Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Directors:

Harry Elfont
Deborah Kaplan

Writers (WGA):

Deborah Kaplan (written by) &
Harry Elfont (written by)

Release Date:

12 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

For the class of 1998, the last night of high school is the first night of the rest of their lives.

Plot:

Multicharacter teenage comedy about high school graduates with different agenda of life on graduation night.

Plot Keywords:

Party | High School | Graduation | Letter | Nerd

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Love Hewitt	...	Amanda
Ethan Embry	...	Preston
Charlie Korsmo	...	William
Lauren Ambrose	...	Denise
Peter Facinelli	...	Mike
Seth Green	...	Kenny
Michelle Brookhurst	...	Girl Whose Party It Is
Alexander Martin	...	Exchange Student
Erik Palladino	...	Cousin Ron
Channon Roe	...	Jock #1
Sean Patrick Thomas	...	Jock #2
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Jock #3 (as Freddy Rodriguez)
Joel Michaely	...	X-Phile #1
Jay Paulson	...	X-Phile #2
Brian Hall	...	Real Homeboy

Also Known As:

The Party (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for teen drinking and sexuality, and for language.

Runtime:

100 min | Argentina:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (as Sony Dynamic Digital Sound)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35793)

Filming Locations:

Dutton's Bookstore - 11975 San Vicente Boulevard, Reseda, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Two characters that had their parts cut can be seen in at least two scenes that survived the cutting room floor. Crying Drunk Girl (Jennifer Elise Cox can be seen crowd surfing during the "Paradise City" scene and Stoned Girl ('Amber Benson') can be seen staring at a banana in the kitchen early on in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the hand towels in the bathroom when Denise and Kenny are locked in.

Quotes:

Kenny Fisher: [to Denise Fleming] Woman, this is all *your* fault. Come bargin' in here like a friggin' moose.
[makes strange "moose" noises]

Movie Connections:

References Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Soundtrack:

This Is How I Know

Ranks high in its genre

What a sweet movie this is! Predictable all the way, but saved by it's extremely likeable cast: Ethan Embry, as the daydreamer nice guy, Seth Green, showing off is talent in his part as a wigger and the photogenic Jennifer Love Hewitt, who has the part of "perfect girl" down to perfection. (Is there any other way to describe it? She really is that good at it.)

Like most good films in its genre Can't Hardly Wait has many witty moments, pace and charm. The parallels with Fast Times At Ridgemont High are obvious.

Seth Green as a white boy who really would rather have been a black boy is a very funny and to the point social comment. It's a shame, however, that the film can't break loose from the stereotypes that resurface in every teen comedy. There's the blonde bimbos who just look pretty and are armpieces to the jocks. There's the jocks who drink beer and pick on the nerds. There's the nerds who have big glasses and re-enact scenes from Star Wars and the likes. Why don't producers seem able to break away from those stereotypes? The moments where these characters are brought into play, the boring slapstick they engage in... Those are the moments where the film loses it's pace and that's why these films only brush upon interesting subject matter. This is also the reason why new generations won't be bored to watch until the end of this film in twenty years time. I know I changed the channel 30 minutes into Fast Times...

Without the everlasting stereotypes and standard storylines (nice boy wants girl... nerd gets cheerleader for one night or forever more) this kind of film might actually distinguish itself. As long as that doesn't change the rating of this film is likely to remain stuck at 6.3, at which it is stuck right now. That's where the genre deserves to be as it is. I rate this film slightly higher at 7.