Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) User Reviews

Surprisingly Good 7/10

[The_Wood · 7/10 · 8 April 2002]

Riding in Cars with Boys is definitely a step into a new direction for actress Drew Barrymore. Drew, in her most difficult role to date, tries and succeeds through the majority of the movie. There are times when she goes a little out of bounds, and becomes outrageous -- but for the most part, she nails the part.

The film tells its story nicely, and has a strange and some-what heartbreaking ending. Steve Zahn is easily the high-point of this film. Zahn's character will be the one you think about the most when this film ends.

Riding in Cars with Boys works on enough levels to make it worth seeing.

Average Movie But Exceptional Acting From Barrymore, Murphy, Zahn

[runner-21 · 5/10 · 6 January 2003]

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. A true story presented in an easy and humorous way. Lots of funny moments along with some emotional points. 5 / 10 . Not a very important movie to talk about.

The important point is, Three main characters are wonderfully played by Barrymore, Murphy and Zahn. This is a great step for Ms. Barrymore. She has this God-given charm few people have. She makes even the most terrible movie bearable solely with her appearance. In this movie she also shows that she is a first class actress. Unfortunately she didn't have much chance to show her talent in acting before, mostly because producers (or maybe herself too) just wanted to use her charm and box office potential not acting talent. I hope this movie will be a first and we'll see her in more pictures like this where she can show she is a complete actress, not just another beautiful Hollywood chick. I know she is gorgeous and stuff, but the girl can act! Who knows? She may even get an Oscar soon (if she wants to get one of course!!)

Brittany Murphy and Steve Zahn are very talented actors. They can play every kind of role easily and successfully. But that's it. They just don't have what Drew Barrymore has. Few people have it anyway...

A Decent Attempt!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 4 March 2012]

Based on the autobiography of the same name by Beverly Donofrio, Penny Marshall Directed 'Riding in Cars with Boys' is A Decent Attempt, that comes in-tact with some charming moments & terrific performances.

'Riding in Cars with Boys' Synopsis: A single mother, with dreams of becoming a writer, has a son at the age of 15 in 1965, and goes through a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father.

'Riding in Cars with Boys' explores Beverly Donofrio's Journey from 1961 to 1986. And I must say, the handling of this autobiography, has been done with care & earnestness. Sure, some moments don't leave any impact, but overall, this film does deliver some very charming moments that stay with you.

Morgan Ward's Adpated Screenplay is good, all though some sequences, especially in the second-hour, lack the fizz. Penny Marshall's Direction is wonderful. Cinematography by Miroslav Ondrícek is picture perfect. Editing is average. Art Design is fine.

Performance-Wise: Drew Barrymore as Beverly Donofrio, is fantastic. This performance has to be among her finest to date. Steve Zahn as the drug-addicted husband, is so natural & believable. James Woods & Lorraine Bracco as Mr & Mrs Donofrio, are fabulous. The Late Brittany Murphy supports very well as Beverly's best friend. Adam Garcia is superb as Beverly's grown up son. Maggie Gyllenhaal appears in a tiny cameo.

On the whole, 'Riding in Cars with Boys' is A Decent Attempt.

Real life is brutal.

[danindenver · 1 January 2003]

I admit that I watched this movie for the most frivolous of reasons: I liked Brittany Murphy's performance in the trailer ("My daughta's a tramp!"). I really never cared for Drew Barrymore, before. However, my opinion of her has changed. Drew put in an INCREDIBLE performance in this movie. She really nailed it. In fact, all of the actors gave commendable performances. I was so moved that I was quite uncomfortable for much of the movie. The pain that was portrayed was so real that I almost regretted purchasing what I thought was supposed to be a comedy. I'm glad I got through it - and an hour later I'm still stunned by what I saw. This movie is well worth seeing.

Perhaps the reviewers who hated it don't understand that you can be repulsed by another person's behavior, but you don't have to agree with them. You don't have to accept their morals (or lack thereof) in order to recognize what they are going through. And perhaps in seeing these roles acted out, you will see someone you know who has touched your life. Perhaps you'll even see yourself. I profess to have high moral standards, but I was not offended by this movie. I just felt very sad. I've known people like these characters. I don't feel that they were trying to justify their decisions.

