Penelope Spheeris (who had previously made the critically-acclaimed documentary 'The Decline of Western Civilization') directs this look at youth growing up during the Reagan era. Evan Johnson (Bill Coyne) is a teenager who is immersed in the mid-1980s punk rock scene. An angst-ridden, society misfit he bands together with similar teens on the streets of LA. The cast is comprised of mostly real-life LA teenagers who were picked off the streets - one of them being Flea, bassist of now world-renowned rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers.