Sooner or Later (1979)

I was 13 in 1979 when I first saw this movie and it really made an impression on me. I did an essay in literature that same week about the movie and presented it with so much passion. My teacher was very impressed. Love feels so real at that age and I remember the next year at 14 falling for the 17 year old I had a crush on for many years. I felt like Jesse because sure enough put on a little makeup and some cool clothes and he was following me around. The thing about this age is you also don't know how to handle heart break and that was a tough thing to learn.I have ordered all three of the books even though I have heard they are a hard read. I just can't help myself I have to see how things end.

Saw this movie on re-run just once, when I was about 13, in 1980. It completely matched my teenaged fantasies of sweet, gentle, interesting — and let's face it — hot — "older" guys. Just ordered it from CD Universe about a month ago, and have given it about four whirls in the two weeks since. As somebody mentioned — I'm haunted by it. As somebody else mentioned — I think it's part of a midlife crisis as well! Being 39 and realizing how much has changed since those simpler '70s times when girls of 13 actually did take buses and go to malls together and had a lot more freedom away from the confines of modern suburbia makes me sad for my daughter — who is nearly 13 herself. Thirteen back then was in many ways a lot more grown up.The film is definitely '70s but not in a super-dated cheesy way, in fact the outfits Denise Miller as Jessie wears could be current now! You know what they say, everything that goes around... although the short-short jogging shorts worn by Rex with the to-the-knees sweat socks probably won't make a comeback. The subject matter is handled in a very sensitive way and the characters are treated with a lot of respect. It's not the most chatty movie going — I often wished for more to be said between Jessie and Michael that would cement why he was also attracted to her. But the acting is solid, the movie is sweet and atmospheric, and the fringe characters give great performances. Mary Beth Manning as Jessie's friend Caroline is a total hoot — I think we all had friends like her. Maia Danziger as the relentless flirt with Michael gives a wiggy, stoned-out performance that just makes you laugh — because we also all knew girls that acted like that.Denise Miller knocked her performance out of the ballpark with a very down-to-earth quality likely credited to her uknown status and being new to the industry. And I think not a little of the credit for the film's theatre-grade quality comes from the very capable, brilliant hands of the story's authors, Carole and the late Bruce Hart, who also wrote for Sesame Street. They really cared about the message of the movie, which was not an overt in-your-face thing, while at the same time understanding how eager many girls are to grow up at that age.One thing that made me love the film then as much as now is not taking the cliché, easy, tied-with-a-bow but sort of let-down ending. In fact it's probably the end that has caused so many women to return to viewing the movie in their later years.Re-watching Sooner or Later has me absolutely sick with nostalgia for those simpler times, and has triggered a ridiculous and sudden obsession with catching up with Rex Smith — whom while I enjoyed his albums Sooner or Later and Forever when I was young, I never plastered his posters on my walls as I did some of my other faves. In the past week, I've put his music on my iPod, read fan sites, found interviews (and marveled in just how brilliant he really is — the man has a fascinating way of thinking), watched clips on YouTube — what am I, 13? I guess that's the biggest appeal of this movie. Remembering what it was like to be 13 and the whole world was ahead of you.

When I saw the movie in 1979, before they gave television shows or movies parental ratings, I am thinking now that this movie is actually pretty risk taking for its time. Nonetheless, it is about a 13 year old who pretends she is 16 to gain the attentions of a 17 year old high school student who aspires to be a singer Rex Smith, who was a minor teen heart throb at the time is fine. Denise Miller who played essentially minor parts both in Fish and Archies'place later in her career is excellent as a conflicted 13 year old who does not know whether she should play with dolls or boys. Judd Hirsh(Taxi) and Barbara Feldon make use of the screen time by providing Miller with advice and tactfully helping the adolescent to make the difficult transition from her youth into a young teenager.

I saw this movie back in 79 touched me in many ways, Over the years this movie stayed with me. Not only did you fall in love with Rex Smith (Michael)But you almost felt as if you were Denise Miller (Jessie). After watching this movie I felt I had changed. The feelings I had were hard to get over . Now in 2002 I just bought the movie online and watched it again and the same good feelings came back , I love this movie! And even though you can get a good laugh at the clothing from way back when.... The story line is still good, I plan to watch this movie with my 17 yr old daughter , not sure she will get as much as I have from the movie but hope she will get something from it . Buy this movie..