So much average

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

I saw the Buttercream gang when I was sixteen,my brothers and I popped it in our VHS Player and sat back to watch it.We ended up making snide comments the whole time.I'm a Christain and love good quality movies,but this thing was so cheesy and happy sappy I think I got a cavity from watching it.They try to overdramatise the serious parts. The Buttercream Gang is so perfectly good it makes you sick. The town is so small they preacher plays triple duty. Even the bad kid isn't that bad he shoplifts a couple of sodas (I think) the bullies aren't that scary,I mean what's so bad about riding your bike around the nerdy girl granted she'd get dizzy ,but still. The boys had a treehouse they're supposed to be 12 or 14 whatever way too old for a treehouse .I'm not sure I quite the moral of the story unless it was Don't move to big cities like Chicago or New York or you'll turn into a gang member and not the good kind either . The one good thing about the movie was the song that played toward the end and the credits other than it was horrible .

I don't know what the other people who've rated this movie are thinking... but this movie is horrible... it was given to us as a gift, for Christmas. We got 15 or 20 minutes into it and turned it off. The acting was lame, the story line cheesy - a kid from a "good" small town (which seems to be stuck in some sort of weird time warp between the 50's and 80's) goes to the "bad" big city and becomes corrupted - casting a bad light on all big cities. The icing on the cake was the scene where the perfect, angelic kids, in their perfectly clean clothes and perfect hair-dos (soooo unrealistic) help the poor fallen widow by climbing through her 2nd story window... what about all the windows on the ground floor? Even before that, they ride for what seems like kms on their bikes, past numerous adults, not once asking for help - and has anyone there heard of 911?? We turned it off shortly after this and explained to our kids that if anyone they know is ever hurt or in trouble, they are to dial 911 immediately or ask an adult for help. We decided, as a family, to not finish watching the movie. This film... from the 15-20 min that I saw of it, is so cheesy and unrealistic I would never buy one! The copy we have will go into our infamous "garage sale" give away bin. I would much rather have my kids watch something they know is not real and not intended to be real, such as a good fantasy movie that may have some questionable content, than encourage them to watch something crappy and misleading, masquerading as "real" and "good".

This was possibly one of the most offensive movies I've ever seen. It is set in a town in which everyone is blonde, goes to the same church, sweeps their huge porches all day, and generally acts the part of good, clean Americans. It's the sort of town that might have Wilford Brimley as mayor. The only "troubled" kid (there must be one) loses his father and moves to (horror) Chicago to live with his aunt. Of course he then joins a gang, starts a life of crime, decides to use his mother's last name, Valdez (a sure sign of a troublemaker), and gets sent packing back to ideal land by his aunt. Well, he then wreaks havoc on the town until all the good Christians help him mend his ways. He shapes up, and we know this because he drops the clearly dangerous Valdez and resumes his good American name, Turner. Oy vey.

I watched this movie with my 8 year old nephew. It would not win any Oscars, but the "heart" of this movie is what makes it great. We live in a rather small town and we do have a gang problem. I know because I used to teach these gang members. I wanted to talk to my nephew about gangs, but mostly to remind him of God's love for us. How he loves us "No Matter What". Just like a good parent, He will discipline us when we need it to correct us, but He will never stop loving us. We should follow this example with one another. It is true that the world will never "perfect", but that is no reason for us to stop trying to improve our relationships with one another, and in turn improve our world. I also believe it shows that just one person can make a difference. Jesus began it by showing us how to treat one another. Scott showed God's love to Pete. (It reminded of David and Jonathan from the Bible). Then Pete showed it to others and so on. It isn't just a "dream" as some cynic's would have us believe. If you look past the amateur acting, etc. and look at the heart of the movie, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised, and just may learn something of our Heavenly Father yourself. After all, that is what He does for us. :-)