Genres

Visitors Review

Ken Varnum 2013-06-16 08:00:22

It gets off to a good start, but doesn't keep up the momentum

I'm usually a sucker for Drew Barrymore movies, but I did not enjoythis one as much as I had hoped. The first half of the movie Ithought was quite good, but it lost steam in the second and neverrecovered. Barrymore plays a bright, talented, and 'going places'high school girl, Beverly D'Onofrio, who gets a bit too involved witha boy and ends up pregnant. The pregnancy changes the directionof her life in numerous ways -- from damaging her relationshipwith her father, to a marriage to someone she knows deep downis not right for her in the long term, to denying her a chance to go tocollege. The movie is told as a series of flashbacks showing howher life had gone out of control. While the entire movie is generallywell acted, the flashback sequences were much more powerfuland cohesive than the present-day ones. Steve Zahn plays herhusband, a ne'er-do-well who dabbles with various addictions,with humanity. Barrymore is solid as the younger Beverly, butdoesn't seem to have a strong sense of who the older Beverlyshould be.

2013-06-16 04:53:38

Pretty good

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.

2013-06-09 23:58:59

AWESOME

I saw this movie not too long ago. It was a 5 star movie. It was very real. How the life of Beverly was, it was really interesting. This story did not just happen to her it happened to alot of girls in the 60s. It was very emotional. With Penny Marshall it was the same thing. This movie is special. The cast fitted them and it was very funny. Some of it. Also some of it was sad.

Melina 2013-06-09 08:30:59

So realistic

Riding in Cars with Boys shows that in real life this happens all the time.In fact my grandmother had my mother at 15 and couldn't take care of her somy mother ended up living with her great- grandmother. Drew Barrymore playsa good teenager. I would give this movie a 4- star because it isn't the bestmovie and it gets boring after some parts.

2013-06-01 11:01:22

No Role Models Here

If you're selfish and self-absorbed (but don't know it), you'll probably love this colorful film about a single mother's 25-year climb to the best-seller list. If not, you'll probably just shake your head. The problem with "Riding in Cars with Boys" isn't that it lacks charm or humor; the problem is that it suggests that charm and humor in a person should supplant good judgment, character and sensitivity--even when that person is responsible for someone else. Drew Barrymore gives her standard perky performance as Beverly Donofrio, a headstrong girl who defies her blue-collar parents (James Woods and Lorraine Bracco in interesting bits) and quickly finds herself pregnant. Opting for marriage to a soon-to-be-junky loser (played effectively by Steve Zahn), Bev struggles to get to college but not before developing an angry Martyr Complex about her son and dabbling in the drug trade. The movie's flashback scenes between the now successful Bev and the brash young woman she once was are at times effective--she actually seems a bit smarter and more sensitive in her youth--but too often we're supposed to chuckle at her poor decisions rather than hold her responsible for them. In fact, the film seems to dodge the tougher question of why we should care about Bev in the first place, as she simply drifts from one crisis to the next, especially when her now-grown son points out all of the psychological trauma being her son has caused. I guess it's supposed to be all that nostalgic music and Bev's pluck or maybe that she's a single parent. It's nice that things work out for her in the end--the film is apparently based on an autobiography--but viewers may be left with little sense that the character deserves success so much as fell into it. In terms of drama, that seems pretty weak.

2013-05-31 15:24:46

One of the worst movies I've ever seen.

