Where the Day Takes You
Where the Day Takes You is a 1992 American crime drama neo noir thriller film directed by Marc Rocco and starring Dermot Mulroney, Sean Astin, Balthazar Getty, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ricki Lake, James LeGros, Laura San Giacomo, David Arquette, Christian Slater, and Will Smith (in his film debut). The film tells the story of teenage runaways trying to survive on the streets of Los Angeles. The film was nominated for the "Critics Award" at the Deauville Film Festival and won the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.
| Where the Day Takes You | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Marc Rocco |
| Produced by | Paul Hertzberg Philip McKeon |
| Written by | Marc Rocco Michael Hitchcock Kurt Voss |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | King Baggot |
| Edited by | Russell Livingstone |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million[1] |
| Box office | $390,152 |
The film was primarily shot on location in Los Angeles and Venice, California, and includes several songs by Melissa Etheridge.
Plot
Fleeing a variety of hardships, a group of young people form a protective family of their own on the streets of Los Angeles, with King as their leader. King is a man in his early twenties who has been living on the street for several years. After being released from two months in prison for assault with a deadly weapon, he feels the group, consisting of him, Greg, Little J, Crasher, and Brenda, fell apart in his absence. Brenda introduces him to Heather, a 17-year-old girl from Chicago, who King includes into the group and in his revenge on Tommy Ray, the man responsible for the death of his girlfriend, Devon.
One night, Greg and Little J get into a fight while stealing stereos out of cars. Greg, mad that the group always takes Little J's side, seeks refuge with his drug dealer, Ted, and Ted's girlfriend, Vikki. Ted sends him away, however, because he doesn't have any money. Greg goes home to look for money, but his father and stepmother have him arrested for grand theft. Meanwhile, King and Heather have trouble earning money, but he insists they won't get into prostitution, unlike Little J's friends, Rob and Kimmy. Little J is lured into prostitution by Rob, but while servicing his client, Charles, he is reminded of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his uncle. In jail, Greg admits to being addicted to drugs, and a social worker gets him into a rehabilitation center, which will grant him parole.
Meanwhile, Tommy Ray, after threatening and beating up legless Manny, a friend of King's group, finds out where King is living. He beats King up and almost stabs him until Little J shoots and kills Tommy Ray. King, Heather, and Little J get away, but Crasher is arrested. King advises Heather to return to Chicago, but she refuses to go without him. After a day spent begging for money, they decide to go to a hotel and spend the night making love. She admits to him she ran away from home because her brother raped her. Little J, meanwhile, takes refuge at Rob's and Kimmy's for a while, but he is eventually kicked out by Rob and decides to contact Charles again. Greg runs away from the rehabilitation center in the meantime, but he is unable to find the group. He goes to Ted, who is worried about him because he hasn't slept for four days and tries to help him by shooting him up with heroin.
When Crasher is out of jail, he tries to convince King and Heather to go with him to Dallas, announcing that the police are looking for them. King doesn't want to leave without Greg and Little J and starts to look for them. He is shocked to find Greg lying in his own vomit, high on drugs at Ted's place. Greg promises to go with him, but he is arrested by the police before he can. They next find Little J under a bridge, having been kicked out of Charles' house and regretting having killed a person. King, Heather, and Little J decide to leave without anyone else. Meanwhile, Greg, out of jail after having talked to the police about King's whereabouts, returns to Ted and overdoses on heroin. On their bus, King decides to get out to look for Greg, but he is arrested by the police. Little J tries to save him and attempts to shoot the police, which forces them to shoot Little J. King, however, jumps in front of him and is shot and killed. Heather witnesses this and is left in tears. She decides not to leave Los Angeles, but to wait until Little J is released from jail. Accompanied by Brenda, she returns to the streets, using the practices that King taught her.
Cast
- Dermot Mulroney as King, the leader of a group of street people. Although most of his friends are addicted to drugs, King swears on staying clean.
- Sean Astin as Greg, a runaway who is addicted to several drugs, primarily speed and heroin.
