There are a lot of ingredients here, but probably too many as far as characters are concerned and too much time crossing back and forth to make this anything more than an adequate drama of nostalgia and regret and grief. All of the characters are likable, and certainly, Jodie Foster, then at her height, is a major draw. It starts with the element of sadness, then now grown up Mark Harmon finding out that old friend Foster has committed suicide, so he goes back home and we find out a little bit about his past and her life as a young adult and his friendship with Jonathan Silverman who has grown with up to be Harold Ramis.
The songs utilized in the narrative indicate that this was sometime in the 60's, and at the time, the young Silverman and William McNamara (who grows up to be Harmon) were late teens. Foster, in her early twenties, is flattered by McNamara's crush on her, and discourages it simply by becoming his buddy. She's a great girl for certain, attentive and caring and wise and nurturing, but of course one thing leads to another and years later, when he's confronted with the tragedy, he remembers her more than just fondly.
What do you do as a non relative who is given the urn of a suicidal girl's ashes? That becomes the major focus of the present day story, and there's not really enough to indicate why Foster's grown up character would take this way out. Blair Brown plays the lovely lady whom Harmon ends up with, and while she has some great moments, it's an underdeveloped role.
There is a lot to like in this, particularly the narrative which is sweet and innocent and villain free, a slice of Life that certainly will leave the viewer reflective of their teen years. There's also a pretty background score, combination piano and saxophone (typical of late '80s films), and the Pennsylvania country scenery is also gorgeous. The film though has little to do with baseball even though Harmon's character is a professional baseball player, just another detail that makes this seem like several stories being bunched into one, impossible to dislike, yet somehow not satisfying as everything starts to be wrapped up.
The songs utilized in the narrative indicate that this was sometime in the 60's, and at the time, the young Silverman and William McNamara (who grows up to be Harmon) were late teens. Foster, in her early twenties, is flattered by McNamara's crush on her, and discourages it simply by becoming his buddy. She's a great girl for certain, attentive and caring and wise and nurturing, but of course one thing leads to another and years later, when he's confronted with the tragedy, he remembers her more than just fondly.
What do you do as a non relative who is given the urn of a suicidal girl's ashes? That becomes the major focus of the present day story, and there's not really enough to indicate why Foster's grown up character would take this way out. Blair Brown plays the lovely lady whom Harmon ends up with, and while she has some great moments, it's an underdeveloped role.
There is a lot to like in this, particularly the narrative which is sweet and innocent and villain free, a slice of Life that certainly will leave the viewer reflective of their teen years. There's also a pretty background score, combination piano and saxophone (typical of late '80s films), and the Pennsylvania country scenery is also gorgeous. The film though has little to do with baseball even though Harmon's character is a professional baseball player, just another detail that makes this seem like several stories being bunched into one, impossible to dislike, yet somehow not satisfying as everything starts to be wrapped up.