I don't generally go out of my way to see Drew Barrymore movies, but I've ended up tagging along with the GF to a few, and ended up liking them. While Ms. Barrymore may not be a good actress, she has a charm and charisma that make her worth watching. Most of the time.I honestly can't imagine who Riding in Cars with Boys will appeal to. I haven't read the book it's based on, so I'll be talking only about the characters, as portrayed in the movie. Barrymore's Beverly Donofrio is a horrendous, self-centered, self-important idiot, that makes the movie virtually unbearable to watch. She makes stupid choices, she blames others for her misfortune. She treats her child like a burden, she's a terrible mother, and basically, spends her time wondering why the world isn't willing to kowtow to her will, and make her life the Beverley-centric paradise she thinks it should be.That, in itself, makes the movie nigh-unbearable, but the various twists and turns the movie goes through, as well as the pathetically trite and inane resolution to the whole mother-son relationship is so gut-wrenchingly insipid that if I had paid to see this in the theater, I'd have thrown my soda at the screen and walked out. Something I'd never even *considered* before in my entire life.Maybe there's something that I'm missing. There seem to be a decent number of people who actually *like* this movie, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why.If you like human drama, if you like stories about *people*, then you'll probably hate this movie. As hard as it tries to be about something, about some redemption in this person's life - it's simply not. It's two hours of watching a vapid idiot whine about how life has screwed her over, then it ends with a nice little (and yet entirely nonsensical) sprinkle of sugar, that only serves to show us what a bitter and vile movie we just wasted the last two hours of our life on.I'd sell this disc, just to get it out of my collection, but that would mean someone else would probably end up watching it, and frankly, I'm just not that cruel a person.

Victor Field 2013-05-31 12:23:06

A journey on a road to nowhere.

I haven't read Beverly Donofrio's book, but it has to be better than themovie version of "Riding in Cars with Boys." As is often the case withmovies, it isn't the basic story that's the problem, it's what's done withit - resulting in arguably Penny Marshall's least effective movie todate.Drew Barrymore can't be faulted for wanting to do something with a bit ofsubstance to it, but she's more effective in the flashback scenes than inthe 1986 framework (in spite of the makeup, she still doesn't look oldenough to be Adam Garcia's mother, but she gives it the old school try);it's not really her fault that the movie doesn't come off... then again, itnever is. Blame the director and screenwriter Morgan Upton Ward; the writingis horribly uneven throughout and never settles down to a really compellingtale, and though it's not a one-woman show too many of the other charactersare underused - the movie could have used some more examination of thepeople around her, and instead it wastes some good actors (Lorraine Braccoand James Woods as her parents, Brittany Murphy as her best friend, SteveZahn as her loser of a husband, and particularly Maggie Gyllenhaal asMurphy's grown-up daughter - who appears for about two or three minutestowards the end). When a movie relies on endless period tunes, beware - although it'sgenuinely blackly funny when our heroine tries to induce a miscarriage bythrowing herself down the stairs with Skeeter Davis singing "The End Of TheWorld." This is also the rare movie with a pregnant central character whogives birth off-camera, but too many other things about the movie don'twork; plenty of strong moments (like Zahn's heroin withdrawal juxtaposedwith Barrymore dancing to her son's favourite record), but nothing to reallytie it together. All concerned deserve a better movie; hardly a disaster,but only for fans of Drew, Brittany and the rest. Or people who haven't thesure-to-be-superior source.

David Ferguson 2013-05-31 04:14:57

Trailer Park trash

Greetings again from the darkness. I am so sick of the storyline basedupon, "It's your fault my life is so screwed up". Drew Barrymore stars inone of her least obnoxious roles as an oops mom who veers off course on herway to greatness. Steve Zahn perfectly captures the role of well meaning,do nothing right husband, Ray. Director Penny Marshall seems to be tryingto make a point about women, but it is so poorly done, that I say we don'tgo there. Young Jason, ages 6 and 8, steals every scene with very littledialogue. Best scene in the movie is young Jason trying to wipe thehairspray out his mouth. Every guy has been there. I do wish Hollywoodwould cease and desist on the "chick flicks". How about good scripts thatintelligent people of both sexes could enjoy. No more "poignant moments"where the young adult son learns a valuable lesson from his dead beat,trailer park trash of a dad. Lorraine Bracco is totally wasted as Drew'smom and what is miscast James Woods doing as the moral dad? Check outBrittany Murphy as Drew's best bud. She is the wacko famous for the line,"I'll never tell".

