Former child star and one-time scandal magnet
Drew Barrymore had her first teenage role in this offbeat thriller with comic overtones. Charlie Cross (
Matt Frewer) is vacationing with his 15-year-old daughter Joleen (Barrymore). Charlie and Joleen are stranded in an Arizona trailer park when they run out of gas, and they quickly get to know their temporary neighbors, including ill-tempered landlady Agnes Reed (
Susan Tyrrell), her son Jimmy (Andras Jones), friendly but scrambled Viet Nam vet Duckett (
Richard Masur), fellow travelers Amy (
Jennifer Tilly) and Louise (
Karen Austin), and geeky Pinky Sears (
Anthony Rapp). However, it turns out that a psychotic murderer is in their midst, and Sheriff Bill Childers (
Dick Miller) joins with the mobile home dwellers in trying to catch the killer before he can strike again. Far From Home marked the directorial debut of Meiert Avis, while screenwriter Tommy Lee Wallace previously worked with co-star Frewer as a director for the TV series
Max Headroom. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide