Not My Kid

This critically acclaimed made-for-TV movie explores the problem of teenage drug abuse. George Segal and Stockard Channing play upper middle class suburban parents who must come to grips with the fact that their 15-year old daughter, Susan, is a "druggie." Methadrine (speed), LSD, PCP, coke, pot: these are Susan's friends; and it takes a considerable amount of soul-searching and gradual understanding on the part of the parents before they are willing to admit that Susan's problem is beyond their capacity to fix. With that realization, they turn Susan over to a drug rehabilitation program, where she is able to get professional help, and an eventual cure. The major plus here is the subject matter--if the film increases awareness on the part of parents or children or, preferably, both, it has done its job. The drawbacks, on the other hand, are twofold: 1) since the film was made for commercial television, it relies on numerous close-ups, heavy strains of music, always simplistic and occasionally inflated dialogue, and not a gram of subtlety; 2) with few exceptions, TV-movies have been retailing in the $39.95-$59.95 range; the $79.95 price tag seems a bit steep. Recommended, with the above reservations.