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Riding in Cars with Boys
She did everything wrong,
but got everything right.
An amazing little film.
Beverly (Drew Barrymore) is a beautiful, smart
teenage girl growing up in a small town during
the early sixties. All she wants out of life
is to meet the man of her dreams and make something
out of herself. Unfortunately, she meets Ray
(Steve Zahn), a boy who has nothing going for him.
Beverly soon becomes pregnant, and finds her life
is suddenly put on hold, much to the dismay of her
police sergeant father (James Woods) who isn't
very proud at this point.
From Director Penny Marshall (A League of their
own; Big) comes the story of a girl who had dreams
but became sidetracked with a newborn son, a bad
marriage and a drug-addicted husband. Through
these obstacles, Beverly makes a life that's
more than she ever imagined.
I found this film to be quite remarkable. It's
an extremely well acted, well told story that takes
us through three decades of a girl's troubled life.
The film is based on a true story, and knowing this,
I found it to be incredibly depressing to know how
much emotional pain these characters endured. Still,
Drew Barrymore manages to keep the story lively,
with a remarkable acting performance. It's incredible
to sit and watch her character grow from innocence
to adulthood.
How is the transfer?
Columbia has put out another remarkable transfer.
The anamorphic (1.85:1) transfer is gorgeous.
Picture remains beautifully crisp and clear without
a hint of grain. The colors simply look incredible
from dark night scenes where Christmas lights twinkle
a rainbow of colors to bright snowy days where every
color stands out against the snow covered background.
This digitally mastered transfer looks so good, it
almost looks hi-def. I have posted one of my favorite
shots from the film. Look how beautiful young
Amelia (Skye McCole Bartusiak) looks in this shot,
with the colors of her clothing against the white
snowy contrast.
The 5.1 Dolby surround mix is very good in that
it's not overwhelming. While sound remains very
clear and robust across the front three speakers,
the rears are used mostly for accenting music and
a few rear action effects. What I did note most
about the rears was the constant sound of wind
noise during the outdoor scenes. It became a sort
of soothing effect that really added to the film.
Special Features
It's nice to see that Columbia had as much
faith in this film as it deserved and created a
very nice Special Edition that has an abundant
amount of added material.
As you pop in the disc, a really cool animated
menu that consists of a drive-in movie screen
appears. Scenes from the film play out as cars
drive past. Menu selections appear at the bottom
of the screen.
In addition to a running commentary by Drew
Barrymore....
There are four behind-the-scenes featurettes and
an additional HBO making-of Special included on this
DVD.
Let's begin with Drew's trailer tour, which
gives us the opportunity to meet the real person
behind the character Drew portrays. We see Drew
and Beverly on the set together, as Drew talks about
how well they bonded with each other. Drew then
walks us through a multitude of snapshots of
Beverly, her ex-husband and son. After watching the
film, I was quite taken back by these real-life
snapshots that I was now able to easily relate to.
I think viewers will be amazed by Bev and
Ray's house: recreating reality. This is one
of those behind-the-scenes pieces that makes you
say..."wow!". The film's set designer shows us
not only how an entire neighborhood was built for
this movie, but how moving tracks within the house
allowed for the filmmakers to shoot inside space
that was very small. It's a fascinating look at
how a set designer overcomes obstacles and keeps
a very small house continually interesting for the
viewing audience. My only complaint with this
piece is that the set designer's name is never
credited in this featurette.
One of the most important props in this film are
The Cars that represent the 35 years this
story is based upon. Actor James Woods is given a
tour of the film's back lot where rows of vintage
cars are stored. We learn the importance of using
just the right colored automobile for each scene
as blending of costume colors is a major concern.
James Woods keep this short 3-minute piece very
lively, thanks to his sense of humor.
Beverly and Jason: Sons and Lovers takes
us a little further into the real-lives of Beverly
and Jason (who we meet for the first time). Producer
James L. Brooks and Director Penny Marshall talk
about how these real lives inspired the film. Through
early snapshots and interviews with the real Beverly
and Jason, we learn a little more about their lives
growing up together, and the book that was written
about those lives. Of course, you can imagine the
personal memories that were stirred up when Beverly
visited the film's set for the very first time.
The HBO making-of Special is not just
another one of those promotional fluff pieces
that give a general oversight of the film. While
this 20-minute special does covers most of the
featurette material already presented, there is
lots of fairly interesting new material included,
including the original hair and make-up test for
Drew and the other cast members. We also learn
a little more about creating the aging process
that was so vitally important for a film that
covered 35 years of Bev's life. What I also found
fascinating about this special was the attention
given to Penny Marshall's direction. We see many
clips of Penny on the set interacting with the other
cast members. She's a director that really puts her
heart and soul into her films.
In addition to the film's original trailer
there are trailers for Charlie's Angels and
A League of their own.
A Filmography of all the major cast members
and Director Penny Marshall is also presented.
Final Thoughts
While there are so many coming-of-age stories
about boys to men, this is the first such story
I have seen about a girl's difficult life growing
into womanhood.
What makes this film so amazing to watch are
the performances by Drew Barrymore and Steve Zahn.
To watch these characters age on screen so remarkably
well is an amazing experience.
I have to also give kudos to Logan Lerman, the
young actor who portrays Jason at age 8. He is
just so cute, and his performance is outstanding.
Fans of The Sopranos will also have a nice
warm feeling through the very first moments of the
film. I won't say anything more.
The more I write about this film, the more I
realize how much I enjoyed Riding in cars with
boys. I think the film deserves to be seen,
and it is my hope that all of you rent this film
and perhaps enjoy it as much as I did to worthy a
sale copy.
