New Grenada is a planned community set in the desert where there is nothing for the kids to do, save for a rec center - which closes at 6 PM. The parents, in their zeal to attract industry to their town, have all but neglected their children. As a result, the kids begin to create their own entertainment, which involves vandalism, theft, and general hooliganism. During an incident when one of the kids brandishes an unloaded gun at town cop Ed Doberman, he is shot and killed. When the parents gather the next night to discuss the killing and the level of lawlessness among the youth, they soon find out that their kids have had all they can take. Written by

Plot Synopsis:
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Carl (Michael Kramer) and his friends, Ritchie (Matt Dillon), Claude (Tom Fergus), and Johnny (Tiger Thompson) are hanging out at The Rec, a recreation center for the kids in New Grenada, a planned community full of condominiums and town homes. The Rec is pretty much the only thing in town for the children, as the Homeowners Association totally forgot about the fact that nearly 25% of the population of New Grenada is under the age of 15. So, naturally, the kids find themselves some other ways to have fun; sex, drugs, alcohol, vandalism, and rock n roll. One of the first scenes shown is Mark Perry (Vincent Spano), and his friend shooting his B.B. gun at oncoming cars on the overpass. However, when they hit a police cruiser, they laugh and cheer, and decide to leave before the cop sees them. They hop on their bikes, and ride down the road, passing Carl and Ritchie, who, when warned by the boys about cops, dive into the weeds behind an electric control box. The police car pulls up, and out steps Sgt. Doberman (Harry Northup), the most hated cop in town. He sees the boys, and, upon frisking them, finds a three-inch pocketknife on Ritchie. He take the boys to the station, and calls Carl's father, Fred Willat (Andy Romano), warning him about Carl's behavior.

Fred is the local Cadillac salesman, an upper middle class job. Before getting Doberman's call, is talking to Jerry Cole (Richard Jamison), president of the Homeowners Association, about getting Mr. Sloan (Lane Smith), a wealthy Texas Landowner, to come to see the land across the street from The Rec, with hopes of building an industrial park there. Back at the police station, Doberman is questioning Ritchie and Carl about who had the gun, and Ritchie tells them that he has only 1 law; A kid who tells on another kid is a dead kid. Ritchie is then taken out of the room, and Doberman continues lecturing Carl about where hes going to end up if he keeps this up; The Hill, a correction center for the kids in the area. Then Carl and his father drive home, where Sandra Willat (Ellen Geer), waits. But instead of talking to his mother, Carl runs upstairs, and locks himself in his room, blaring the Cheap Trick.

The next day at school, Carl and Ritchie tell Claude about their escapades with the police, and Claude announces that he took speed to prepare for the upcoming test. He then looks at a slide of a painting, and instead of seeing the actual painting he sees this mangled, horrid thing. Then they go to an assembly about the recent vandalism on the highway, where Carl gets a look at the love of his life, Cory (Pamela Ludwig), who hes absolutely crazy about. Later, after school, Carl is getting dressed to go out, once again listening to his music, only this time, its The Ramones. When Carl is dressed, he goes downstairs and asks his father about the land across from The Rec. but, upon getting an answer different from what he wanted, leaves for The Rec.

The Rec closes at six o'clock p.m., but that doesn't stop the kids from having fun. The kids bring pot, music, and alcohol to The Rec after hours, and have their own little party, where Claude ends up buying a gram of hash from Tip (Eric Lalich), a friend. But the party moves when an announcement about a party at a boys house is made. The party is your basic teens; sex, drugs, beer, and Van Halen. Carl sees Cory on the couch making out with Mark, the boy who shot the cop car, and got Carl and Ritchie busted. Mark then warns Carl about mentioning his name to the cops, and when Carl gives a sarcastic remark, he leaves. Carl gets upset with Cory, telling her that she could do a lot better than Mark. Carl then leaves, followed (unknowingly) by Mark and his friend. While Carl is walking home alone, they jump him, beat him up, and take his money. When Carl gets home, he tries to avoid his parents seeing the cuts and bruises, but fails. Carl gets questioned, but, when refusing to tell them who jumped him, runs upstairs and locks himself in his room. Fred and Jerry Cole then talk about making sure The Rec is closed the next day, when Sloan comes to visit.

