Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Penny Marshall

Writers (WGA):

Beverly D'Onofrio (book)
Morgan Ward (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Based on a true story.

Plot:

A single mother, with dreams of becoming a writer, has a son at the age of 15 in 1965, and goes through a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father.

Plot Keywords:

College | Heroin | Single Mother | Working Class | Party

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Drew Barrymore	...	Beverly Donofrio
Steve Zahn	...	Ray Hasek
Adam Garcia	...	Jason
Brittany Murphy	...	Fay Forrester
James Woods	...	Mr. Leonard Donofrio
Lorraine Bracco	...	Mrs. Teresa Donofrio
Rosie Perez	...	Shirley Perro
Sara Gilbert	...	Tina Barr
Peter Facinelli	...	Tommy Butcher
Mika Boorem	...	Beverly Donofrio - Age 11
Celine Marget	...	Janet Donofrio - Age 8
Vincent Pastore	...	Uncle Lou
Maryann Urbano	...	Aunt Ann
Alissa Dean	...	Townie Girl #1
Jessica Leshnower	...	Townie Girl #2

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug and sexual content.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bloomfield, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Gracie Films

Trivia:

During one of the scenes with Bev ('Barrymore, Drew') and Fay (Brittany Murphy) "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 (1999).

Goofs:

Continuity: Position of Beverly's arm when she is talking to Raymond in his car the first night she meets him

Quotes:

Raymond Hasek: My dad always said my head was hard as a rock. He broke his hand on it twice.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)

Soundtrack:

Would I Lie To You

Real life is not a dream but hardship,pain and only sometimes filled with moments of happiness

A great movie in my opinion,not the usual melodrama-stuff,as some might believe reading just the plot.

The story of Beverly and Ray could be that of anyone of us.

Their marriage enforced by her pregnancy and consequently due to unwritten rules of puritanism governing a small Connecticut community,brought together two rather unexperienced and immature teens. Her behaviour after giving birth to Jason,conflicts to a certain extent to that of a normal mother.But was she a normal mother? We need to understand her! This pregnancy linked her to a unwanted man and brought life unexpectedly to a child.It blocked her dreams of going to high school and college,so her behaviour is justified to a certain extent.

Two scenes,at the end,I consider as masterpieces.

First her meeting together with the grown-up son at Ray's house,after years of separation,finding there a still drug addicted person,physically and even mentally finished.Ray feels guilty for all pain inflicted to her,but the only thing he can do now is to sign that paper authorizing her to publish the story of their life.

Secondly the scene of Beverly and Josua reunited as mother and son for a short while,embracing near Ray's house,before going each one a separate way.Josua to his beloved,she calling her father to catch her up with the car and go to home of her parents.

The last scene is particularly moving,father and daughter driving home in the car,sing that lovely song "Dreams".This might be bout all the unfulfilled dreams of her life,or perhaps an illusion that all her hardships were nothing else than a dream.No dreams whatever,all she lived was true life.And this was a serene,nice end ,after so much drama unfolding in her life!