Okay, it's that time of year. A time to reread old favorite books and watch those special movies. This one - Riding in Cars with Boys (Special Edition) - is one I saw some time ago. I also read the book. (After seeing the movie).

Most writers can relate to someone who dreams of writing the way the character Beverly D'Onofrio does - it's kind of like breathing...you have to do it or else.

Attaining her dream of a college education and writing that book take Bev (Drew Barrymore) longer than it does for the standard student - she has several obstacles, such as a teenage pregnancy - and in rearing her child alone (eventually), she flounders at times. She is sidetracked by financial concerns as well. But she never takes her eye off the prize.

Steve Zahn plays her husband (soon to be ex), a heroin addict whose drug dependence almost pulls her down with him; Brittany Murphy plays her best friend and one-woman cheering squad.

Coming from an Italian family with traditional values, it is surprising that Bev makes it at all, but, despite the family's initial shock and disappointment, her parents become very supportive. This support helps keep her on track until she finally achieves her goals. She finishes her book and finds a publisher - but not without some last-minute barriers that involve getting her ex-husband's "waiver" before the book can finally come to light.

This is a good movie for New Year's Eve. Or for any time when you want to curl up and enjoy that feel-good kind of flick.

Laurel-Rain Snow
Author of:

Chasing Stardust, etc.

One would think that the way the trailer for "Riding in Cars With Boys" is put together, you'd have a jolly old time watching it. With Drew Barrymore heading the cast and Penny Marshall (A League of Their Own) directing, you've got even more reason to believe that you're in for a lighthearted and delightful feature. For those prepared to rent this flick, plop down on their sofa with their popcorn, treats and soft drinks/beer and laugh it up, be warned - trailers can be VERY deceiving.

By all accounts (and by my opinion only), "Riding in Cars With Boys" has to be the most humorless film I've seen in a while. Sure, you say, "the previews I've seen make it look pretty damn funny"...yet when one starts watching, they will gradually feel less enlightened and more despondent as events unfold. For this movie to be categorized as a comedy is an error of grand proportion; it clearly belongs amongst the ranks of the drama genre, what with its story being based on the heart-wrenching autobiography of novelist Beverly D'Onofrio.

The movie begins with a pre-teen Beverly unabashedly admitting to her policeman father Leonardo (Woods) that she "can't wait to get breasts", her desire to grow up far too tenacious. Flash forward about three or four years to the throes of Beverly's adolescence - she is an aspiring novelist...with boobs. Promptly jilted after soliciting the attentions of an arrogant jock at a rowdy house party, she retreats to an upstairs bathroom to let the tears of humiliation flow, unwittingly stumbling upon her future husband, a dim bulb named Ray Hasek (Zahn). Ray becomes her personal hero when he beats the jock to a pulp and they later end up in a parked car with her best friend Fay (Murphy) and her boyfriend, laughing it up with cigarettes and booze.

You can pretty much guess what happens at this point; with child at the age of 15 and no wedding ring on her finger to speak of, Beverly's father looks her dead in the eye after she confesses to her pregnancy and says gravely, "You've ruined your life."

This is the movie's biggest understatement.

At a loss of what to do, Beverly convinces herself that she is in love with Ray and decides to marry the brainless sperm donor, her wedding the most joyless celebration ever beheld. To make matters worse, Fay confesses during a toast to the newlyweds that she is pregnant as well and the whole event becomes a festival of shame.

The rest of the movie has Beverly trying like hell to make her dream as a novelist come true despite numerous hindrances. It doesn't take long for this vicious cycle to get tiresome - watching Beverly fumble over and over again, try as she might, can make some people feel pretty frustrated (are you starting to get the picture?). The film ends with her finally publishing her autobiography and making amends with her father, but don't mistake this for a happy ending - everything you've seen up to this point will more than convince you that this story is far from having a joyous denouement.

The uplifting aspects are the performances of the movie's four leads (Barrymore, Zahn, Goldberg, Murphy). I haven't been able to take Drew Barrymore seriously for a while regarding dramatic roles; after all, can you blame me for feeling this way when the most recent projects at the time crowding her extensive resume were "Never Been Kissed" and the overblown "Charlie's Angels" action films? Watching her here, however, is a 180 turn - she conjures several emotional outbursts and is exceptional (this word is underlined, by the way). Rarely have I seen such a fantastic outcome from her and this is what made me appreciate the movie most. If you will see it for any reason, see it for Barrymore's finest performance yet.

