2001 / 132 Minutes / PG-13
Reviewed by Dale Nauertz

So what’s with all this crap I have been hearing about Drew Barrymore not giving a good performance in this movie? I can tell you, right here and now, that it is complete and utter horseshit. If she had been Nicole Kidman, the Academy would be throwing Oscars at the poor girl. But she is Drew Barrymore and, as such, is not privy to the good fortune that is lavished upon less-hard-working actresses. Sure, she does some strange things. She married Tom Green, for a start. She went through that whole drug-use period (and kicked it, are you taking notes, Robert Downey Jr.?). She, uh, she married Tom Green. (Hey, that’s a huge one.) But I don’t care. Look at her performance here, her PERFORMANCE, and tell me that she isn’t the equal of anyone who is up for an Oscar this year.

“Riding in Cars With Boys” is a story that most of us probably know. Not from movies, but from people in reality. Drew plays Beverly D’Onofrio. In high school, Beverly is a talented writer with big dreams of going to college and making a name for herself with her writing. Those dreams are cast aside, however, when Beverly becomes pregnant and must support not only her little boy, but also her husband (Steve Zahn). Problems develop and life throws many a curve ball at her, but she never loses her resilience and she never lets go of her dreams.

From that synopsis, the film sounds irretrievably sappy. Happily, however, there are only one or two sappy moments, and those are far outshadowed by the dark moments. Despite the previews you may have seen, this is not the sweet, uplifting, cute little movie you might take it for. This film does not shy away from the tough aspects of its story. The actors, likewise, do not shrink from the challenge. Quite frankly, I had no idea that Penny Marshall had it in her to create such a bold, ballsy movie that is so filled with human touches and accurate details. I was also glad that she did not simply play the material for laughs. That would have cheapened it. The moments that might have seemed fake in the trailer come so naturally (and are so bitterly fought for and earned by the characters in the film) that you cannot help but feel good about them. And the moments of tragedy and darkness are sometimes quite unbearable. Particularly the ones surrounding Beverly’s husband. Steve Zahn navigates some very edgy territory here. Yet he never loses our sympathy, even when we hate what he is doing to his wife and child. He is not painted as the easy villain most films would have him be. He’s a good guy with a lot of problems.

Likewise, Drew (in a stunning performance) does not come across as a bland heroine. She’s not always even that good of a person. She openly disdains her child and ignores him because she secretly resents him for the path her life has taken. She screws up, she treats her parents badly (who, by the way, are fleshed out nicely by James Woods and Lorraine Bracco), she is sometimes selfish and a bit too highstrung. Yet she, too, is a decent, caring person forced to deal with some really intense stuff. Drew is a real revelation here, finally given more to do than just kick some butt or look cute, and it’s a shame that so many critics have even slammed her for the bravery and talent she displays here. She has a hell of a lot more to work with than even Nicole Kidman in “Moulin Rouge” (or, better Nicole, “The Others”). She is given a meaty role and she nails it smoothly.

Sure, the film has a couple problems. The device of framing the film from the perspective of the boy who is now grown up is a tad shaky (though it has a nice payoff at the end) and there are several large portions of Beverly’s life that are passed over. But my attention never entirely wavered. Drew and Steve (not to mention Lorraine and James Woods) captivated me throughout and kept me intrigued the whole way through. The film may play a little too gently in spots (it’s the only PG-13 film I’ve seen that deals with heroin addiction, for crying out loud) but on the whole it works. And it works very well. Drew convinces you that she is aging from 15 to 36 over the course of time (though this would have worked a little better had the film not played with narrative structure so much) and she really sells the hardship and determination of this woman who really did take her sorrows and turn them to triumph. Penny Marshall tells a story that happens to many women with both dignity and a hard edge, while never sacrificing the plights of her characters for the laughs which already come naturally. And Steve Zahn takes his usual goofball role and exposes its dark underbelly. Plus, you get to see James Woods play a dad. A DAD. Tell me that isn’t weird and worthy of a look.

So back off already, would ya?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 19th, 2002 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Dale's Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.