That Was Then, This Is Now is the story of two working class youths who look like
they are on a street to nowhere in their lives.
After his parents killed themselves, Emilio Estevez is taken in by his best friend
Craig Sheffer and his mom Barbara Babcock. The two of them get in all kinds
of trouble. But Sheffer is starting to think that may be if I grow up their just
might be a future for him.
Estevez is carrying a lot around, many of us do and we react to it in different
ways. Estevez is on the road to career criminality. He gets involved in deeper
and deeper and threatens to bring Sheffer in with him if Sheffer does not heed
the better angels of his nature.
The key scene is when we learn as Estevez confides to Scheffer just what it is
he's carrying inside. Some of the best acting in both their careers.
Hollywood has done very well with S.E. Hinton novels. That Was Then This Is
Now is right up there with Tex, Rumblefish. and The Outsiders. This one
managed to get done without Matt Dillon.
I recommend it highly.