That Was Then... This Is Now (1985)

Undescribable Perfection

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

When I saw the movie I actually liked it. I was satisfied with how they used the important stuff from the book, but when I saw the ending it diminished my opinion on this movie. If you read the book then you would know how dark and depressing it was. That is why I liked the book so much because it doesn't cheapen the story by having a happy ending. The movie had the typical Hollywood happy ending. It would be easier for me to forgive the movie if it didn't have that cheesy, happy 80's music playing at the end. If you loved the book then do yourself a favor and don't see this movie. I would only recommend seeing this if you're a big Morgan Freeman fan because his performance is pretty good and is worth seeing for his performance alone if you're a fan. I really can't blame Emilio Estevez since the studio made him change the ending and I know he wouldn't have intended to write a happy ending.

I always loved S.E. Hinton's novels as a kid: The Outsiders, Rumble Fish (which in my opinion, is the greatest film adaptation in the series despite everyone's fascination with The Outsiders), Tex, and That Was Then This is Now.'That Was Then, This is Now' was the last film adaptation (although the TV series for 'The Outsiders' follows five years later after the release of this movie). I would've attribute the mediocrity of the movie, or at least the inability to really put forth all that the novel did, was because it was not directed by Francis Ford Coppola (who directs 'The Outsiders,' and does a fabulous job with 'Rumble Fish'), except 'Tex,' which was a pretty good movie, was likewise not directed by Coppola.I think it is in part the chemistry among the characters. The whole mood looks like something out of a music video, with Craig Scheffer coming off more like a guy who broke off a long relationship with a girlfriend rather than dealing with a rambunctious brother (in addition to other things). Plus, as another viewer already mentioned, they shifted the focus on characters so that superstar Emilio Esteves becomes the center of attention. Most of S.E. Hinton's novel always portrayed a struggle from the brother who is looking out at things that, by his perception, have become (or always were) seriously out of control. (See 'Tex' and 'Rumble Fish'). And yes, they unfortunately acquiesced to the Hollywood happy ending, and in the sappiest way, despite all of the problems that the characters endure.Unlike previous adaptations of Hinton's novels, even those not directed by Coppola, they really fail to portray the struggles that the characters realize in the book. And, lack of developing the story on this point really makes you only half appreciate the characters and their conflicts (and in this case, not even their resolution).

SPOILER I think that the book was funny and interesting. The movie was funny and interesting. The movie was not as good as the book. The movie did not go in to as much detail as the book did. The part in the book about Mark stealing the car to go and see his probation officer because he had stolen cars was not mentioned in the movie. Also the movie had Mark steal a car at the end with a police chase instead of having Bryan turn Mark in to the police for dealing drugs. He should have also had talked to Mark instead of kicking him out of the house right off the bat.

I was born in 1970. While many movies such as Pretty In Pink, etc. were bigger hits, these movies along with a couple of others were incredibly important in what it means to be a friend, what it meant to grow up, and what it meant to grow up in the 80's. It wasn't a "great" movie, but it was a great movie for me and is a great movie about growing up, deciding what is important, forming morals. Will be on my buy list when I get a little money.