They were just telling a story. I also think that this movie was a kind of therapy for Beverly, who is standing up, triumphantly, shouting, "I went through a lot of crap and I made it!"

Sure the viewer gets beaten up by this movie, but in a respectful way.

This isn't a fairy tale. This is a story about real life. And real life is brutal.

a comedy?

[triple8 · 7/10 · 8 May 2005]

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT: I thought this was a good movie, quite thought provoking, with good performances from everyone particularly Zahn. Much as I love Barrymore I do prefer her in other movies though she does a good job here. The movie is at times very bleak and difficult to watch but also well done in the sense that the characters seem real and never over the top. I had no idea what Riding In Cars with Boys was about when I sat down to watch it, I'd heard of it but knew little about it. I found it to be a very good movie.

Many of the characters did inspire anger at times with their actions but the thing is, I think it's better to watch this movie without taking sides with the characters. The movie wasn't perfect at all but what it WAS good at doing was showing the difficulties and hardships involved in all these peoples' lives.

There were a few things that puzzled me and which I still don't get. Number one is the fact that Drew never seems to age or change physically during the whole movie and it was rather puzzling and did take away from the believability factor. There were times people who were supposed to be years apart in age looked to be the same age. It was just rather odd. The other thing is the ending. I am SO into endings, if they don't flow with the rest of the movie it's annoying. It seemed to me that the final confrontation between mother and son ended to abruptly and the next scene it almost seemed like everything was all hunky dory which again challenged the levels of believability but I have to admit I did enjoy the last scene of the movie so that's a plus.

Third-How in the world was this lumped in as a COMEDY? I mean it makes no sense. If this was supposed to be a comedy I'd give it a 1 or 2 because I didn't laugh much. As it is, I am Giving this DRAMA a 7, it had it's moments and was quite touching, though I hope nobody watches this thinking their getting "The Wedding Singer."

Enjoyable; Sometimes Funny, Sometimes Sad

[sddavis63 · 6/10 · 16 June 2002]

An enjoyable enough movie based on the autobiography of Beverley Donofrio stars Drew Barrymore as Beverley. The movie begins with Beverly just at the point of getting her autobiography published, but having to find her ex-husband Ray (played by Steve Zahn) and get him to sign a release promising no legal action against the publishers, so she sets off with son Jason (Adam Garcia) to find him.

The rest of the movie is largely in the form of flashbacks as we discover the contents of the book. Beverly grows up from a precocious child to a pregnant teenager, unhappy housewife, less than stellar mom and eventually successful writer. We discover that her relationship with her father (James Woods) faltered after she became pregnant because he felt personally ashamed in front of his friends at this scandal, her relationship with her husband (Jason's father) never had a chance because of his drug addiction and general lack of responsibility, and her relationship with her son was strained because, deep down, she really felt that he had prevented her from achieving all the success she had hoped for.

It strikes a delicate balance between being funny and sad, but in the end I found it unsatisfying in spite of good performances all around because nothing ever really seemed to me to get tied up (except perhaps the relationship between Jason and Ray) although in the end there was hope for Beverly and her dad. But, life isn't a movie and things aren't always satisfying.

I enjoyed it. Think it might have been a bit over-rated, but still worth a 6/10.

A NICE LITTLE MOVIE

[iohefy-2 · 6/10 · 17 October 2001]

This is not a blockbuster movie but is a pleasant change from the movies that are showing now. I was impressed by the acting of Drew Barrymore and of Steven Zahn. They were both very good. The actor who played Ms. Barrymore son as a young child and as an older child were also outstanding. Go see it if you want a change of pace.

A little disappointing...