- Balthazar Getty as Little J, an aggressive boy who doesn't care about rules.
- Lara Flynn Boyle as Heather, a 17-year-old who just ran away from home. She becomes the romantic interest of King.
- Peter Dobson as Tommy Ray, the violent enemy of King.
- Ricki Lake as Brenda, an overweight girl who wants to be a movie star.
- James LeGros as Crasher, who wants to move to Dallas.
- Will Smith as Manny, a legless man who is friends with King's group.
- Laura San Giacomo as the Interviewer, questioning King in prison about his life.
- Adam Baldwin as Officer Black, a policeman looking for King.
- Kyle MacLachlan as Ted, Greg's drug dealer, who thinks of him as his little brother.
- Nancy McKeon as Vikki, Ted's girlfriend.
- Alyssa Milano as Kimmy, a prostitute.
- David Arquette as Rob, Kimmy's boyfriend, also a prostitute.
- Rachel Ticotin as Officer Landers, a policewoman looking for King.
- Stephen Tobolowsky as Charles, a rich man who hires Little J as a prostitute.
- Robert Knepper as a Rock Singer.
- Christian Slater (Uncredited) as a social worker who tries to help Greg to stay clean.
Production
The film's director, Marc Rocco was attracted to the production when he read the script from Michael Hitchcock. Hitchcock was inspired to write the script due to his experience on working at a shelter for teenage runaways in Hollywood.[1]
Despite the low budget, the film features an ensemble cast. Most cast members worked, against the advice of their agents, for a small salary.[1] They prepared for their role by spending days with actual teenage runaways in the Hollywood district.[1] Rocco explained their enthusiasm to work on the project in a 1992 interview: "So few scripts let these actors actually act, so few studios give these actors anything but light comedies, there are so few chances to let these actors create dimensional people."[1] Shooting of the film concluded in August 1991.[2] The shooting has involved locations all over Hollywood, and meant the closing of the boulevard on some nights. People who passed by were paid $40 to appear as extras in the film.[2]
Supporting cast member Alyssa Milano initially auditioned for the role of Heather, but fear of casting a former child actress initiated the producers to find her a smaller role instead.[3] The role of Heather eventually went to Lara Flynn Boyle. On why she accepted the role, she commented in a 1991 interview that the script smacked her with reality: "One day when I was thinking about doing the movie, I passed Hollywood and Highland Avenue, and looked over and saw 30 kids hanging out. I thought of the movie and that sight made me eager to do it."[2]
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews, but failed to deliver at the box office, despite earning $190,961 at 93 theaters during its opening weekend.[4] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote in his 1992 review: "The movie is effective, well-acted and convincing. [..] Mulroney carries the movie. [..] Many of the other characters are sharply drawn, including Greg, played by Astin. [..] Getty is very effective in a scene where he tries to be a male prostitute but hates himself for it. And Boyle is good in the somewhat stereotyped role of the pretty newcomer to the group. [..] It is not a poetic or pseudo-romantic view of runaway life (which seems like a hell interrupted by occasional laughs), but on the other hand it isn't hysterical, either. [..] The story is convincing up until the end, which feels manufactured for movie purposes."[5]
Home media
In 2003, the film was released in a full-frame edition DVD by Columbia TriStar Home Video. In October 2009, Anchor Bay released a widescreen edition DVD. In 2019, Sony released a widescreen blu ray release.
References
- Ausiello, Michael (July 23, 1992). "Film on Hollywood's Underbelly: How Success Lures Runaways". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- Fox, David J. (August 4, 1991). "Off-Centerpiece : If She Looks Strangely Familiar, Don't Give Her a Dime". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
- Suju Vijayan, Julie Frankel, Alyssa Milano (2003). "Intimate Portrait: Alyssa Milano". Intimate Portrait. Lifetime.
- "Sneakers races quickly into top slot at box office", Los Angeles Times. September 15, 1992.
- Roger, Ebert (September 11, 1992). "`Where the Day' Takes Hard Look at Runaways". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2013-03-26.