2013-05-30 12:17:12

Beverly D'Onofrio Saves Herself

Beverly D'Onofrio wrote the book based on her life which this movie was based on. She reports in the book that she became pregnant at 17 rather than 15, as in the movie (and it's a little difficult accepting Drew Barrymore as a 15 year old.) Beverly wrote that she was a "bad little Catholic girl" and got herself into trouble in the old way that "trouble" was meant. To make it worse, the father was an alcoholic drug addict. As much as her own Catholic father disapproved of her unmarried pregnancy, he seems to disapprove of divorce even more after she's married the lug.Beverly's a smart girl, though, and one of the underlying themes of both the book and the movie are that she digs herself a hole that she climbs out of by virtue of her intelligence - specifically her ability to write the book about her life which became a bestseller.There is much angst. As her son grows up she has not hidden from him her feelings that *HE* is the reason behind so much of her unhappiness. (As if he chose his own conception and her teenaged pregnancy.)The real heart and soul of the movie is how these characters come to grips with their circumstances. To say more would take away some of the pleasure. James Woods is excellent as Beverly's disappointed father and Rosie Perez comes off as very convincing trailer trash as the current significant other of Beverly's first husband. (As a side note I'm a little disappointed that Ms Perez doesn't get meatier roles - she was fantastic in "White Men Can't Jump" and I seem to see her cast over and over as a trashy woman who wants to get more than she's entitled to - as in this movie and "It Could Happen To You".)

2013-05-29 21:09:40

Could Have Been Better

This movie could have been better. I read the book before seeing the movie and I was sooo disappointed. I thought the book was realistic and fantastic. I thought it was great that someone would share their life like that considering things weren't the greatest. However, the movie was NOTHING like the book. If you've read the book I don't recommend seeing the movie but if you haven't read the book yet, watch the movie then read the book to see the real story.

moviewatcher2010 2013-05-17 21:05:17

If you want the depressing truth, read the book - otherwise a GREAT movie!

While not belaboring this entire string of comments, I was glad that acouple of people have already mentioned about getting the truth fromthe book, as opposed to this movie.The movie itself is excellent and will keep you glued to your seat.Drew Barrymore did a phenomenal job in her portrayal of BeverlyDonofrio, as Beverly is depicted in the film meaning how the storylinewas written - and it is definitely a story, but an enjoyable onenevertheless.I could barely find any similarities however between what took place inthe movie and what actually happened to Beverly in real life. Had theyproduced the movie as the book was written, it would have been a muchmore intense drama with tons of sex, drugs and rock and roll,literally. Beverly Donofrio as depicted in the movie is nothing shortof a Miss Goody Two Shoes compared to how Beverly actually was. But hadthe producers gone this route, it would have been very depressing tosee.

RBarse 2013-05-17 05:01:02

Love Penny Marshall but just sort of liked this one.

Penny Marshall is one of the few commercially successful female directors,and in general I think she is wonderful. This particular film has severalgood moments, but on the whole was a rather drab affair.Drew Barrymore certainly had her part down. She shows much versatility withher acting abilities in this movie. I have not read this book, but watchingthe film I couldn't help thinking this would be an interesting read but itdidn't translate well onto the big screen. Though there is high drama in many spots, the movie overall just drizzledalong and then petered out in the end, with an unsatisfying final scenebetween the lead character and her father (played exceedingly well by theway by James Woods). The best I can possibly say about this film is the acting is very goodthroughout and Ms. Marshall's direction is terrific in spots, less so inothers, and you might want to wait 'til this one's at Blockbuster to viewit.

moomin_me 2013-05-12 12:32:26

one of my favourite films

This film has showed me what young single parents go through and thatit isn't just a walk in the park. i think that this is one of drewBarrymore's and Brittany Murphy's best performance's. it made merealise even if your 'smart' you can also be 'dumb'. even if somethinggoes wrong it can turn out alright if you try hard and put your mind toit. its nice that the film has a good ending as well, because i've seenfilms like this before that have bad endings which has ruined the film.if you like this film you should consider watching 'fiteen andpregnant' it has the same principle but it shows you what the mother'slife was like before the baby came along, not what the child's life waslike as well. Over all this film 'riding in cars with boys' has changedthe way i look at life and it makes me feel that i am glad and readynow, for what could happen, however unintentional.