[pauleky · 6/10 · 28 October 2001]

I greatly anticipated this film based on the trailer and advertising. Having not read the book on which this is based, I had no idea what to expect. First, let me say that the actors, for the most part, were excellent, with Brittany Murphy (Fay) and Steve Zahn (Ray) particular stand-outs. Drew Barrymore is fine in the lead (Beverly), but, unfortunately, she is the main problem with the film. She is supposed to age from 15 to 36 in this film. I could easily buy her in the flashback scenes to her teenage and young mother years, but I just could not buy her as a thirty-six year old mother of a twenty-year old. It was just too distracting; they appeared more like boyfriend and girlfriend and that just nearly ruined the film for me. Drew's acting is fine, but she just doesn't look the part in the latter day scenes. A more mature actress was needed. Still, the movie was entertaining, though a bit too long. Penny Marshall's direction was fine, but she's a long way from "A League Of Their Own" and "Big". I rated this 6/10, mainly for the performances of Murphy, Zahn, Lorraine Bracco and James Woods (as Beverly's parents) and Cody Arens (as the 6-year-old Jason, Bev's son) who were all outstanding.

A great way to learn about life.

[Pookyiscute · 9/10 · 4 July 2006]

It's a shame that this movie can't be shown in high schools, as an educational video. It would certainly serve a terrific purpose, of how one small mistake can change the rest of your life forever.

Beverly (Barrymore), at fifteen, falls in love with the quarterback of the football team. She decides one night at a party to show her love to him, by presenting him with a poem, she's written for him. Unfortunately, being as naive as she is, she presents it to him, in front of all of his friends, where she is then made fun of. Feeling sorry for herself, and very hurt, she runs upstairs to the bathroom, in the house where the party is taking place, crying. There, she meets the man she will soon fall for, and give herself to, for the very first time. However, this boy is not the boy she wants to marry, but is forced to, by her parents, because she is now pregnant. At fifteen, and married, she is now faced with a new life, and new responsibilities. The movie circles around this new life, and how she is able to overcome so much, with so very little. Her deadbeat husband, small and poor home, young child to raise, and at time hopeless future, all gang up on her, while she tries to overcome all of it. Her dreams are not unrealistic, but rather unreachable because of all the problems and mishaps that happen throughout the next fifteen years of her life.

It's poignant, sweet, funny and honest. There is not one person who will watch this, and not relate to at least one thing from the story. Although it may take place in the 1960s-80s, it's still very true to life, and understandable.

I would recommend it to anyone, and hope that everyone will see the power of a message this film holds. It's really an amazing true story, and there aren't many like this out there.

Not bad, but not great

[nealklein · 6/10 · 21 March 2002]

I give credit to everyone involved in this film. The acting is better than average, and the directing is deft. The time period settings are not vigorously in your face as they were in "Forrest Gump" which is a nice touch. For parents, the film will absolutely hit a chord since it focuses on the difficulties of being a mother rather effectively.

Drew's character, Bev, is unlikeable in the extreme, but very multidimensional. Drew's acting is really dead on here, so she does not come across as a clone of her other incarnations. Bev is as distinct as any character you have likely seen in some time. To watch someone mature from an idealistic girl into an embittered, regretting adult is itself worth the experience of seeing the movie.

But it's not a masterpiece to be sure. The characters are a little TOO annoyingly well acted. Every once in a while, I wanted to reach up and plink Ray (Steve Zahn) and Bev (Drew Barrymore) on the nose for being TOO self-centered and aggravating. Bev is rude, anxious, and whiny. Ray is ridiculous and pathetic. And Bev's friend is another one with bimbette moments that are like nails on the blackboard.

If you see "Riding in Cars With Boys", be fair and see it without a Hollywood state of mind. The movie is real, dealing with a painful story in a way far better than "Angie" (the Geena Davis/Stephen Rea horror) and without feeling contrived or manipulative. And after this, I'm going to keep an eye on Steve Zahn.

What was this based on?

