Stevie really "lived" in that movie, didn't he?
From being sheltered although beaten up by his older brother, he got to make friends with skateboarders and took part in their activities as well smoked tobacco and pot, drank and lost his virginity, not to mention taking life-risking tumbles and even a car crash with a drunk driver. And he stood up to his mother and brother, and they acknowledged his friends in the end.
Not many teens of that age can say they've really lived.