2013-05-11 20:14:04

"I'm 22, that's nearly 30!" "My daughter's a tramp!"

This movie is excellent, immediately after watching it, I went online and bought the book for dead cheap. That's how good this movie is, you'll want to find out more about Beverley Donofrio, who wrote the book, and helped with the movie too.Drew Barrymore is an excellent actress, and she played the part of 'Bev' over a 20 year period really well. Although Drew makes a very doubtful 15/16 year old, she's more convincing throughout the rest of the movie. The movie is just one big laugh/cry, and you'll laugh at Steve Zahn's zany performance and cry at all the sad bits. Brittany Murphy also appears as Bev's best friend 'Fay' who also manages to get pregnant at the same time, and ends up a single mom. Brittany can really turn her hand at anything, and comes out with some hilarious lines. The one that sticks in everyone's memory is when she pretends to be Bev's parents when she confesses she's pregnant! "My daughter's a tramp!" During one of the scenes with Bev and Fay "The End of the World" is playing. This is the song that Brittany Murphy's character has playing during a key moment in Girl, Interrupted. The wedding scene was shot over a two day period, which required Brittany to cry the entire time. The first take was the one used in the film. It would have been nice for Brittany to appear towards the end of the movie, particularly as Jason is running off to be with Amelia. Instead, she just gets a mention.I wasn't particularly fussed about Adam Garcia playing Bev's 20 year old son, Jason in this. He was quite wrong for the part, considering he looks a lot older than the 20 year old he was supposed to be playing. But what was funny was the fact that Adam (who was 27 playing a 20 year old) was actually 2 years older than Drew (who was 25 playing a 35 year old) who played his mother! How weird is that!I can't wait to read about Beverley's experiences in the book. Apparently, only some ideas were used from the book - and they made Bev fall pregnant at 15, instead of 17 as it is in the book. The real life Beverly has a master's degree in creative writing. Drew is a high school dropout. The real Beverly and Jason D'Onofrio appear in the movie as guests at Beverly's wedding. They can be seen sitting directly behind Barrymore in the wedding scene. Apparently, what also is said in the book is that Beverly's parents did not force her to get married, they encouraged her to live with them so they could help support the baby instead of getting married. In the book, her parents were NOT supportive of her dream to go to college, which was a big part of the book that was left out. It was also Beverly's excuse for getting pregnant. Look out for Maggie Gyllenhaal in a blink-and-you'll-miss-her scene as Jason's girlfriend, Amelia, who was Fay's daughter; Desmond Harrington as Bobby and Logan Lerman as Jason (Age 8), who was also in The Butterfly Effect playing Evan at 7. At the end of the movie, and in parts throughout, it shows that Bev is now 36, and has written a book about her experiences. However, we never get to see how she managed to do this, and break away from all the bad things, which would have been good to see.This movie is getting some bad reviews, although I wouldn't believe them. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, sure, but guys, if you're gonna complain just cos your girlfriend dragged you to see this (like one reviewer has said) don't say that in the review. Believe me, you'll be single before you know it. Watch this movie.

Joe Powers 2013-04-26 09:55:34

I cannot believe the positive responses!!

This movie was in a word, horrible. At first glance it appeared to be astandard chick flick...a light drama with a little comedy thrown in.However, this movie failed to deliver on both counts.First of all, I suspect that you were supposed to identify and care aboutDrew Barrymore's character. The problem with this is that she is selfish,self-centered, and never learns from her mistakes. Never does she realizethe error of her ways, and never does she come to her senses. As someoneelse's review said, you feel more for the heroin-addicted husband than youdo for her. The only person that you feel truly bad for though is herson.that poor kid has to put up with a lot of BS and pain in this movie, andnever does he get any sort of reward.By the time the credits roll, you just wish that all of the maincharacterswould suffer a painful dramatic death. You either wish pain on them orwantto put them out of their misery.Don't read my review and think that I'm one of those people who only likesmovies with happy and/or obvious endings either. The problem with thismovie isn't that it has no happy ending; the problem is that the storygoesnowhere, has no message, and no purpose. I am extremely curious as towhatsort of meaning or moral others got from this movie.