[[e-mail] · 1/10 · 22 August 2003]

This movie is supposed to be based on a book by Beverly D'Onofrio. However the screen writer appears to have taken a well-written book and turned it into a movie where we are supposed to feel sorry for a woman who is a teenage mother. The main flaw is that the writer chooses to focus on how awful Beverly's life is, they show her working twice, and never explaining why, if she has this amazing writing ability she doesn't write for a local newspaper. It also never shows us how she got out of subsidized housing. All this movie succeeds in doing is making us feel bad for a woman who made a mistake. In every scene she is sulking and is always blaming others for her problems. She never once in the movie admits that she messed out and ruined her own life. The plot aside the acting is horrendous at best. Drew Barrymore overacts in every scene and the only person who isn't "please slit my throat" painful on screen is Steve Zahn. Everyone else apparently thinks that this movie is Oscar-caliber and is out there to make a name for itself. I watched this movie with minimal expectations and was disappointed. This is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen and I've seen Friday the 13th 7: Jason takes on Manhatten.

I never get tired of watching this movie

[leeta_98 · 10/10 · 21 March 2003]

I have seen this movie more times than I can count! Whenever it is on cable, I watch it and I have purchase the CD as well. As an only child of a single mother, I can relate to what Jason felt as a child. As an adult now, I can relate to the challenges that Beverly must have faced. Drew Barrymore is amazing and believable. The actors who played Jason at various points in his life added so much comedy to the movie. Some of my favorite scenes are with Drew and the real-life brothers who portrayed 4 and 7-year old Jason. I admire Drew so much for putting her heart and soul into this movie--a real movie that explores the sometimes complex relationship between children and their mothers.

Soapy approach to a tough young life...

[DukeEman · 6/10 · 29 March 2015]

This was the perfect vehicle for Drew Barrymore, who with her looks was able to play a role ranging from a teenager to a mature woman. Her main strength was playing the role of the young struggling mother with great conviction, while her performance as a teenage was a little annoying (a real teenager would have given it more conviction). As the young mother with a late teenage son, she was a little aloof. I'm not sure if that was meant to be her character, but it didn't seem right after giving it plenty of heart and soul in the earlier scenes as the very young mother.

The real stars where the child actors, specially the young Beverly who was hilarious in the bra scene with her father the police office (played to perfection by James Wood). The young Jason was another standout and it saved the film, as did Steve Zahn, who gave a heartfelt performance and supplied the humour.

Penny Marshall seemed to handle the subject well, sometimes just taking a little dip into the Soap Opera territory, but then able to pull back in time, allowing us to to take a ride through Beverly D'Onofrio's interesting passage in life.

A disgusting, despicable film!

[kanerazor · 1/10 · 12 November 2002]

OK so there was this woman named Beverly D'Onofrio, who got pregnant as a teenager and found it interfered with her dreams of going to NYU and being a great writer. And she decided that since her son "ruined her life" she would force him to make it up to her and make him suffer his whole life. And then she wrote a book which is intended to make us care about her, and then Drew Barrymore and Penny Marshall made a movie out of that book which not only tried to present that as a heartwarming story, but tried to throw in some light comedy and period music to make the thing more "charming".

Possible spoilers ahead:

I HATED this movie. I have never hated a movie so much in my life, and I can't imagine how many I have seen. And that's because this movie morally offended me, trying to make me love a person who is so deserving of contempt. There were many points in this film where I literally cringed or gasped at the way Beverly treated or spoke to Jason, and the utter hatred she was displaying towards him. And that continued throughout his life. I have never seen such a selfish woman depicted in a flattering light; even when he was 20 Jason couldn't have 10 seconds to make an important personal phone call. Not when poor precious Beverly wanted him to take her somewhere. I wanted to strangle her during that horn honking scene. And to the fans of the movie who say "Beverly redeemed herself at the end" I say

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's exactly what she did not do. After two hours of watching her torment her son, it was horrifying when he tried to confront her and she hit him and yelled "I was a GOOD MOTHER!" And after actually showing him bursting into tears and pouring his heart out about how much he was suffering, the filmmakers tacked on some 10 second attempt at Beverly being nice on there and that was supposed to make up for everything. No, I think that was completely forced and didn't make me loathe this movie any less. Any minimal impact it might have had was undone by next showing Beverly talking to her father and acting amused/offended at the notion that she caused Jason's problems.

