Drew Barrymore stars in a melodrama that borders on high-class kiddie porn, playing an orphan named Ivy who befriends an unhappy schoolmate (Sara Gilbert) and winds up moving into her troubled household, where she becomes indispensable to the ailing mother (Cheryl Ladd) and seduces the father (Tom Skerritt). Directed by Katt Shea Ruben from a script she wrote with producer Andy Ruben, this starts off with some spark and drive, in part because of the writing and playing of Gilbert’s character, but gradually sinks into cliche and contrivance as the familiar genre moves take over, dragging down the characters, plot, and style. (JR)