsuits against the police department out of 5
Have you ever seen a really bad movie? I have. Have you ever sought out a really bad movie, and watched it just for laughs? I definitely have. Usually, these movies have been made-for-TV. Usually, these movies are from the 70's or 80's. Usually, the fact that they are dated adds substantially to the hilarity.
Since I watch these terrible movies from time to time, I thought I'd share them with you. And I'll recommend which terrible movies are really worth a watch because of the entertainment factor. I mean, does anyone really care if the movie makes sense? Does anyone care whether it's well acted? Does anyone care if the music is cheesy and the plot is worse? I know I don't.