Beverly had sex. It was HER fault she didn't get to do everything she wanted before suddenly becoming a mother. Jason didn't asked to be born; he was an innocent child who clearly had a good heart and just needed to be loved like the rest of us. He deserved all the sympathy in this story, Beverly none. And some might say that maybe I'm being judgmental; it's incredibly difficult to be a teen mom. I'm sure it is; I don't know any personally so maybe I would have had a little compassion for Beverly IF the movie didn't also show Faye, who become pregnant at the same age and still loved her child unconditionally. To anyone who dare try and justify that by saying that Faye was lucky enough to have a girl, and Beverly got stuck with a boy (and looks like that was supposed to be a big deal, I've seen that shot of Beverly looking at her newborn and crying so many times), that makes Beverly even worse in my eyes. Maybe some people are unstable and can't help how they act, but if Beverly would have been nicer to a daughter, then that means she quite deliberately chose to mistreat her son, and I find that despicable. Frankly if I was Jason and my only parent felt that way towards me, I think I literally would have committed suicide. I heard this story was changed considerably from D'Onofrio's memoirs; I hope her actual behavior wasn't much worse. I also hope Jason turned out all right and there really was an Amelia.

Some miscellaneous thoughts: -I read that Beverly was really 17 when she gave birth. By changing the age, I guess they intended to make us sympathize with her even more. Certainly didn't work for me, especially since, again, Faye was the same age. It didn't help matters any that Drew Barrymore did not look 15 at all; all that that make-up and hair did was make her look like a really idiotic grown woman.

-Certain scenes such as Beverly throwing herself down the stairs, which was played for laughs, were clearly meant to endear her to us. The effort only made me hate her more in retrospect.

-Steve Zahn drew infinitely more sympathy out of me with his character. Yes, Ray was a drug addict, and a bum, and a terrible husband, but beneath it all I got the feeling that he really truly loved Jason, a feeling Beverly never once gave in spite of how many times she licked her hand and fixed his hair.

Yes I am a guy, and I've read that this was the type of movie for which the label "chick flick" was virtually invented. But don't let my gender taint the validity of my opinion; I'm writing simply as a person whose mother loves and cares for him tremendously and feels all moms should be like that. And if they're not, they shouldn't be treated as nice people whom we're supposed to care for. I find it very sad that there are teen mothers out there who, in spite of the circumstances, do their best to raise their children in a loving, nurturing environment, and are trapped in poverty, while Beverly D'Onofrio gets a major motion picture made about her.

If you want the depressing truth, read the book - otherwise a GREAT movie!

[moviewatcher2010 · 5 January 2005]

While not belaboring this entire string of comments, I was glad that a couple of people have already mentioned about getting the truth from the book, as opposed to this movie.

The movie itself is excellent and will keep you glued to your seat. Drew Barrymore did a phenomenal job in her portrayal of Beverly Donofrio, as Beverly is depicted in the film meaning how the storyline was written - and it is definitely a story, but an enjoyable one nevertheless.

I could barely find any similarities however between what took place in the movie and what actually happened to Beverly in real life. Had they produced the movie as the book was written, it would have been a much more intense drama with tons of sex, drugs and rock and roll, literally. Beverly Donofrio as depicted in the movie is nothing short of a Miss Goody Two Shoes compared to how Beverly actually was. But had the producers gone this route, it would have been very depressing to see.

Love Penny Marshall but just sort of liked this one.

[Iammymothersdaughter2 · 7/10 · 26 October 2001]

Penny Marshall is one of the few commercially successful female directors, and in general I think she is wonderful. This particular film has several good moments, but on the whole was a rather drab affair.

Drew Barrymore certainly had her part down. She shows much versatility with her acting abilities in this movie. I have not read this book, but watching the film I couldn't help thinking this would be an interesting read but it didn't translate well onto the big screen.

Though there is high drama in many spots, the movie overall just drizzled along and then petered out in the end, with an unsatisfying final scene between the lead character and her father (played exceedingly well by the way by James Woods).

The best I can possibly say about this film is the acting is very good throughout and Ms. Marshall's direction is terrific in spots, less so in others, and you might want to wait 'til this one's at Blockbuster to view it.

