As a child, this movie was one of the many "Family Movies" line films that were forced upon me by my parents. Even back then, I remember thinking that this was a terrible movie, and it only looks worse as an adult.
Sure, it's badly paced, badly acted and all-around boring, but what makes this movie really offensive is the ham-handed way it tries to shove a moral down our throats that isn't upheld by the story itself. Basicly, every illegal thing the kids do, they do because they have no acceptable alternative. Instead of placing the blame where it belongs- on the people who put them in such a desperate situation in the first place- we get an infuriating speech from a Random Granny about how the kids should know better than to Break The Law. Thanks, Betty Crocker.
Parents, please, don't inflict this movie on your kids. I'm never going to get those lost IQ points back, and they won't either.