Permanent Record (1988)

75% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(2,584 ratings)

High school student Alan Boyce has it all: looks, charm, popularity, excellent grades, a promising future. So why does Boyce abruptly commit suicide? As the shock waves of the boy's death reverberate through the halls of his school, the other students--particularly Boyce's best friend Keanu… More High school student Alan Boyce has it all: looks, charm, popularity, excellent grades, a promising future. So why does Boyce abruptly commit suicide? As the shock waves of the boy's death reverberate through the halls of his school, the other students--particularly Boyce's best friend Keanu Reeves--ask themselves if they, too, are capable of self-destruction. As for the adults, Boyce's suicide is one more of a myriad of mysteries concerning "Generation X" (though it was not yet so labelled in 1988). While the film offers no easy answers, either for the characters or the audience, Permanent Record ultimately demonstrates that there are ways to cope with the pressures of life other than taking one's own life. An added bonus: the teenagers in the film act like genuine teenagers, not like TV sitcom wisecrackers or oversexed cretins. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Marisa Silver
Written By: Jarre Fees, Alice Liddle, Larry Ketron
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1988 Wide
On DVD: Feb 17, 2004

Critic Reviews

Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
This isn't much more than a conscientious TV-movie drama, with a rather maudlin climax, but the performances are solid...
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Somehow balances the silliness of being seventeen with the beauty and the horror of it.

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