Pregnant at 15 in 1965

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 7 September 2014]

Based on the best-selling 1992 memoir of Beverly Donofrio, "Riding in Cars with Boys" (2001) stars Drew Barrymore as 15 year-old Beverly who gets knocked-up in 1965 and marries the likable loser father (Steve Zahn). Can she turn a bad situation around to the good in the years to come?

There are too many slow stretches in this amiable drama and it's a bit too long, but it won me over from numerous angles: Drew's charisma, James Wood as her cop father, Lorraine Bracco as the mother, Brittany Murphy as her best friend, the quality New Jersey/New York locations (note the ending), the realistic struggle of living with an alcoholic/addict, the heaviness of the proceedings lightened up by sporadic humor and the focus on perseverance with a good attitude to turn a negative situation around to the positive.

Sara Gilbert plays a peripheral character, a friend of Beverly's, revealing that she's actually attractive in a roundish (not fat) way. Adam Garcia is notable as Beverly's adult son.

The film runs 132 minutes.

GRADE: B-

While "Riding With Cars With Boys" doesn't always hit the nail on the head, it's spirit is enough to pull this movie through.

[madisongraves · 7/10 · 4 August 2003]

Drew Barrymore is a girl (Beverly) with a dream to go to college and escape the poorer working class lifestyle and take on the Big Apple, but she is thrust into the world of motherhood, much to the disappointment of her father, played excellently by James Woods. Beverly must sacrifice her original plans and marry her son's father, Ray, also played wonderfully by Steve Zahn. She lacks the motive of love, so when Ray's somewhat good-natured but weak disposition leads him to the prison of drug addiction, her next decision is not too difficult.

Drew Barrymore's likeability and honesty on camera saves her from her flawed approach and inability to age correctly throughout the picture (but let's note that the latter is not solely her fault). However, the rest of the cast are undoubtedly believable as somewhat confused, but good-willed citizens of the not-quite-middle-class. Steve Zahn's portrayal of a hopeless, yet loveable loser is fabulous, and James Woods gives an extraordinary, yet understated performance as a father trying to do what's best but not always succeeding. Others, including Adam Garcia as Beverly's troubled son and Britney Murphy as Beverly's best friend give great, charming performances as well.

This is a movie that effectively and humorously explores how fighting for a dream can sometimes overshadow what is really important in our lives, but not having one at all can lead to a self-destructive, paralytic life. Beverly must learn that her determined ambition to overcome adversity may also be equally as reckless and sometimes plans for the future must change, and even so, things will not always go according to plan.

The female characters are depicted much more realistically than in the favorite romantic comedies of today, so women should find this movie easy to relate too, even if they didn't have a baby out of wedlock. There are some genuinely touching and funny moments, but the romance is too gritty (and certainly not the main focus) to make this a full fledged chick flick. Females should love it even more, simply because of this.

What is frustrating about this film, though, is I feel the story was not given enough justice. There were uneven moments throughout the picture, and Drew barely delivers. But the script could stand alone, and with the help of great actors, it triumphed!

Great for women, interesting for men

[Caps Fan · 6/10 · 10 August 2005]

Despite a rather routine story, this film works better than you'd think after a cursory glance at the plot.

Its main strength lies in some truly excellent acting. Drew Barrymore (as Beverly Donofrio) tackles her role, aging from a teenager to a thirty-something woman, with more gusto than we're used to seeing from her. The result is enthralling. Meanwhile, the ever dependable Steve Zahn (as Beverly's husband, Ray Hasek) is equally as good, showing us a well-meaning youth, then man, who just hasn't got what it takes to make a worthwhile life, even at a low level.

The script is replete with pleasing one-liners, with the best exchange almost at the end. Beverly and her son Jason (Adam Garcia) finally have it out and when she tells him he is wrong to think she blames him for ruining her life and then thanks him for actually saving it, he says "You're welcome" with more emotional force than you'd think possible in such a phrase.

The thin story and unmemorable music neuter these strengths somewhat, but this is well worth seeing nonetheless.

Rating: 6/10.

