text: This is good movie that is flawed in many ways with low production. Martha Coolidge herself said she only had 350,000 dollars to work with. This is a movie that I loved growing up in the midwest. I remember friends and I having the nostalgia trip on this movie 10 years ago. Great things about this movie....Great cast with hungry actors and a hungry director. Bad points of this movie....To small of a budget calling for way too much improvisation. If Martha Coolidge had been given more money and time on this movie then the results would of been even better. They should have taken the story from an early 20's prospective and not from a 15-17 year old high school stand point. Most of the actors/actresses were in their early to mid 20's trying to play 15-17 year olds....(come on) The music is extremely memorable and the two soundtracks get played all the time in my car. The best scenes in this film take place in seedy Hollywood clubs by Nicolas Cage's character. I gave this film a high rating of 9/10 for five reasons.. Nicholas Cage's improvisational on the spot acting; The camera work and angles are excellent given the budget they had and only being able to have one take of each scene; The sytles, music and lingo are captured perfectly and forever; Again the music is incredible and carries the story along from scene to scene; And finally...Martha Coolidge could turn a weak script, unknown actors and a very very low budget and 20 days of shooting the entire movie into such a good and memorable movie is astounding!