Where the Day Takes You is a 1992 film directed by Marc Rocco. The film tells the story of teenage runaways trying to survive on the streets of Los Angeles. The film was nominated for the "Critics Award" at the Deauville Film Festival and won the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.
Where the Day Takes You marked the feature film debut of Will Smith and featured an ensemble cast that includes including Dermot Mulroney, Sean Astin, Balthazar Getty, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ricki Lake, James LeGros, Laura San Giacomo, David Arquette, and Christian Slater. The film was primarily shot on location in Los Angeles and Venice, California and included several songs by Melissa Etheridge.
Plot
Where the Day Takes You is a tour of Hollywood's notorious underground. From the after-hours dance clubs to the hidden drug dens, from panhandling to prostitution, it's a no-holds-barred look at life in the fast lane. Fleeing abusive families, the teenage runaways form a protective family on their own, with King as their leader. King is a man in his early twenties who has been living on the street for over six years now. In and out of jail, he spends most of his nights with Little J and Greg. Having spent two months in jail for being falsely accused of murder, he feels that the group fell apart in his absence. His friend Brenda, a lot of the time bullied by Little J because of her weight, introduces him to Heather, a 17-year-old girl from Chicago. He soon takes her under his protection and includes her in his revenge on Tommy, the man responsible for the death of his former girlfriend Devon.
One night, Greg and Little J get into a fight while stealing stereos out of cars. Greg, mad that the group always takes Little J's side, seeks refuge with his drug dealer Ted and his girlfriend Vikki. He sends him away, however, because he doesn't have any money. Greg, not knowing what to do, goes home, but his father has him arrested for grand theft. Meanwhile, King and Heather have trouble earning money, but he insists that they won't get into prostitution, unlike Little J's friend Kimmy. Little J is lured into gay prostitution, though, by his friend Rob, but while at his client Charles, he is reminded of the sexual abuse by his uncle when he was still a kid. In jail, Greg admits to being addicted to drugs and a social worker gets him into a rehabilitation center, which will grant him parole.
Meanwhile, Tommy, after threatening and beating up his crippled friend Manny, finds out where King is staying. He beats him up severely and almost stabs him with a knife, when Little J shoots Tommy in the back. The group decides to run away, leaving Tommy to die. King and Heather get away, but their friend Crasher is soon arrested. King advises Heather to return to Chicago, but she refuses to go without him. After a day begging for money, they decide to go to a hotel and spend the night making love. She later admits to him that she ran away home because her brother abused her. Little J, meanwhile, takes refuge at Kimmy's for a while, but he is kicked out by Rob and decides to contact Charles again. Greg runs away from the rehabilitation center in the meantime, but he is unable to find the group. He goes to Ted, who is worried about him because he hasn't slept for four days and tries to help him by giving him a heroin shot.
When Crasher is out of jail, he tries to convince King and Heather to go with him to Dallas, announcing that the police is looking for them. King doesn't want to leave without Greg and Little J and starts to look for them. He is shocked to find Greg lying in his own puke, high on drugs at Ted's place. He promises to go with him, but he is arrested by the police before he can. They next find Little J under a bridge, being kicked out of Charles' house and regretting having shot a person. King, Heather and Little J decide to leave without anyone else. Meanwhile, Greg, out of jail after having talked to the police about King's whereabouts, returns to Ted and overdoses on heroin. On their bus, going to a new destination to start a new life, King decides to get out to look for Greg, but he is arrested by the police. Little J tries to save them and attempts to shoot the police, which forces them to shoot Little J. King, however, jumps in front of him and is shot and killed. Heather witnesses this and is left in tears. She decides not to leave Los Angeles, but to wait until Little J is released from jail. Together, accompanied by Brenda, they return to the streets, using the practice that King teached them.
Cast
- Dermot Mulroney as King, the leader of a group of teenage runaways. Although most of his friends are addicted to drugs, King swears on staying clean.
- Sean Astin as Greg, a 17-year-old runaway who is addicted to several drugs, mostly speed and later heroin.
- Balthazar Getty as Little J, an aggressive young teenage addict who doesn't care about rules, much to the annoyance of King.
- Lara Flynn Boyle as Heather, a teenager who just ran away from home and isn't used to the street life. She becomes the romantic interest of King.
- Peter Dobson as Tommy Ray, the violent enemy of King
- Ricki Lake as Brenda, an overweight teenage runaway who wants to be a movie star.
- James LeGros as Crasher, one of the people of the group, wanting to leave for Dallas.
- Will Smith as Manny, a crippled homeless person, often successful at begging for money because of his handicap.
- Laura San Giacomo as The Interviewer, questioning King in jail about his life.
- Adam Baldwin as Officer Black, a policeman looking for King's arrest.
- Kyle MacLachlan as Ted, Greg's drug dealer, who thinks of him as his little brother.
- Nancy McKeon as Vikki, Ted's girlfriend.
- Alyssa Milano as Kimmy, a teenage prostitute.
- David Arquette as Rob, Kimmy's boyfriend, working as a gay prostitute.
- Rachel Ticotin as Officer Landers, a policewoman looking for King's arrest.
- Stephen Tobolowsky as Charles, a rich man who hires Little J as a prostitute.
- Christian Slater as Social Worker, trying to help Greg to stay clean.
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