Very Interesting and Moving

[blueclouds1890 · 10/10 · 30 October 2005]

I cried all the way through the movie - the drama and plot were well developed and the surface plot was anything but shallow. Barrymore played a different role from her normal persona, but it was definitely a success for her. The movie is told mostly in flashbacks, and is a little confusing at first. As the plot continues things start to fit into place, and you can't stop watching the screen. Murphey definitely stuck out in this movie too. Her personality bubbled off the screen, and she brought what little humor there was to the movie. I wouldn't classify it as a comedy, but it is a movie that I'd want to see again and again. I recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a good drama.

Trailer Park trash

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 31 March 2002]

Greetings again from the darkness. I am so sick of the storyline based upon, "It's your fault my life is so screwed up". Drew Barrymore stars in one of her least obnoxious roles as an oops mom who veers off course on her way to greatness. Steve Zahn perfectly captures the role of well meaning, do nothing right husband, Ray. Director Penny Marshall seems to be trying to make a point about women, but it is so poorly done, that I say we don't go there. Young Jason, ages 6 and 8, steals every scene with very little dialogue. Best scene in the movie is young Jason trying to wipe the hairspray out his mouth. Every guy has been there. I do wish Hollywood would cease and desist on the "chick flicks". How about good scripts that intelligent people of both sexes could enjoy. No more "poignant moments" where the young adult son learns a valuable lesson from his dead beat, trailer park trash of a dad. Lorraine Bracco is totally wasted as Drew's mom and what is miscast James Woods doing as the moral dad? Check out Brittany Murphy as Drew's best bud. She is the wacko famous for the line, "I'll never tell".

Not a great movie.

[deemarie1899 · 1/10 · 20 May 2005]

It is a shame about this movie since I had looked forward to it since I saw a preview. All right, I did not enjoy this movie. I almost fell asleep, my mom and younger sister did fall asleep. I thought that there were some good parts in it, but not enough to ever justify watching it again. The only character that I actually felt any compassion for whatsoever was Drew Barrymore's drug addicted husband. Which I somehow felt was not the goal of the movie. I did not enjoy Barrymore's character, I could not empathize with her. In all, I would think that there are many other movies that deal much better with the same topics (teen pregnancy, love, ambition, drugs, etc).

I like this beautiful rare movie about real American life.

[wndrboy2 · 8/10 · 17 January 2004]

I'm a Chinese staying and traveling in U.S. Four years ago, I lived in Enterprise, Alabama for 7 months, and befriended with many "southerners". I know how a lot of ordinary Americans feel when they struggle in their lives every day -- sad, lost, and almost desperate. This is a country full of freedom and opportunities. But in reality, one bad move in this system usually is enough to ruin a person's life, leaving no way for coming back. Being knocked up in high school, dropping out, drug, drinking, gun, bad credit,lawsuits.... This is the side of U.S not mentioned often enough on TV or movies, and is real. I loved this movie and would like to see it again when I get a chance. 8 out of 10. Also recommend another loosely similar movie from France: "Dream Life of the Angels", with more remarkable performances and a more shocking story.

heartfelt movie

[pearly7 · 7/10 · 19 October 2001]

This movie had the potential to be a really bad cheesy movie. However, Marshall's sensitive directions and the cast's exceptional performances have prevented the movie from being just that. This movie is a series of touching moments, and quotable lines that could have sounded really lame if they weren't delivered properly.

Although this is not a perfect movie, it has so much heart that it just makes you drown in emotions. Maybe the flaws are part of the movie's appeal. Go see it :)

This movie was long and awful

[nucksfan4life · 2/10 · 10 September 2002]

To give you an idea of how bad "Riding in Cars with Boys" truly was I give you this. This is a chick-flick movie where even the chick (i.e. my date) hated it. Needless to say, I was pounding my forehead with solidified concessions, hoping to KO myself until the movie was over. Unfortunately, Nirvana did not await me, and I was forced to see the whole thing. I saw poor Steve Zahn made to look more and more hideous with each scene he was in. Poor guy, this was not his type of movie. The only things that really made me happy was seeing all the bad things happen to Barrymore's character (I applauded when her kid cost her admittance to a university) and when the credits began to roll I teared up at the realization that now I could have my life back and be free of this awful film.