The Beniker Gang

Five siblings raised in an orphanage learn they are about to be placed with separate families. Arthur, the eldest, has just turned eighteen. He invents a guardian on paper, takes his siblings and runs. They find a trailer, look for work and try to stay together. The film is not interested in adventure. It is interested in the cost of staying together: once Arthur takes on all the responsibility there is no life of his own left, and the film reminds him of it. Each of the siblings wants something different too. The form is a small road film: a trailer, provincial towns, temporary jobs. The language is close to family television of the eighties. It is Ken Kwapis's first film as director. He would later be known for television work like The Office and Malcolm in the Middle, and the ensemble feeling here is the start of that vein. Andrew McCarthy plays Arthur, in one of his first leads. Jennifer Dundas plays his sister. Who it is for: viewers who like eighties family films and stories about siblings. Who it is not for: anyone after realism. The invented guardian is not believable, none of the adults presents a serious obstacle and the ending ties up too easily.