Teenage siblings in Texas are wanted by the police after one of the kids shoots and wounds an auto mechanic--this following a sexual proposition on Billie Jean (who is nearly raped) and the beating of her brother by a group of peers, which the cops have shrugged off. Youthful rebellion on a low-budget. Screenwriters Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner occasionally have tongue-in-cheek, and display a curious penchant for oddball character names like Binx and Putter, but too often they fall back on melodrama (which helps to derail the entire final reel). Despite constantly flashing her bright, nice-girl smile, Helen Slater's Billie Jean is a convincing rabble-rouser until the script gives her too much to handle. The film has a misshapen feel, with yahoo comedic moments and a production imbued with an inappropriate candy-coated sheen. Far from being a teen-variant of "The Sugarland Express", which may have been fascinating, the movie instead takes the low road. It is unambitious and amateurish--and seems perfectly satisfied with being both. ** from ****