The next day at The Rec, everyone is talking about Carl's event. But he only releases the names to Claude, Ritchie, Johnny, and Alan (Brian Parker), another friend of theirs. While they're talking, Julia (Julia Pomeroy), The Rec counselor, goes outside to talk to Doberman about The Rec staying open. Doberman goes inside and searches Claude, finding the gram of hash in his pocket, and taking him in. However, when they walk outside, Ritchie is standing on the cop car, and makes the cops chase him around the grounds. When the cops finally leave, Carl, and Ritchie go to get sodas, where Ritchie gives Carl firecrackers. They then get on their bikes and ride around the neighborhood, where they find Cory and her best friend Abby (Kim Kliner) running out of a house, carrying a plastic bag. They stop them, and grab the bag, finding a gun in it, which the girls stole from the house. They then all go to a half-finished town home, which Carl and Ritchie call their condo. After planning a picnic with a gun Cory gets up and starts dancing, with the gun in her hand, pointing it at Carl playfully. But the gun goes off, and Carl scares everyone into thinking he is shot. The group then goes their separate ways. When Carl gets home, he sees Sloan's car in the driveway, and, upset at his father, places the firecrackers given to him by Ritchie in the cars engine, so that when the car is turned on, they will light. Sloan and his boys, scared, then leave, but not before warning Fred that if he doesn't stop to listen to his son, it will come back to bite him.

The next day, Carl calls Claude and Johnny, telling them to come to the picnic. They all show up, and after shooting the gun, and realizing that Carl is the only one with any sense of aim at all, they start walking. During the walk, Claude tells them that it was Tip who sold him the hash, and Cory announces that Tip had recently gotten busted for possession. They then decide to pay Tip a visit, and while the boys hold Tip down and interrogate him, the girls ransack his kitchen. Tip tells them that he told Doberman who he sold the hash to, because he was arrested. Ritchie then points the gun at him, and Johnny lights a firecracker, making a gun sound. Before leaving, the boys throw Tip in the water under his porch. Before Cory and Abby leave Carl and Ritchie, Cory runs over to Carl and gives him a kiss, showing him that she likes him as much as he likes her.

When Carl gets home, he is told by his mother and father that he is forbidden to see Claude or Ritchie any longer, and that The Rec will be closed. Carl gets in a fight with his father, and when Carl takes a swing at him, he smacks him across the face, causing him to, once again, lock himself in his room. The next day at school, in science class, Carl sees Tips mother (Irene Lalich), and the schools principal (Molly McCarthy) talking in a connected classroom. Tips mother tells the principal the names of the boys that assaulted her son, and this causes Carl to snap. He then grabs Ritchie in the hallway and they run home. Ritchie grabs his gun, and they steal his mothers car, leaving town. However, Doberman sees them leave, and chases them. During the chase, Carl begs Ritchie to throw the gun out of the car, but he refuses. The car then gets flipped over, the two boys running in opposite directions. Ritchie points the gun at Doberman, who mistakes it for loaded, so Doberman shoots and kills Ritchie. Carl then runs away to his condo, but not before calling Johnny to confirm that Ritchie is really dead, and calling Cory to tell her to meet him. She brings a sleeping bag, and they spend the night together. After Cory leaves in the morning, Carl runs home to grab money, and along the way he sees Mark riding his dirt bike. He takes Marks B.B. gun, and shoots him in the shoulder (not harming him), causing him to flip over his bike. Mark then sits down with Carl, talking about what they're going to do about the parent situation. They then decide that their fight was stupid, and they make up. Then Carl goes home, and upon climbing into the house through an upstairs window, he sees his mother on the phone with his father about a big meeting at the school that night, to talk about the new trend of violence with the children. He then locks himself in his mothers room, and gets on the phone, asking his parents if they wish he got shot, too.

