RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS
Released: October 19, 2001
Silent since 1996's Denzel Washington/Whitney Houston starrer "The Preacher's Wife", director Penny Marshall strikes back with her heart clearly in the right place in "Riding In Cars With Boys". Told in a series of chronological segments highlighting Drew Barrymore's character Beverly from childhood to age 36, this will probably get branded as a chick flick by some guys but those willing to take the chance will be rewarded. This is as much a movie about a boy and his mother as it about the universal ability of anyone to have their life affected wildly by totally random events. Sure, some events we cause ourselves but others are genuinely unpredictable and Marshall sprinkles many of both types in the path of not only Beverly but all the characters here. Berrymore delivers an Oscar worthy performance, aging cinematically from her teens to adulthood and selling it superbly to the audience. Her co-stars are equally worthy of praise. Playing her best friend Fay is Brittany Murphy from "Don't Say A Word" (she's the one who writhes on her bed and moans out "I'll never tell" to Michael Douglas). Playing the Berrymore character's parents are Lorraine Bracco ("The Sopranos") and James Woods. Steve Zahn plays the guy who ends up marrying the still-teenaged Berrymore character after getting her pregnant. Showing his acting skills we see Zahn age as well to great effect. In smaller but equally important and wonderful roles are Rosie Perez and Peter Facinelli who first made an impression in 1999's brilliant "The Big Kahuna". "Riding In Cars With Boys" is full of great characters and succeeds because there is a lot of us in these people which we in turn relate to effortlessly.
142 Minutes
Columbia/Sony