Quite a pleasing Canadian variation on the rites-of-passage theme, this bittersweet romantic comedy features an attractive performance by Corey Haim as the 17-year-old lad at the centre of the story. Eric moves with his father and stepmother (Keir Dullea and Geneviève Bujold) to a chicken farm in Fifties Ontario. Of course, Eric seeks the usual distractions: the age of the teenager has arrived, along with sex, fast cars, smart diners and the new music: from the cool crooning of The Platters to round-the-clock rocking with Bill Haley. It is also time for him to fall in love and he does - with a much older woman, Vera (Barbara Williams). The 'big moment' is effectively done, the teenage pranks often amusing and the Canadian countryside pretty. Well acted, the film avoids excessive sentimentality and will have strong appeal for nostalgia fans.

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