Ray is incorrigible and Steve Zahn does a flawless job. However, a comedic actor of his skills needs to expand his horizons. Brittany Murphy can't showcase even half of her gusto with the thankless role of Fay (half the time she looks like she's been chopping onions) and Sarah Gilbert is practically non-existent as Christine, her screen time amounting to no more than ten minutes. This is the same girl who outshined everyone as the acerbic Darlene on the long-running TV sitcom "Roseanne" and she's relegated to the background. She should be leading a film, not supporting it.

Brash "New-Yawker" Lorraine Bracco can't sparkle either and James Woods, with what little he's got, manages to make Leonardo a delicate character - he's the only one out of the entire supporting cast to make a distinct impression.

Bottom line: Though I feel personally that it is a mistake to tout this film as a comedy, it is nevertheless an affecting representation of D'Onofrio's struggle to overcome adversity. If you're looking for a film that will give you a good laugh AND a good cry, "Riding In Cars With Boys" is a safe bet.

My wife loves this movie, and I have to say that I find it quite enjoyable myself. Surprisingly, `Riding in Cars with Boys' is a decent dramatic comedy that touches the heart and pleases the viewer. I say surprisingly because it never generated any buzz and thus became a forgotten film. I love Drew Barrymore; I find her as talented as she is beautiful and I can't really get enough of her. Here she shines brightly, as always, and adds layers to the film. In fact, the acting across the board is extremely strong here and is a huge selling point. The film has a few drawbacks; especially the ending, but there are enough highlights to make up for a few disappointing turns.

The film tells the true story of young Beverly D'Onofrio who wound up pregnant at 15, married to a loser and living the life she never dreamed she'd live. Beverly meets Ray after her failed attempt at seducing the handsome jock at a party turns embarrassing and humiliating. Ray defends her and she is instantly smitten. Of course we know what comes next, and once her parents find out she is pregnant she is forced to marry Ray. Beverly wants to go to school, get her degree, become a writer; but being married and raising a child damper that drastically. What makes things worse is when she discovers that her husband is abusing drugs and refuses to get help. Beverly soon realizes that she has to help herself, and her son, and while things may not always be perfect she tries her hardest to make them work.

Of course some of the facts have been tainted to add dramatic effect. Beverly wasn't 15 when she gave birth to her son, she was 17; and she was not a high school dropout, as she is portrayed as in the film; but this is Hollywood and Hollywood likes to make things seem as hopeless as possible in order to garner the audiences deepest sympathies. It works here.

Barrymore is wonderful as Beverly, especially in her teenage years. She develops a very believable and sympathetic character that is distressed, overwhelmed, overjoyed and scared all at the same time. She has impeccable comedic delivery, but what makes her performance so warm and enjoyable is her ability to add the right amount of dramatic flare to her characters every action. Steve Zahn was a total surprise for me. I generally am not too impressed with his work but I found him to be flawless here; especially his `goodbye' scene with his young son. I actually cried it was so touching. Brittany Murphy has been on my radar for a while and she delivers yet again here as Fay, Beverly's best friend; and of course the likes of James Woods and Lorraine Bracco are nothing but brilliant; as to be expected. Rosie Perez has a memorable cameo towards the end of the film as well.

Adam Garcia is one of my disappointments. His acting is decent but his narrative is annoying; in my opinion. The narrative though is nothing compared to the jip I felt when the credits began to roll. The film is so well constructed throughout, giving us a complete look at Beverly's life leading up to the conclusion and then it just lets go of everything without tying up those loose ends properly. You can feel the tension between Beverly and her teenage son Jason throughout but in the final frames when he finally confronts her there is no real resolution. They give it a very `Hollywood' resolution, painting a happy ending far too quickly for it to be believable or even understandable. They could have easily added a good ten minutes or so to flesh that out.

The ending aside, `Riding in Cars with Boys' is a very enjoyable ride. I recommend this to any fan of Barrymore, for it's one of her finest turns, but also to any fan of the genre. It is not the best of its breed but it is warm and touching and uplifting; a film that aspires to be great, settles on very good, and manages to be much better than expected.

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.

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.