Riding in Cars with Boys (Special Edition)

Starring:Drew Barrymore, Brittany Murphy
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Riding in Cars with Boys achieves broad appeal as a tearjerker laced with hardscrabble humor. In the crowd-pleasing hands of director Penny Marshall, Beverly Donofrio's bestselling memoir loses much of its real-life gravity, but its rich humanity remains in abundance, especially since Drew Barrymore plays Donofrio with effortless charm. The movie spans 20 years, from Bev's pregnancy at 15 in 1963 (actually 17 in the book), through welfare parenthood with a heroin-addicted husband (Steve Zahn), and semi-adult resentment as her teenaged son (Adam Garcia) takes priority over her ultimate goal of finishing college and publishing her memoir. For all of Barrymore's winning tenacity, it's Zahn's goodhearted loser who gives the film its genuine soul while lending an edge to Marshall's cloying sentiment. The material begs for the subtler touch of James L. Brooks (who produced this and Marshall's more delicate hit Big), but that won't stop this movie from attracting a legion of admirers. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good.......2007-06-16

I didn't plan on watching this, but it turned out to be one of those slow evenings and quite frankly there was nothing else on. To my surprise I found myself drawn into the story. Mainly because our heroine, Bev, was certainly a flawed character and was unable to see her contribution to the direction her life took. Though I was a little confused in the begining to how old she was. Not until it was revealed that she was riding with her son and not a boyfriend did the clouds finally part-though it was pretty laughable given Drew Barrymore didn't even look twenty-five herself next to her "son". However, for the most part, this film was interesting but I'm unclear the point of this journey. When Bev gives the speech about how her son saved her, I'm not sure I believed her or believed that she believed it. When did this revealation occur to her? And when she whines to her father in the car, it's clear to me that even then she doesn't believe that she screwed up her son's life. But overall, it's a descent story-especially if there's nothing else on.

Riding in Cars with Boys.......2007-03-09

My wife and I find the storyline to be realistic. The characters portrayed people who were believable in spite of their dysfunctions.
This movie has been added to our collection of movies to be viewed often.

A True Account of a Young Mother's Life.......2006-08-30

This is the heart-warming, tear-jerking, yet still comical tale of a young girl named Beverly growing up during the 1950s; a time when sexual promiscuity was forbidden and, should an "accident" occur, the young couple wed right away.

And that is what happens when Beverly meets Ray. Forced to put aside her dreams of college and becoming a writer, Beverly and Ray wed and then along comes Jason, their son. Beverly finds herself still holding on to her dreams while trying to tame Ray into fatherhood and raise her baby boy. Needless to say, the marriage does last but your children are always your children; thus the story focuses on Beverly and Jason.

Anyone who has had a child at a young age, wed or unwed, can relate to this tale of lost dreams and life's struggles told from Jason's point of view. Essentially, it is the tale of how young mothers and their offspring grow-up together; how they depend on and learn from one another.

To me, the most touching part of this movie came with the confrontation between Beverly and grown-up Jason soon after Jason sees his father, Ray, after many years of absence from his life. I won't spoil it telling what occurs, but it is the most truthful yet touching part of the movie.

Definitely a chick flick. Guys won't get it under any circumstance. Ladies, save it for a night that you need to laugh through tears.

Wonderfully Acted!!!.......2006-04-21

I really enjoy this film because despite that is sad its also very funny.This is a movie about the outside world, about what its really like to be a mother at young age. I recommend it especially to young teenagers that think being a mother would be EASY. When in reality its not!!

Riding in cars "ON" boys.......2006-03-17

Nothing but a lame excuse to show the overrated Barrymore's face on the screen again.

Average customer rating:

Riding in Cars with Boys [Region 2]
Starring: Drew Barrymore , Steve Zahn , Adam Garcia , Brittany Murphy , and James Woods
Director: Penny Marshall
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000065C1G

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