THAT'S THE WAY IT IS, AMIGO

Fed up with the nagging of Mom and Aunt Hannah, fatherless David runs away to Mexico where he takes a lesson from Pedro, also fatherless and working hard to support a big family by selling his uncle's very special bark paintings in nearby Oaxaca. Joint ownership of a car abandoned by two American tourists brings David and Pedro together, but the view of Mexico is limited to David's realization that kids there take a lot more responsibility; otherwise the boys' travels are rather pointless and it takes news of an earthquake and a reassuring visit to Pedro's home village to wrap things up. This has none of the tendentiousness that has crept into some of Colman's recent behavior lessons and the boys' relationship is believable on the surface. . . even if you can't quite forget that they're little more than cultural generalizations dressed up in blue jeans. Still, one of Colman's better efforts.