Baxter! (1973)

First of all, the (valid) complaint of some of the other reviewers has been remedied -- this film has now been released on DVD (PAL, Region 2, for the moment). Second, and most important, this film could enter the human development curriculum as a primer on how to treat young adolescents as human beings about to enter and make their contribution to the world, as opposed to mindless sleeping-and-eating robots who need to be sheltered and isolated for as long as possible. Of course, the parents and one of Roger's teachers try the latter approach, but the boy has a mind of his own and finds friends and allies in his neighbourhood and school who accept him as he is -- a bright and resourceful human who is twelve -- and accept him into their social circle. The adult characters are "drawn" a bit one-dimensional, probably so that Roger's friends and allies can contrast clearly with his parents and English teacher. For example, the speed and ease with which Roger is accepted by the romantic couple Chris (Britt Eklund) and Roger T. (Jean-Pierre Cassell) seems a bit contrived, but it doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that a school speech-therapist (Patricia Neal as Dr Clemm) can spend so much one-on-one time with one of her students. What really matters is Scott Jacoby's portrayal of Roger. It is, quite simply, a marvel to watch, and the whole film rides easily on his still-boyish shoulders. (In the same year this film was released, Jacoby won the Emmy for his portrayal of the son of a gay father in "That Certain Summer". One can see his award-caliber acting in this film, as well.) One last point: don't look for a remake of this film any time soon. In my humble opinion, today's society could not deal with a twelve-year-old who makes his own decisions and leads his own life outside his home, in spite of his (crazy, control-freak) mother and absent father, even if he is ready and able to do so. Kids today are "property", and involvement by outsiders, however benevolent, can easily be seen and condemned as a threat to the parent's authority.

Baxter is Roger Baxter, played by Scott Jacoby who later starred in cult classics such as "Bad Ronald" & "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane". Roger lives with his mother in London. They're American, but his self-absorbed socialite mother likes living in London because "it's a beautiful and civilized city". Mrs. Baxter doesn't quite understand her son and is cold and insensitive to his needs. Roger seems to get along very well with older people- a neighbor girl named 'Nemo', a couple living nearby (a French chef & his Swedish model girlfriend) and Roger's speech therapist, Roberta (Patricia Neal). Roger struggles with his inability to pronounce his "R"'s but his speech therapist gives him the love and nurturing that he never had from his own mother. Roger does have a couple emotional breakdowns in the film, and upon returning home from a hospital following one such breakdown, he learns that his neighbor friend Chris, (played by Britt Ekland) has died of pneumonia. This news puts Roger into a near nervous breakdown. Thankfully, his speech therapist is with him and explains to his mother that Roger must return back to the hospital immediately, which climaxes into a physical confrontation between the therapist and his mother. I won't tell what happens in the final scene, but it is indeed very moving and very beautiful.

I saw Baxter, (not to be confused with the movie about a Pittbull) years ago. It's a movie I have never forgotten. This movie is one of the most heart wrenching and yet beautiful films I have ever seen. Sadly I have never been able to find a copy of it and for some strange reason, this masterpiece has never been released on VHS or DVD. A young teenager with a speech impediment who is emotionally neglected by his selfish parents moves from the States to England with his self obsessed mother. He also has a caring speech therapist who actually seems to understand his isolation. He befriends a couple who become a surrogate big brother and big sister to him.He also befriends a young girl as well but through a series of events, he ends up having a traumatic breakdown ending in one of the most tear inducing scenes ever filmed. This movie is a tear jerker, but it is not manipulative, but honest in it's portrayal of a lonely unhappy boy. Watch it if you can find it, and I truly hope you can find it.

"Dear dad, I wish this journey would go on forever" writes young Roger Baxter to his ever-absent father, on the flight from America to England and right away tears up the letter and flushes it down the toilet. That's how this exquisite film about troubled adolescence, indifferent parents and the painful realization of commitment and loss begins. And it's no easy ride. Steering clear of the clichés that usually burden these movies, it offers us a clear and passionate view of the mind of this teenager in the way good British films do, in a simple no-nonsense way. (Kudos to actor-turned-director Lionel Jeffries for his efficient "invisible" direction).A little about the story: Roger Baxter comes to London with his divorced mother. They are rich and he's enrolled in a very exclusive school, which he hates. His mother is a self-absorbed artistic socialite who has little time for her son. His father is still in the States and he's as absent to his son as he is to us viewers (we hardly ever see him). Also Roger has a speaking disability (he cannot pronounce "r") which further separates him from the rest of the "normal" people. The sun shines for our hero through a handful of encounters: to a young couple (a French chef and a Swedish model) who become surrogate older siblings, a young girl who's as close to a romantic interest that Roger comes to but not quite and the Speech therapist who's a much stronger mother figure than his own mother. Through a series of events Roger has his psyche shattered, but the end of this film, a great scene between Scott Jacobi and Jean-Pierre Cassell, is both optimistic and touching.The acting is uniformly very good, but special mention must go to two actors who really carry the film. Scott Jacobi as Roger Baxter gives the performance of his career, while Patricia Neal as the speech therapist conveys both the quiet authority as well as the human warmth needed in the part (Favourite scene: Roger is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and his mother, not understanding what is happening with her son, slaps him. Patricia Neal grabs her wrist and in a very quiet voice says: "I am not a violent person and I will probably hate myself in the morning, but if you as so much as touch this boy I will break every bone in your body").When the movie came out in the early seventies, a British film critic called it "a small masterpiece". Do find out for yourselves that indeed it is so.