The Popkorn Junkie :: Riding in Cars With Boys

Somehow, this movie feels as if it should have been released closer to Christmas, or at least Thanksgiving. It's got that warm hearted love-your-family feel. What it lacks is the conviction that Beverly D'onofrio and her son, Jason, have actually made amends. We watch as a wild-child fifteen-year-old gets knocked up by her wrong-side-of-the-tracks boyfriend. We see her struggle with raising a child while trying to build a life for herself. We witness her marriage break down because of drugs. We wait for the scene when everyone will forgive and accept each other. But do we feel any of it? Should we?

In a film based on a true story, it's natural to expect some believability. This movie provides entertainment and certainly interesting characters. But it never delivers that critical tingle. The tingle that lets you know that you are watching someone else's life and can learn from their mistakes. In short, it doesn't make you think about the real people on whose heartaches it is based. And that's a shame.

What this movie does offer is a well-rounded plot and some decent performances (although Drew Barrymore's aging process looks more like Fun with Hairstyles than it does a twenty-year growth span). The atmosphere of the seventies is portrayed well, as are the spirits of a family and their friends. Life's big questions are asked as each character confronts their personal demons and tries to figure out who is to blame for the state of themselves. And then everything is nicely wrapped up. It might make you think, but don't expect it to linger.

-- Liz ( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

Patsy ( 2 1/2 out of 4)

I think that Drew Barrymore did a really great job in this movie and it proves to me that she can actually act. The story was sad and dramatic but at times confusing-- for example, Bev meets Ray for the first time and they make out-- the next day (it seems) she is telling her best friend that she is pregnant. Apparently time had passed between the making out and the pregnancy and Ray and Bev had been dating for a little while but it's never explained and I was really confused. I blame the director for that. Also, since it's based on a true story I can't really complain about the ending but I will-- it bothered me. Bev's dad basically disowned her when she got pregnant but at the end of the movie she sees him and suddenly (20 years later) he loves her again. It's just annoying that he acted like that and it's annoying that I don't know why he suddenly changed his mind. Ohwell, overall it's a drama and it's sad but the acting was good so I guess I liked it.