2013-04-25 18:41:04

Inoffensive tearjerker

With true life stories you pretty much always know that you're probably going to be in for something a little bit cloying (exceptions being 'Heavenly Creatures' and 'Hilary And Jackie'), and this is often the case with this movie. It stars Drew Barrymore as Beverly Donofrio, a woman who finds herself pregnant at fifteen by her good-for-nothing boyfriend Steve Zahn. Her hopes of a bright future at NYU are crushed as she finds herself babysitting and changing diapers rather than working her way out of the smalltown life that she despises.We're in soap territory here and little really sets it aside from any other such made-for-TV movies apart from the stars, all of whom are spot on. Barrymore again proves what a luminous actress she can be in a highly unsympathetic role where she plays someone who is not only self-obsessed but condescending of her very upbringing. In addition, Zahn is one of the best new actors to have made himself known in a long time, as he manages to bring laughs alongside his disturbing portrayal of drug addiction. There's also Brittany Murphy, an emerging young talent that should be given all the credit she deserves.However, if any movie is testament to the fact that the stars don't always make the film then this is it. Apart from good (some may say brave) characterisation, especially of Beverly herself, this is something that aims to get the hankies out before the credits roll up and doesn't hide it. There are several particularly cloying moments where we get a summary on love and the like and it is likely that some will find the lines given to Beverly's child completely unrealistic, bratty and irksome. This isn't a complete waste of time by any stretch of the imagination but it's overlong and is certainly nothing special or new.

2013-04-13 12:31:15

GREAT MOVIE

i thought this movie was awesome. i'll admit it was a little long but i enjoyed every minute of it. i am a huge fan of drew's and this is one of her best. Not only does drew give a great performance but so does steve zahn. in fact all of the acting was absolutely fabulous. though i did do a little more laughing than crying i would still consider this a drama. i would recommend this movie to anyone

Wayne Malin 2013-04-12 19:38:49

Another good Barrymore film

Movie (based on a true story) follows the life of Beverly Donorfrio (DrewBarrymore) from 1965 to 1986--she gets pregnant, drops out of high school,enters a loveless marriage with the father Ray (Steve Zahn), he gets hookedon drugs, she resents her young son... It sounds really depressing and itis, for a time, but you see her overcome her hardships and becomesuccessful. There's a surprising thing about the film --Barrymore plays heras the most unlikable character I've ever seen yet you're rooting for herall the way. It's to Barrymore's credit that she pulls it off. The moviemoves quickly and Barrymore and Zahn are both very good. Also there arescenes between Barrymore and her 20 year old son (well played by beautifulAdam Garcia with blazing brown eyes and tons of hair) that are also verystrong and moving. Also there is a surprising supporting role by JamesWoods (as her father)--I've never seen him so tender and normal! A verynice, moving film--great score too.

2013-04-09 07:30:41

Great fun

My sister told me about this movie. And i'm glad she did. I really enjoyed. From start to finish it's a winner. Drew character finally grew up in the movie.

marzblac 2013-04-08 19:14:48

a cautionary tale

Riding in Cars with Boys is a very good film. Although,I must admit,themovie trailer can be a little bit misleading. I expected a whole lot morecomedy,but instead,got some heavy drama. Not that I am complaining,it wasactually,kind of a nice suprise.Drew Barrymore,keeps getting better and better in her craft as she get'solder.She was fantastic as well as Steve Zahn..This guy should definitelyget an oscar nod for his performance in this.At times, the movie did slow down for me,but what keeps it going is theacting. I mean, it was so very believable. I am very glad that the creatorsof this fine film didn't paint a pretty picture dealing with teen pregnacy.They added the gritty realism of the consequence of such athing.This movie did focus on the choices that we make in our youth,can affect therest of your life as well as those around you.Indeed, a cautionarytale.Overall,the movie gets a 7 from me.