From the same woman who wrote The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton comes this story Tex concerning a pair of brothers Jim Metzler and Matt Dillon. They have a widower father Bill McKinney who was a rodeo clown and still follows the rodeo circuit. The two kids are on their own a lot and Metzler becomes the designated adult . Metzler is a star basketball player who wants to go to that Mecca of basketball Indiana state. Dillon is immature and does a lot of foolish pranks with his rich friend Emilio Estevez.

S.E. Hinton has a few adult themes in her work and note that this is a Disney production. Looking at the novel synopsis I see quite a few more adult themed situations have been eliminated to give Tex a PG rating.

Dillon was good and Tex was a step up in his career. But I think you'll be most impressed with Metzler who I thought was best in the film.

Tex is a great coming of age film that is timeless.

Tex McCormick (Matt Dillon) is a young delinquent living in the farming town of Bixby, Oklahoma with his older brother Mason. Mason is a basketball player who is looking for a scholarship in Indiana. They are struggling to pay the bills with their absentee father on the rodeo circuit. Mason is forced to sell Tex's horse. Tex is angry. His best friend is Johnny Collins (Emilio Estevez) and he likes Johnny's sister Jamie (Meg Tilly). Their father Cole Collins (Ben Johnson) tries to keep Tex from his kids. Tex and Mason picks up a hitchhiker but he turns out to be a violent fugitive. Mason deliberately crashes the truck and the fugitive is killed in a shootout. The brothers become media heroes and their father returns. A family revelation sends Tex over the edge.

Matt Dillon is playing Tex as an idiotic bratty teen. I don't remember much from the book since I read it some 30 years ago. There has to be a more appealing way to portray the character. Also the story is an overloaded melodrama. It may work in a book but it's problematic when a violent shootout is nothing more than a pit stop. It's a bit too overwrought.

I first came across writer SE Hinton's work when the great Francis Ford Coppola adapted two of her books and made contrasting films. The Outsiders and Rumblefish. Both were released in 1983 having been shot back to back and both featured Matt Dillon.

A year earlier, Dillon starred as Tex, in this adaptation of a SE Hinton book made by Disney. It is not as memorable as the Coppola movies.

It is one of these coming of age dramas filled with teenage angst and Matt Dillon gives an early brat pack performance. Someone should had told him back then to do some comedy.

Tex is the younger of two brothers growing up on their own, the older brother cares for Tex. Their mother has died, their dad has walked out on them. Tex likes the sister of his best friend, their father does not like Tex hanging out with either of them.

Tex and his brother get to be heroes when they apprehend a villain on the run who initially holds them hostage. Later Tex gets involved with a drug dealing friend.

The film is a slice of life drama about young adults. It features some early brat packers, apart from Dillon it also has Emilio Estevez and Meg Tilly. It does feel a bit to contrived and cliched but also shows a direction that Disney were moving away from its family friendly roots.