jjnxn-1 Terribly directed and acted family conflict drama that would be rightly and completely forgotten if it did not contain Brad Pitt in the cast. He is extremely callow and still has a lot to learn here but at least his bland performance can be put down to the fact that he was still a beginner. Rick Schroder on the other hand is too old to be believable as a high school student and is awful and overwrought. Carrie Snodgrass is okay as the mom, unlike the rest of the dreadful supporting cast, but the script really doesn't give her much too work with. Speaking of the script it is full of huge holes of plausibility and lacks any kind of common sense. To top it all off the score is full of horrid ersatz hard rock. Don't bother.

wes-connors In what looks like the Los Angeles area, pot-smoking hot blond Rick Schroder (as William "Billy" Maloney) steals a car and gets caught by the cops, while skuzzy pal David Anthony Marshall (as Louie) escapes by dumpster diving. After a year in reform school, Mr. Schroder is granted probation. He goes home to live with poor widowed mother Carrie Snodgress (as Rosemary) and older brother Brad Pitt (as Joe "Joey" Maloney), a high school track star aching for a Stanford scholarship...Screw-up Schroder is enrolled in a (nicer) high school on the other side of town, due to some program set up with the reformatory. This sets up the storyline as the brothers may eventually face-off "Across the Tracks" on opposing track teams. Apparently, Mr. Pitt did not get long well with his kid brother, and gives him a really hard time. Schroder has sweaty nightmares and must resist strong lures to return to his delinquent lifestyle. Mother Snodgress loves both of her sons with all of her heart...This story of sibling rivalry takes a long time to get off the ground as the opening acts do little to make it convincing. Schroder and Pitt do not initially impress as brothers. Pitt employs some obvious "high school gosh" for his characterization; with a good tail wind, his bangs threaten to win the race on their own. Surprisingly, considering their subsequent acting reputations, Schroder is the one who builds-up some believability, minus the partying. Turnabout is fair play, in brotherly love and acting.****** Across the Tracks (1991) Sandy Tung ~ Rick Schroder, Brad Pitt, Carrie Snodgress, David Anthony Marshall

s000162012 This is the most amazing movie in the world. Being a runner myself, this movie puts you into the emotional roller coaster that is high school running. There are many times when you feel like you will not or cannot accomplish the county championship but if you have someone like your brother to lean on then anything is possible. This movie has inspired me more than Chariots of Fire, PRE, and Without Limits combined. The acting and raw emotions that these characters experience will live on for ever. Where is the Academy Award for GREATEST FILM EVER MADE? By the way Pitt looks JACKED and he is the man in this move. Best performance of his life. PS if those are the standards to get into Standford then my whole XC team from junior year should be there. But that doesn't matter.

christophaskell Joe Maloney (Brad Pitt) is an all-star runner on his high school track team. Billy Maloney (Rick Schroder) is a troubled youth who is in with the law, and about to be kicked out of the family. Trying to be a good older brother, Joe asks Billy if he wants to run with him in the mornings before school. Billy gives it a shot, and much to everyone's surprise turns out to be quite a little runner. Joe convinces Billy to try out for his schools track team (Billy is in a different school because he's caused too much trouble in previous ones) and it's a good thing he does, because that sets up the rest of the movie. It's a pretty cliché tale of everyone struggling but overcoming their inner demons at just the right moment. Carrie Snodgress does do a great job as the mom who refuses to move on from the point where her husband died. Overall, I'd say it is worth a shot; you won't learn anything new but you will feel better about yourself and life around you. As a last thought, the only problem I had was that as soon as the protagonist made the decision to change they didn't have to face the past. So the movie was a little fantastical that way, but that can be pretty easily overlooked. Rating: 24/40