MovieChat Forums > Over the Edge (1979) Discussion > The real events …?

The real events …?

posted 10 months ago by Tongue (449)
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That this movie was based on - is s as my one familiar with what actually happened? I just read up about it. It basically occurred in a small but developing suburb - a few kids were committing minor vandalism(drinking beer, smoking weed, pulling off car antennas) .. the adults freaked out and held a meeting to discuss it. Many of the kids showed up at the meeting to share their viewpoints

AND THATS IT! Nothing else happened! The kids didn’t lock the adults in the building nor did they vandalize the school or blow up any cars in the parking lot . No vandalism occurred that night. I was honestly bummed to hear this as I truly expected to read about an incident where the kids took revenge upon the town but didn’t happen

I remember wanting to know the true events that happened that would be the base for this movie but after finding out what actually happened - I am quite disappointed! Lol

Oh well it’s still the best movie about teen angst/boredom/rebellion I have ever seen

[–] Roguemail (1595) 10 months ago

Well...at least you're original...saying the book is not as good as the movie.

I don't see any issue...most books are adapted and changed in some way to make the movie.

[–] kenburke (2345) 6 months ago

The following is copied from the Wikipedia article on Over the Edge:

The film was inspired by events described in a 1973 San Francisco Examiner article entitled "Mousepacks: Kids on a Crime Spree" by Bruce Koon and James A. Finefrock, which reported on young kids vandalizing property in Foster City, California. The middle class planned community had an unusually high level of juvenile crime. Screenwriters Charles S. Haas and Tim Hunter began work shortly after the article's publication, including field research in the town itself where they interviewed some of the kids. Hunter said that the script accurately reflected the article with the exception of a more violent ending.