After leaving his home that night, Carl goes to The Rec, where, all of his friends are. They then make a plan to show the parents that they need to listen to them; lock them in the schools auditorium, and wreck the school. Carl climbs onto the roof, entering the school through a sun window above a science classroom. The kids then take their bike chains and lock the gates surrounding the auditorium. The children decide that the only thing that will make them feel better is to trash the school, and all of the cars in the parking lot. However, when they find guns, all hell breaks loose. The kids run around shooting cars, causing massive explosions. When Cory almost gets blown up by an explosion caused by Mark, and cant find Carl, Claude and Johnny agree to take her home, but not before Johnny gives a phone to Julia, who is sitting by a gate in the school. Julia calls the police, and as soon as they hear sirens, all of the kids split, some getting arrested. The police unlock the auditorium doors, and Doberman runs out to find Carl. He gets in a cop car, and drives down the road until he finds Carl. He handcuffs him to the backseat, and tells him that he will have to go to The Hill. But, Mark is waiting down the road with his B.B. gun, and shoots the car, causing Doberman to run it off the road, into, of all buildings, The Rec. Doberman gets knocked out, and The Rec catches on fire. Carl grabs Dobermans keys, and unlocks himself from the car. He runs away, and stops and turns around just in time to see The Rec blow up. He then for sure knows that Doberman died.

The final scene shows Carl in the morning, coming handcuffed out of the police station. Carl stops and hugs his parents, and is then escorted onto a bus (full of other kids involved with the school incident, including Mark and Abby) by Lincoln (Mike Osborne), another police officer. He is sat at the back of the bus, and driven down the highway to The Hill. But, when they go under the overpass, (the same one that Mark was shooting off of earlier) they see Claude, Johnny, and Cory waving from above. Carl then turns around to face the front of the bus, quite content with the fact that his friends are safe, and that Cory still loves him.

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emka100 from United States
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I knew that there were many out there who know and love "Over The Edge," but I must say I was pleasantly surprised at just how much of an impact the film seems to have had on so many. So I just wanted to send a thank you to all out there who have supported the film over the years (the DVD release would never have happened without you)on behalf of the cast, crew, and anyone else involved in the making of the movie. We've always felt that Over The Edge was a special film, and it's very rewarding and exciting to learn that many of you also feel that way.

Enjoy the film.

Michael Kramer

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JeffG. from Boston, MA
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I generally dislike teen movies. Mainly because they're so unrealistic, romanticized versions of high school and teen life. Usually featuring a bunch of stereotypes and some dumb, superficial plot. "Over the Edge," hovever, is one of the few teen movies that actually gets it right.

The movie focuses on a bunch of teens living in the boring, lifeless town of New Granada. A place with with nothing to do. No mall, no movie theaters, not even a fast food place. Nothing to give them somewhere to go or something to do. The adults in the movie can't be bothered with them and are more interested in bringing people into New Granada and developing the town rather than meet the needs of the town's youth. This makes the teens restless and bored and they resort to drugs, guns and crime to keep them occupied. The also misbehave in school and frustrate their teachers.

The local authorities try setting up a curfew, holding meetings and assemblies, and even shut down the local recreation center which provided the teens the only place they can go for fun and social contact. All the while overlooking the real source of the problem. The local sherrif who occasionally harasses the kids (often unfairly) only adds to the problem. The frustration finally builds and builds until the movie's destructive climax.

Based on a true incident, "Over the Edge" is a film which, unlike most teen movies, deals with more weighty topics than who's taking who to the prom. This is a much more realistic portrayal of teen life than "Sixteen Candles" or "Can't Hardly Wait." While the movie brings its message across, it does so without comming across as preachy.

I'm also amazed at how prophetic this movie ended up being, gieven the recent shootings at Littleton. The nation's media and politicians put the blame on the entertainment industry (movies, TV, videogames, etc.) and are overlooking the real cause of what happened. This is very much like the adults in "Over the Edge." Closing down the rec center and setting up a curfew didn't make the problem go away because they had nothing to do with the cause of the problem. In fact, they just made things worse.

