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Riding in Cars with Boys
Drew Barrymore-starring chick flick based on Beverly Donofrio's autobiographical novel, about her life during and after teenage pregnancy
Drew Barrymore takes on the task of ageing from 15 to 35 in this decade-spanning biopic. She plays headstrong Beverly Donofrio, who in the present day is trying to sell her novel, and in flashbacks, is a troubled teenager and beyond. After meeting Ray (Steve Zahn) at a party, the young Beverly winds up pregnant, married and living in a dump - when all she wants to do is write. Her friend Fay (Brittany Murphy) is one of her few true allies as she struggles with small-town prejudices and an increasingly unreliable husband. While audiences are clearly intended to identify with Barrymore's heroine, the script makes this increasingly difficult to achieve. Beverly's problems may provoke plenty of sympathy, her character does not. Her flaws (such as her domineering behaviour towards her son) are chiefly seen through other characters' eyes, and her life choices are only briefly or partly explained. ("I'm a bad mother," she constantly mourns, without appearing to do anything about it). In fact it is Zahn's character who is more believable and involving, helped by both script and performance. As a well-meaning but lazy romantic, his inner conflicts and frailties appear more sympathetic than Beverly's bulldozing-through-life attitude. That said, many of the film's retrospective scenes (such as the party scene and the wedding) are enjoyable and very funny - Donofrio certainly has a talent for wry, female-friendly wit. Verdict Despite an ultimate lack of involvement with the protagonist and a rather uneventful third act, this is a pleasant watch for fans of sleepy, nostalgic comedy. |
