Off the Minnesota Strip (1980)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Let's be realistic.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Rarely have television-made movies explored misguided youth so well as in "Off The Minnesota Strip". Mare Winningham gets to utilize her full-range as an actress, portraying a young runaway who is forced to return home to her confused, exhausted parents and go back to school. Mare Winningham is tender, stubborn, annoying, maddeningly smart but easily swayed. She's an exciting presence on the screen, singing "Just My Imagination" in the police station or auditioning for the school play. The parents, played by Hal Holbrook and Michael Learned, are pretty much the standard forehead-rubbers that we usually get in youth movies, and Holbrook's line-readings are occasionally overwrought, but the film is extremely well-directed and presented.

When I saw this, I was deeply impressed with the young actress, Mare Winningham. Everything she did (as an actress) was brilliant -- even when she smoked (blowing smoke from the side of her mouth).If I'm correct, she had been sexually abused by her father (Hal Holbrook) when she was a little girl, but didn't hold it against him after she became a teenager. Yes, she was troubled, but I think her biggest headache was a very critical mother (Michael Learned), who, obviously put up with the abuse.When Mare comes back from her New York jaunt as a prostitute, she bravely goes back to high school. She even dabbles in a little hooking upon her return. Boys, of course, are "after" her sexually, and then she has to deal with her NY pimp, who arrives to take her back to the street. Leon Isaac Kennedy as the pimp gave a marvelous performance.Funny, why a great film like this is allowed to get lost in the shuffle. This should be restored and put on DVD. I'd love to hear comments from Miss Winningham and the other living cast members about their experience while making the picture.I have seen Winningham in many TV movies since, including the wonderful, "Amber Waves," and felt that she could be the next Bette Davis or Shirley Booth. What an actress! "Off The Minnesota Strip" was certainly Mare Winningham's finest hour.

I remember this movie well and always think of it if I see Mare Winningham in other movies. It's a portrayal of a troubled teenage girl who runs away from a bad family scene only to have to return and deal with the issues in her life. I haven't seen this movie since the early '80s, but it's a memorable one. It was never shown in repeats, even during late night movies for some reason. It would be nice to see this made-for-tv movie available on DVD someday.

This is one of the best made for TV movies I have ever seen. It could very easily have been an exploitation flick and come across as cheap and tawdry, but it doesn'tIt treats its characters, including the black pimp with respect and creates an image of a world in which all the characters are struggling with their inner demons. It is a movie which I have not seen for 20 years, and I wish that I could get to see it again.