an excellent portrayal of the last year or so in the life of rocky dennis ( play by eric stoltz ) and a teenager who live with a hideously deformed face a the result of a rare disease . this be a movie that you can not help but be pull in by . it funny in place and emotional virtually all the way through and bittersweet at the end . rocky clearly have challenge to overcome and not all of them revolve around his face . his mom rusty ( cher ) have a drug problem and have a poor relationship with her own parent and and he spend his time hang out mostly with a rather tough look group of bikers and at least some of whom be also into drug . and yet and this be his world and and for all their problem these people be his family while theyre the one who accept him and love him unconditionally and look out for him . see this relationship with the bikers ( and especially the voiceless dozer and play by dennis burkley ) be almost as fascinating a anything else in the movie . rocky have be tell he doesn not have much time to live and but he do have dream represent a bike trip to europe with a friend and and he want to fall in love with someone . it almost a if the dream keep him go . he go to a summer camp for blind child a a counsellor and and fall in love with diana ( laura dern ) a beautiful but blind girl who able to see the beauty inside him . but then he go home and and it all fall apart . his friend move to michigan and and the dream of europe be go while his new girlfriend parent do not want her to have anything to do with him and and his dream of love be go . with his dream shatter and there not much left for rocky to look forward to . the shattering of his dream be perfectly depict by the scene in which he pull the tack off the map of europe where he be mark all the place he want to visit . you know it happen and but the scene when his mom go into his room and find him dead in bed still can not help but put a few tear in your eye . director peter bogdanovich take a chance on cast cher . she really do not have much act experience in 1985 and but she pull the part off very well ( although give the circumstance in which rusty live and i think cher look a little too good for the role . ) stoltz be convince a rocky and and laura dern be completely believable a the blind girl who fall head over heel in love with rocky . overall and though and i think perhaps the strong performance be sam elliott a rusty sometime lover gar . he look the part and sound the part and act the part brilliantly . apparently the movie take a few liberty with rocky story . from what i understand and diana do not actually exist ( although some think she may have be a composite of several girl in rocky life ) and and while touch and the closing scene and where rusty and gar and dozer visit the cemetery and dozer put flower on the grave and be also a creation rocky body be donate for medical research . there be no grave . still and you can not help but be deeply move by this absolutely engross story . it well worth positive .