Release Date: March 19, 2002
Riding in Cars with Boys
She did everything wrong,
but got everything right.
An amazing little film.
Beverly (Drew Barrymore) is a beautiful, smart
teenage girl growing up in a small town during
the early sixties. All she wants out of life
is to meet the man of her dreams and make something
out of herself. Unfortunately, she meets Ray
(Steve Zahn), a boy who has nothing going for him.
Beverly soon becomes pregnant, and finds her life
is suddenly put on hold, much to the dismay of her
police sergeant father (James Woods) who isn't
very proud at this point.
From Director Penny Marshall (A League of their
own; Big) comes the story of a girl who had dreams
but became sidetracked with a newborn son, a bad
marriage and a drug-addicted husband. Through
these obstacles, Beverly makes a life that's
more than she ever imagined.
I found this film to be quite remarkable. It's
an extremely well acted, well told story that takes
us through three decades of a girl's troubled life.
The film is based on a true story, and knowing this,
I found it to be incredibly depressing to know how
much emotional pain these characters endured. Still,
Drew Barrymore manages to keep the story lively,
with a remarkable acting performance. It's incredible
to sit and watch her character grow from innocence
to adulthood.
How is the transfer?
Columbia has put out another remarkable transfer.
The anamorphic (1.85:1) transfer is gorgeous.
Picture remains beautifully crisp and clear without
a hint of grain. The colors simply look incredible
from dark night scenes where Christmas lights twinkle
a rainbow of colors to bright snowy days where every
color stands out against the snow covered background.
This digitally mastered transfer looks so good, it
almost looks hi-def. I have posted one of my favorite
shots from the film. Look how beautiful young
Amelia (Skye McCole Bartusiak) looks in this shot,
with the colors of her clothing against the white
snowy contrast.
The 5.1 Dolby surround mix is very good in that
it's not overwhelming. While sound remains very
clear and robust across the front three speakers,
the rears are used mostly for accenting music and
a few rear action effects. What I did note most
about the rears was the constant sound of wind
noise during the outdoor scenes. It became a sort
of soothing effect that really added to the film.
Special Features
It's nice to see that Columbia had as much
faith in this film as it deserved and created a
very nice Special Edition that has an abundant
amount of added material.
As you pop in the disc, a really cool animated
menu that consists of a drive-in movie screen
appears. Scenes from the film play out as cars
drive past. Menu selections appear at the bottom
of the screen.
In addition to a running commentary by Drew
Barrymore....
There are four behind-the-scenes featurettes and
an additional HBO making-of Special included on this
DVD.
Let's begin with Drew's trailer tour, which
gives us the opportunity to meet the real person
behind the character Drew portrays. We see Drew
and Beverly on the set together, as Drew talks about
how well they bonded with each other. Drew then
walks us through a multitude of snapshots of
Beverly, her ex-husband and son. After watching the
film, I was quite taken back by these real-life
snapshots that I was now able to easily relate to.
I think viewers will be amazed by Bev and
Ray's house: recreating reality. This is one
of those behind-the-scenes pieces that makes you
say..."wow!". The film's set designer shows us
not only how an entire neighborhood was built for
this movie, but how moving tracks within the house
allowed for the filmmakers to shoot inside space
that was very small. It's a fascinating look at
how a set designer overcomes obstacles and keeps
a very small house continually interesting for the
viewing audience. My only complaint with this
piece is that the set designer's name is never
credited in this featurette.
One of the most important props in this film are
The Cars that represent the 35 years this
story is based upon. Actor James Woods is given a
tour of the film's back lot where rows of vintage
cars are stored. We learn the importance of using
just the right colored automobile for each scene
as blending of costume colors is a major concern.
James Woods keep this short 3-minute piece very
lively, thanks to his sense of humor.
Beverly and Jason: Sons and Lovers takes
us a little further into the real-lives of Beverly
and Jason (who we meet for the first time). Producer
James L. Brooks and Director Penny Marshall talk
about how these real lives inspired the film. Through
early snapshots and interviews with the real Beverly
and Jason, we learn a little more about their lives
growing up together, and the book that was written
about those lives. Of course, you can imagine the
personal memories that were stirred up when Beverly
visited the film's set for the very first time.
The HBO making-of Special is not just
another one of those promotional fluff pieces
that give a general oversight of the film. While
this 20-minute special does covers most of the
featurette material already presented, there is
lots of fairly interesting new material included,
including the original hair and make-up test for
Drew and the other cast members. We also learn
a little more about creating the aging process
that was so vitally important for a film that
covered 35 years of Bev's life. What I also found
fascinating about this special was the attention
given to Penny Marshall's direction. We see many
clips of Penny on the set interacting with the other
cast members. She's a director that really puts her
heart and soul into her films.
In addition to the film's original trailer
there are trailers for Charlie's Angels and
A League of their own.
A Filmography of all the major cast members
and Director Penny Marshall is also presented.
Final Thoughts
While there are so many coming-of-age stories
about boys to men, this is the first such story
I have seen about a girl's difficult life growing
into womanhood.
What makes this film so amazing to watch are
the performances by Drew Barrymore and Steve Zahn.
To watch these characters age on screen so remarkably
well is an amazing experience.
I have to also give kudos to Logan Lerman, the
young actor who portrays Jason at age 8. He is
just so cute, and his performance is outstanding.
Fans of The Sopranos will also have a nice
warm feeling through the very first moments of the
film. I won't say anything more.
The more I write about this film, the more I
realize how much I enjoyed Riding in cars with
boys. I think the film deserves to be seen,
and it is my hope that all of you rent this film
and perhaps enjoy it as much as I did to worthy a
sale copy.
Release Date: March 19, 2002