"Over the Edge" is a well made and underrated film that sadly rings just as true now as it did in 1979. The next time someone tells you that "The Breakfast Club" is the greatest teen movie ever, show them this movie and set them straight.

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(aash@drisarch.com) from Seattle, Washington
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I first saw the movie when it opened in the spring of 1980, on a double bill with "Little Darlings". I ended up seeing it twice. I was the age of the kids in the film at the time, and my bull***t detector didn't go off once during the course of watching this film. The kids were real, the words natural and unaffected, and the whole thing about the boredom that is so prevailing when you're a teenager was right on the money. I remember as I watched the movie thinking that the clothes the kids were wearing looked worn just enough, like they had come out of the actors' own closets. Matt Dillon's first movie - I read that he auditioned for the part as something to do while he skipped school for a day. He reminded me utterly of my then high school boyfriend, right down to the voice, clothes and cocky attitude. The music was exactly what me and all my friends were listening to - Cheap Trick (the earlier, not-played-on-the-radio songs) and the Cars. Ok, so perhaps it was a little unrealistic at parts, and the soundtrack could have done without the Valerie Carter song, but wow, what a great little movie. Rent a copy, go home, slap it in your vcr, and get out your bong and a couple of beers. You won't be dissapointed, not even a little bit.

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Rob Crespino (robc@exceedtech.net) from Macon, Mississippi
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"Over the Edge" is a powerful, unforgettable 1979 film about a planned suburban community, New Granada, where all the adults are worried only about bringing much-needed money and business to the struggling, barren dump of a town. What the adults don't seem to realize is that more than half of the population is made up of pre-teens and teenagers who drink, smoke weed, do hard drugs, play with guns, and destroy property because these parents and adults have given them nothing to do; nothing constructive whatsoever. These are NOT bad kids. I felt for them. They are victims of their environment and complete lack of parental attention. When the kids finally become restless and hopeless, havoc ensues, but most of it is created by the town Police Chief Doberman, who has no business whatsoever dealing with youth. The only place the kids have to go is the recreation center, managed by a truly sympathetic and understanding young woman. Of course, the town officials fire her. In 1979, this film was rated PG. It's a STRONG "PG". If this film were made today (and I doubt it would be) I imagine it would receive at least a PG-13 or maybe even an R. Children as young as thirteen/fourteen are seen dropping acid, smoking hash, guzzling liquor, shooting guns, getting into fights, etc. AND IT IS ALL THE FAULT OF THE ADULTS, WHO ARE TOTALLY BLIND! Matt Dillon's film debut, and an unknown actor, young Tom Fergus, gives the most natural performance from a kid I have ever seen as Claude, the kid most heavily involved in drugs. SEEK THIS OUT! IT IS UNFORGETTABLE! If anyone reading this has any info on Tom Fergus, I'd love to see what he's up to now. Also features an awesome soundtrack by The Cars, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Little Feat, and Jimi Hendrix. This has become a cult classic in many youth circles, and is an early film by acclaimed director Jonothan Kaplan. Pops up on HBO and Cinemax occasionally, is available on tape, and is said to be coming to DVD soon. A masterwork.

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haildevilman from Tokyo, Japan
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This was a teen movie that wasn't a 'teen' movie.

The best thing about this was how it showed that the parents imagined need to raise their kids in a sanitized environment can lead to mind-numbing boredom. Then to petty crime. Then to worse. But at the same time, the kids weren't made out to be these confused little angels either. You sympathized with them while knowing they needed to take responsibility.

Matt Dillion's debut is also his best film.

Most of the young actors were inexperienced. Some of them haven't been seen since. But they all still did a HELL of a job. Why isn't Michael Kramer better known? He was brilliant.

The one complaint I can come up with was some of the parents emotional overacting. Great film though.

