About fifteen minutes into this movie I was thinking, "This kid needs a darn good spanking" but all he really needed was a little love and someone to listen and this changes him more than any thing. And that's all kids and teens really need. This film displays that. The kid's actions made some of my friends leave the room right in the middle of it, but if you look past these mischievious doings you can really see that it is a cry for help. Critics, I think were too harsh and really did not see was Hughes was trying to say. Ed O'Neil and Ethan Embry are very talented and they make a great team. This film has a good message behind it and recommend it to every one.