Criminally underrated film...
I was 12-13 when I saw this film, so about Jack's age... I was going through my own personal struggles (bullying, depression, etc.) and this film hit VERY close to the heart. I identified with a lot of Jack's personality traits, struggles, and just felt intensely emotionally affected by the events of the movie. It felt like I was experiencing the trauma of Jack's (and Dylan's) childhood firsthand, thus it was representative of my life in so many ways.
I wonder if this movie would have done better in theaters today, just over 30 years later, amidst the 21st century woes, particularly in the tween/teen age groups. I think it would still hold up pretty well.