Riding In Cars With Boys

Main Cast:

Drew Barrymore is Beverly
Steve Zahn is Ray
Adam Garcia is Jason
James Woods is Beverly's Father

Director: Penny Marshall

Rating: 2 Stars - Only if you have nothing better to do.

Plot Summary: It’s 1961 and Beverly (Drew Barrymore), a bright 15 years old, has ambitions of going to college and becoming a writer. But her plans go awry when she becomes pregnant. A “shotgun” wedding follows and Beverly finds herself lumbered with not-so-bright husband Ray (Steve Zahn) and baby son Jason. She struggles with poverty, childcare and her inept husband and her discontentment grows as her hopes and dreams fade…

Review: This is an ambitious film that details the life and changes of the main character over three decades. While it is interesting and moving at times it does not quite grab the imagination. The mistakes that Beverly makes and the disappointments that she suffers are real but they are no greater than the mistakes and disappointments of millions of people and it is sometimes hard to feel any real sympathy. It is an “ordinary” human story that is well told but lacks any unusual or unique element. This makes it a little slow and uneventful at times.

Drew Barrymore plays Beverly and has to act out the many changes in her character as the years pass. She goes particularly well for most of the film but towards the end her character is still a little childish when you would expect her to have matured and learnt from her hard experiences.

Steve Zahn puts in a good performance as incompetent husband Ray and plays the less than intelligent character well.

Adam Garcia plays Beverly’s son Jason when he is an adult but somehow the pair do not look like mother and son.

Lasting thoughts: A person’s life is made up of four or five really big days that can change things forever.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is to stay away.

Reviewed by Niall Quinn, PremierMovieReviews 2002

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