History Film / OverTheEdge

!! Tropes Are:

* AxesAtSchool: [[UnbuiltTrope 20 years before]] UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}}. [[spoiler: Eventually they start using shotguns to blow up cars in the school parking lot]].
* BasedOnATrueStory: New Grenada was based on Foster City, a Bay Area suburb where kids were engaged with alarming amounts of juvenile behavior. Many former residents of Foster City have commented on the events in the movie as TruthInTelevision, [[spoiler: except for the kids attack on the high school, which was an invention of the filmmakers]].
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Carl and his friends are sent to juvie for their attack on school, but their parents finally build them a community center, and they are able to get the help they need]].

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Richie]].

* EveryOneHasStandards:Jerry tries to stop Doberman [[spoiler: from arresting the kids after their riot]] recognizing he is not the ideal person to deal with the problem, to no avail.

* JerkassHasAPoint: The town is full of delinquents, one of whom [[spoiler: pulled a gun on him]], so Doberman's frustration is understandable. But it's clear he is a part of the problem.

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Doberman is killed by one of the kids he harassed]].
* KickTheDog: Doberman shutting down the rec center because one kid had drugs on him. [[spoiler: And later shooting Richie. Yeah Richie did pull a gun on him, but Doberman had it in for him from the beginning]].

* RageBreakingPoint: [[spoiler: Richie getting shot by Doberman triggers the violent riot at the climax]].

* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Everything the parents do to crackdown on their children's criminal tendencies only leads to even worse outbursts. [[spoiler: Carl, who is warned his father to stay away from reform school, ends up there by the end of the movie]]. Mr. Sloan [[LampshadeHanging spells it out for Fred]].
--> '''Mr. Sloan''': Seems to me like you all were in such a hopped-up hurry to get out of the city that you turned your kids into exactly what you were trying to get away from.

Though it did poorly in the box office, it has become a cult classic. It's also notable for Matt Dillon's first role as Richie, Carl's delinquent friend.

''Over the Edge'' is a 1979 teen drama directed by Jonathan Kaplan (better known for producing and directing ''Series/{{ER}}'').

New Grenada, Colorado seems like the ideal community. [[StepfordSuburbia Clean streets, nice houses, new schools]]. Unfortunately, the kids were left out of the plan, and have little to do in town besides drink and do drugs. Carl (Michael Eric Kramer), is young man struggling between his desire to lead a normal life, and the delinquency of his friends.

Though it did poorly in the box office, he has become a cult classic. It's also notable for Matt Dillon's first role as Richie, Carl's delinquent friend.

** Julia, the rec center counselor is the only person who really understands the kids needs. Unfortunately, the community blames her for everything and she is laid off, furthering angering the kids.

Though is did poorly in the box office, he has become a cult classic. It's also notable for Matt Dillon's first role as Richie, Carl's delinquent friend.

''Over The Edge'' is a 1979 teen drama directed by Johnathan Kaplan (better known for producing and directing ''Series/{{ER}}'').

''Over The Edge'' is a 1979 teen drama directed by Johnathan Kaplan (better known for directing ER).

But when Fred's father starts cracking down on the delinquency in his town in a bid to attract a property developer, it drives Carl closer to delinquency, and drives the town closer to a breaking point.

** JerkassHasAPoint: The town is full of delinquents, one of whom [[spoiler: pulled a gun on him]], so Doberman's frustration is understandable. But it's clear he is as part of the problem.

Over The Edge is a 1979 teen drama directed by Johnathan Kaplan (better known for directing ER).

** VillainHasAPoint: Doberman's defense that he had no idea the gun was empty is angrily dismissed out of hand by the other townsfolk (and the writers, presumably), even though it's a perfectly valid point: anyone who's ever had training with firearms knows they can never, ''ever'' assume a weapon pointed at them isn't loaded.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Jerry Cole is this at the town meeting. Despite a [[spoiler: kid getting shot]], his main concern is attracting business. This causes Fred to angrily rant at the parents about how much they've been ignoring their children.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Not evil, more "interested in the bottom line than children", but Jerry tries to stop Doberman [[spoiler: from arresting the kids after their riot]] recognizing he is not the ideal person to deal with the problem, to no avail.