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ColinHarvey from United States
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I was 14 when I first saw this movie on HBO in 1980. It was so much like my life at that time, it's uncanny. Of course, I grew up in an industrial area in northern Indiana, not a "planned community", and my dad wasn't a Cadillac salesman (in fact my dad was a lot more sympathetic than Carl's dad), but a lot of the rest was very similar. Getting beaten up, having stoned/drunk people all around you, basically nothing to do except hang out and listen to music...kids today who feel alienated should see this. I also think social workers, etc, who work with troubled kids should see this.

The music is one thing that really, really makes this movie what it is. I had the soundtrack on vinyl LP and I wish it would be released on CD! Van Halen, Hendrix, The Cars...it's all good. To be more accurate (for me), though, there would have been heavy doses of Kiss, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Rush, Black Sabbath, etc.

Please bring on the DVD! For anyone around my age who was this frustrated, this is one of several indispensable movies that will bring back memories; the others being "The Outsiders" and, on a lighter note, "Detroit Rock City".

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Michael Battiste (michaelabattiste@yahoo.com) from Long Beach, CA
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With all of today's problems plaguing teens and their parents, this movie may seem a bit tame, but at the time of its release, it had a pretty powerful message (assuming anyone paid attention). I remember watching this with some kids who were about the same age as those portrayed in the movie... These kids all thought this was the best movie ever made, and some commented that they wanted to do pretty much everything they saw in the movie. I remember thinking (not unlike "Billy Jack"), "why would you want to live in a community like this, where all the adults either hate you or fear you? To this day, I am drawn to and repulsed by this movie. That being said, I can't wait to get copy of this on DVD!!! It really was a good film, and I think it captured some of uglier realities of life in some of the "planned communities" of the time.

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Scott LeBrun (Hey_Sweden) from Canada
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"Over the Edge" is to be commended for its long, hard look at the problem of troubled youth. It looks at what happens when a bunch of 14 year olds and kids even younger decide to defy authority at every turn and indulge in various criminal activities. The adults aren't part of the solution; in fact, they're part of the problem as they remain ignorant of just what their kids are up to. The cops aren't exactly sympathetic to the kids, to boot.

The teens in question are part of a suburban planned community named New Granada. Seemingly with little else to do, they often hang around the local recreation centre and go so far as to deal drugs on the grounds. The story centers on Carl (Michael Eric Kramer), an easygoing guy, and Richie (Matt Dillon, making his film debut), his trouble making friend.

What's so damn effective about "Over the Edge" is you believe it at every turn. The relationships are credible, for one thing. The performances of the young actors are entirely convincing; Kramer is a natural in the lead and Dillon already shows an obvious charisma as the friend. Pamela Ludwig is appealing as Carls' love interest Cory, as are Tom Fergus as Claude and Tiger Thompson as Johnny. The older actors are all solid, including Andy Romano and Ellen Geer as Carls' worried parents and Harry Northup as party pooping cop Doberman (an appropriate name, that) but the focus stays right where it should, on the restless teens. Lane Smiths' role as visiting businessman Sloan is rather brief, but he has one of the best lines in the film when he surmises that in the parents' hurry to move from the big city to a small community, they turned their kids into the kind of thing from which they were running. The intelligent script by Charlie Haas and Tim Hunter creates a scenario where things get out of control, and the problems with the kids are nowhere near close to being solved. Jonathan Kaplan directs with conviction; his father Sol composed the music score. The hip soundtrack includes tunes from groups ranging from Cheap Trick to Van Halen to The Cars to The Ramones.

The finale is troubling but the good news is that, in the end, the film does maintain a degree of hope for its main character.

All in all, this is a teen film worth seeking out and remembering. It sure ain't no John Hughes movie, that's for sure.

Nine out of 10.

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barroter from United States
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I can't offer any new observations on this movie, except like many of you it was a timewarp back my own junior high school years of the late 70's. The depiction of what those kids did then was pretty on spot. I also think the parents shown ,in the movie, was accurate as well.

Like New Granada, we were bored and pretty much left to our own devices to find entertainment. We managed to con our parents and adults long enough to get away with most of what we did.

For the longest time I thought it was just my particular generation and our area that was screwed up in the head...that was until I saw this movie. I swear there was lot of anger in us and it took itself out in guerrilla style rebellion against anything the adults held Holy.

