AllMovie

A kid who is still struggling with the loss of a parent has an unexpected challenge thrown in his path in this coming-of-age drama. Adam (Evan Peters) has just wrapped up his last year in middle school, and is waiting out the summer before he enters high school. Adam is still dealing with the death of his mother and younger sister in a car wreck two years earlier. In tribute to them, Adam hasn't cut his hair since the accident, while Adam's father (Chris Eigeman) prefers to blunt his own sorrows by drinking and giving his son bad advice. Given to angry outbursts of violence, Adam finds he's better off turning to his grandmother (Louise Fletcher) or Father Dan (Kevin Sorbo), an open-minded priest who prefers talking to kids on the basketball court rather than in the church rectory. Over the summer, Adam makes friends with Johnny (Bryan Burke), but he also gains an enemy -- Jerry (Donato Mario Alleva), an older student with a bullying personality and a hatred of long hair.