* KickTheDog: Doberman shutting down the rec center because on kid had drugs on him. [[spoiler: And later shooting Richie. Yeah Richie did pull a gun on him, but Doberman had it in for him from the beginning]].

** VillainHasAPoint: Doberman's defense that he had no idea the gun was empty is angrily dismissed out of hand by the other townsfolk (and the writers, presumably), even though it's a perfectly valid point: anyone who's ever had training with firearms knows they can never, ''ever'' assume a weapon pointed at them isn't loaded.

** VillainHasAPoint: Doberman's defense that he had no idea the gun wasn't loaded is angrily dismissed out of hand by the other townsfolk (and the writers, presumably), even though anyone who's ever had training with firearms knows they cannot ''ever'' assume a weapon pointed at them isn't loaded.

** VillainHasAPoint: Doberman's defense that he had no idea the gun wasn't loaded is angrily dismissed out of hand by the other townsfolk (and the writers, presuambly), even though anyone who's ever had training with firearms knows they cannot ''ever'' assume a weapon pointed at them isn't loaded.

* {{Suburbia}}: An extremely negative take at that, and based on a real life one. See above.

* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Everything the parents do to crackdown on their children's criminal tendencies only leads to even worse outbursts. [[spoiler: Carl, who is warned his father to stay away from reform school, ends up there by the end of the movie]].

* SelfFufillingProphecy: Everything the parents do to crackdown on their children's criminal tendencies only leads to even worse outbursts. [[spoiler: Carl, who is warned his father to stay away from reform school, ends up there by the end of the movie]].

* AxesAtSchool: [[UnbuiltTrope 20 years before]] UsefulNotes/Columbine. [[spoiler: Eventually they start using shotguns to blow up cars in the school parking lot]].

* JerkWithAHeartGold: Richie is a violent youth, but he cares for Carl.

New Grenada, Colorado seems like the ideal community. [[StepfordSuburbia Clean streets, nice houses, and beautiful homes]]. Unfortunately, the kids were left out of the plan, and have little to do in town besides drink and do drugs. Carl (Michael Eric Kramer), is young man struggling between his desire to lead a normal life, and the delinquency of his friends.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Carl and his friends are sent to juvie for their attack on school, but their parents finally build them a community center, and they probably are able to get the help they need]].

* HonestJohnsDealership: Averted with Fred, who's a pretty responsible businessman. He ability to understand his son is what needs a tune-up.

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Doberman is kille

* BasedOnATrueStory: New Grenada was based on Foster City, a Bay Area suburb where kids were engaged with alarming amounts of juvenile behavior. Many former residents of Foster City have commented on the events in the move TruthInTelevision, [[spoiler: except for the kids attack on the high school, which was an invention of the filmmakers]].

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Fred and Jerry do little to invest

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Jerry Cole is this at the town meeting. Despite a [[spoiler: kid getting shot]], his main concern is attracting business. This causes Fred to angrily rant at the parents about the problem.
* EverythingIsBiggerInTexas: The two Texas businessmen whom Fred is trying to attract to the two fit some of the stereotypes, like ten gallons hats and DeepSouth accents. However, they are among the few perspective characters in the movie, and who warn Fred about everything he's doing wrong, to no avail.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: The parents are more interested in personal gain, so the kids have to fill the void with drugs and violence, who are harassed by a police force that is more interested in cracking down on the kids than actually getting to the root of their problems, making the kids react more violently. Nobody is a saint.

* SelfFufillingProphecy: Everything the parents do to crackdown on their children's criminal tendencies only leads to even worse outbursts.

!!TropesAre:

* AxesAtSchool:
* BasedOnTrueStory: New Grenada was based on Foster City, a Bay Area suburb where kids were engaged with alarming amounts of juvenile behavior. Many former residents of Foster City have commented on the events in the move TruthInTelevision, [[spoiler: except for the kids attack on the high school, which was an invention of the filmmakers]].

* GreyAndGrayMorality: The parents are more interested in personal gain, so the kids have to fill the void with drugs and violence, who are harassed by a police force that is more interested in cracking down on the kids than actually getting to the root of their problems. So in a sense, everybody is responsible for the misfortunes.

** Carl plays with this trope. He himself tries to avoid the vices of his friends, but becomes less and less behaved when he realizes his parents don't really understand his problems.