Then as now, I can point out supposed stable adults who were alcoholics, gamblers, kid/wife beaters, druggies and general losers as people.

Then as now, kids spot hypocrisy fairly fast.

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dutch-5-741195 from United States
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John Evens Jr. High School in Greeley Colorado had a casting call prior to the filming for extras. If I remember right we got 25 dollars for each days work and we got fed.

Greeley was pretty much the perfect place for this movie. There was a huge teen violence problem there. even at age 12 I carried a pistol and roamed the city at will with other kids fearing attack from gangs of older teens. Drugs were everywhere.

The movie captured all that stupidity plus the Apathy and ignorance of the adults. I loved the scenes where we rioted in the Circus tent styled John Evens Jr. High School......made it hard to attend class the following year.

History has proved that the film makers knew what kind of society America would become...Cookie cutter homes,strip malls and teen murderers......Art predicts life.

According to sources Kurt Cobain said that "(Over the Edge) pretty much defined my whole personality. It was really cool. Total anarchy."
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Was one of the main inspirations for Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' music video.
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Matt Dillon didn't actually want or expect to be cast in the movie. He went to the audition just so he could skip school.
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Debut film of actor Matt Dillon.
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Director Jonathan Kaplan wanted to use "Baba O'Riley" by The Who as the ending credits song, but ultimately couldn't do so because the licensing rights to the song were too expensive.
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This movie was filmed in the Suburbs of greater Denver Colorado near a community that was co-developed alongside the infamous Columbine community.The social similarities of the troubled youth in the movie, and those of the youth of that period in the Columbine community are uncanny and not by chance. Personal associated with the movie production spent time with a group of truant youths that they had met outside of a Columbine Strip Mall across from a local Jr. High located down the street from where the Columbine tragedy was to occur years later. The social implications of the story underscore the serious problems of troubled youth being discarded by the community at large.
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Charles S. Haas based his story on true events which occurred in the planned community of Foster City, California in the early 1970s. In fact, a California headline about the incident, "Mouse Packs: Kids On A Crime Spree", was authored by Haas when he was a reporter with the San Francisco Examiner.
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Pamela Ludwig suggested to the filmmakers that they use songs by Cheap Trick on the soundtrack.
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Matt Dillon did not want to miss out on the fun at the end of the movie when the kids revolted, so he is allow to appear briefly in the riot scene.
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Originally completed in 1979, the movie was first shown in late 1979, but was not released wide in the USA until two years later. At the time, the studio thought the movie was too controversial and feared that it would spark attacks after several violent incidents had occurred at various showings during screenings of number of 1979 gang movies such as The Warriors (1979), The Wanderers (1979) and Boulevard Nights (1979).
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Tip and Tip's mother are played by Eric Lalich and Irene Lalich, who are mother and son in real life.
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After the film's successful run on HBO in 1981, it was selected for a special two-week engagement at Joseph Papp's Public Theater in New York in December 1981. The response was so positive that the film was booked for regular engagements in several New York theaters the following February.
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This film was shot in 36 days.
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In the movie, New Grenada is in the desert. The city that this story is based on, Foster City, is next to San Francisco Bay and has canals and waterways throughout the city.
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Andy Romano would later go on to play Murdock in Pump Up the Volume (1990), a movie about repressed teens who rebel at the school.
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vandalism|small town|real life mother and son playing mother and son|suburb|bare chested male|kiss|fire|explosion|dead boy|youth center|teenager|teacher|rebellion|police|drugs|boredom|anomie|anger|1970s|cult film|teen rebel|teen angst|suburbia|juvenile delinquent|punk|8 track|violence|independent film|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Australia:R / Canada:14A / Canada:14A (video rating) / Finland:K-18 (2007) / Finland:(Banned) (1987) (video release) / Finland:(Banned) (1980) (theatrical release) / France:-16 / Iceland:16 / New Zealand:R16 / Norway:18 / Sweden:15 / UK:18 / USA:PG / West Germany:16