Of course it's 70ish and schmoopy and over-the-top with sentiment...it wouldn't be the sweet movie it is if it wasn't all those things. I just watched this film as a jaded 45 year old, having first watched it (a year after my best friend's death at the age of 9) when I was a little girl. This film helped me deal with my own grief. It stands out as one of the very few "made for TV" movies of the period that I still think of fondly...and the viewing of it shows that it primarily holds up to the test of time. It still is a thing of integrity and a sweet if less complicated (in a good way) paean to the essential qualities of humanity on the way to friendship.
Like someone else said, I dare ya not to cry during the "I love Brian Piccolo speech".
Like someone else said, I dare ya not to cry during the "I love Brian Piccolo speech".