Tex

By Jerry Renshaw

This unassuming little coming-of-age drama features Matt Dillon in the title role as a sweet, slightly dim teenager living with his older brother Mason (Jim Metzler) in a rural Oklahoma town. With an absentee father and a deceased mom, the two eke out a marginal existence; things get desperate enough for Mason to sell his and Tex's horses to have enough money for groceries. Mason is ready to graduate high school and has his sights set on Indiana University and a basketball scholarship; he has little patience for his younger brother and his antics, feeling like he has to babysit him to keep him out of trouble. Tex's partner-in-mischief is Johnny (Emilio Estevez), while Johnny's sister Jamie (Meg Tilly) is the object of Tex's crush. The two live under the stern eye of their authoritarian dad (Ben Johnson), foiling any ideas Tex may have about Jamie. If this film seems reminiscent of The Outsiders, it's because it's similarly based on an S.E. Hinton novel; its tone and mood also calls to mind early-'80s kid dramas such as Breaking Away and My Bodyguard. It's a quiet little movie, capturing the boredom and tedium of small-town life nicely, with good characterizations and early roles by the Brat Pack. Dillon helped define himself early on with troubled-teen roles, and this is a fine example. Tex is also notable because it was one of the first adult dramas to come from Disney Studios.

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