This was a TV movie special, shot on videotape. The plot was about a teenaged girl struggling to make it in life. I remember that she had a goal she was going for. Don't remember exactly what her aim was, but she was saving money and hiding it in her room. She was being raised by her grandmother. Her mother was gone, and her dad was in prison. Lawrence Fishburne was thirteen or fourteen when this was made. He played a street-wise friend of the main character. His character did not get along with her oldest brother, who was a neer-do-well. One day, the brother finds his sister's hiding place and steals her money. Fishburne witnesses this, and follows the guy. He catches up with him in an alley. The guy is laid out drunk, and it's easy for Fishburne to beat him up and take what's left of the money. Fishburne returns the money to the main character. The movie felt more like a stage play in it's pacing and look.
4 Reviews
Somewhat Coincidental
Rmcfg30 October 2005
I remember this movie. Very ironic that the character a 13-year old Laurence Fishburne portrayed was nicknamed "Fish". Was this purely coincidental, or part autobiography?
Overall, it was an excellent movie. The main character was a young girl named "Billie Jean" who was coming of age. She had no mother and was being raised by her grandmother. Her older brother "T-Bone" was a heroin addict and her best friend was a young boy called "Fish". She worked after school and was saving her money to travel out of state to visit her father who was serving time in federal prison and rumored to be in ill health. She had been hiding her money n a secret place. But one day T-Bone discovered where she had been hiding it. T-Bone stole her money and spent most of it getting high on dope. Fish caught up with a drugged out T-Bone, and although Fish was much smaller in physical build, he hit T-Bone over the head and retrieved what was left of her money. Then Fish went out and pulled a scam to try and recover what Bille Jean needed in order to buy herself a bus ticket to finally see her father before he died.
Even at age 13, Laurence Fishburne was an action hero.
Overall, it was an excellent movie. The main character was a young girl named "Billie Jean" who was coming of age. She had no mother and was being raised by her grandmother. Her older brother "T-Bone" was a heroin addict and her best friend was a young boy called "Fish". She worked after school and was saving her money to travel out of state to visit her father who was serving time in federal prison and rumored to be in ill health. She had been hiding her money n a secret place. But one day T-Bone discovered where she had been hiding it. T-Bone stole her money and spent most of it getting high on dope. Fish caught up with a drugged out T-Bone, and although Fish was much smaller in physical build, he hit T-Bone over the head and retrieved what was left of her money. Then Fish went out and pulled a scam to try and recover what Bille Jean needed in order to buy herself a bus ticket to finally see her father before he died.
Even at age 13, Laurence Fishburne was an action hero.
If You Give A Dance You've Got To Pay The Band
atiramisu2 November 2006
In the movie, Billie Jean is saving money to go see her father in prison or saving for school -- I can't remember. Her junkie brother steals the money and she has to figure out a way to get it back. Laurence Fishburne plays Yancy Fisher "Fish" who lives next door. Fish is in LOVE with Billie Jean and tries to help her figure out a way to run a quick scam to get the money back. So he tells her about a scam. I remember him saying, "It's called 'The Murphy." I was about 12 years old in '72 and remember taping most of the movie on a cassette tape and knew most of the lines by heart -- but eventually my cassette tape wore out! If anyone knows where this made-for-TV movie can be purchased on video or DVD, I would appreciate a public post here. I've been looking for this one for awhile and haven't been able to find it.
African-American coming of age movie
sherman782411 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Donna Bryan starred with Larry Fishburne in this wonderful coming of age movie. The acting was stellar and the friendship between the young stars was moving. The story is about a young girl trying to make sense of her world. Her grandmother attempts to raise her and her brother since her mother has disappeared and her father is incarcerated. While Billie Jean dreams of a better life, her older brother falls into the downward spiral of his father and many young men portrayed in the movies of the seventies. At the end, the youngsters have prevailed through the bravery and ingenuity of Larry Fishburne's character. You're not sure how Billie Jean will fair, but she boards the bus filled with hope as she travels to see her incarcerated father one last time. It is directed and taped more like a stage play as a prior reviewer has stated; however, it comes across as credible and engaging. I, too,would love to have a copy of the movie if anyone knows how to secure it. Perhaps BET or TV One can secure it and show this film to a new generation. It certainly would be worth seeing again.
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