Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

'Riding in Cars with Boys' is a rather heavy movie. It quite possibly goes through the entire spectrum of human emotion in the two hours you're sitting there watching it. It does a marvelous job of tiring you out; of making you feel exactly what the on screen character is feeling. But this film is far from perfect.The biggest problem here is that you're a little unsure of who the movie is about. Is it about the son's resentment of his mother? Is it about the mother's anger towards her son, her father, herself? Is it about this once daddy's girl's fall from grace and how she not only had to make a living for herself and her son but also had to try to win back her father's love which she once had in spades? The movie tackles so many emotions that radiate from so many different characters that it's hard to keep straight who the main one is in the moment.However annoying this problem is it in no way detracts from the enjoyment of the story being told though. You will either find yourself rooting for Barrymore (who showed such range and empathy in this role, proving herself to be more that the Rom-Com queen we know her to be) to achieve the life she wants or you will side with her son who thinks that she did a poor job of mothering him.This movie shows us that life can be brutal and unfair. It can be upsetting and demanding. But it also tells us that life is worth living, and if done right nothing can stand in the way of you and your dreams. This movie is underrated (Possibly rightly) but is a gem nonetheless. 6.4/10

I think "Riding in Cars with Boys" is a movie that offers a few life lessons for teenagers. It takes guts to keep a child when you have a life full of promises and perspectives, but Beverly gave up to all those things in order to have a baby, a son, and offer him a chance to education. At first I didn't know what this movie is all about, I thought it's about cars and races, myself being a fan of Nascar and F1, I actually have a Romanian website that teaches teens how to drive http://www.odat.ro Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Drew Barrymore and Steve Zahn so even though it's not a movie about cars, it surely worths watching, especially since it's based on a true story.

Based on the autobiography of the same name by Beverly Donofrio, Penny Marshall Directed 'Riding in Cars with Boys' is A Decent Attempt, that comes in-tact with some charming moments & terrific performances.'Riding in Cars with Boys' Synopsis: 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.'Riding in Cars with Boys' explores Beverly Donofrio's Journey from 1961 to 1986. And I must say, the handling of this autobiography, has been done with care & earnestness. Sure, some moments don't leave any impact, but overall, this film does deliver some very charming moments that stay with you.Morgan Ward's Adpated Screenplay is good, all though some sequences, especially in the second-hour, lack the fizz. Penny Marshall's Direction is wonderful. Cinematography by Miroslav Ondrícek is picture perfect. Editing is average. Art Design is fine.Performance-Wise: Drew Barrymore as Beverly Donofrio, is fantastic. This performance has to be among her finest to date. Steve Zahn as the drug-addicted husband, is so natural & believable. James Woods & Lorraine Bracco as Mr & Mrs Donofrio, are fabulous. The Late Brittany Murphy supports very well as Beverly's best friend. Adam Garcia is superb as Beverly's grown up son. Maggie Gyllenhaal appears in a tiny cameo.On the whole, 'Riding in Cars with Boys' is A Decent Attempt.

Riding in Cars With Boys does an amazing job at avoiding hazards, caricatures, comedic relief, and most importantly, formulas. It's an exercise in mature and honest filmmaking, and every actor and actress is blessed by the great material they've been handed.The film tells the sad but heart-warming coming of age parable, taking place in the 1960's, of a young woman named Beverly Donofrio (Barrymore) who becomes a mother at the tender age of fifteen, gets married to the loser she can barely look at by the end of the film named Ray (Zahn), and tries to stay in school to secure her life. The story is true and is taken from the autobiography of the same name.Beverly is likable, but desperate, and there are many situations she gets involved in that could label her a bad mother. Frequently in the film I imagined the characters were sitting around a poker table and Beverly was dealt the worst of the hands. She plays them, hoping to score, but inevitably, risks are taken and her luck turns sour. She is ambitious and willing to win the pot, but she can't make a whole lot of the cards she has but to play them and hopefully upgrade them for some bigger ones.Her parents are played extraordinarily by James Woods, giving a performance just as good as he did as the pimp Lester Diamond in Casino, and Lorraine Bracco who does her best to pursue and cope with her daughter's hefty decisions.Beverly and Ray are with each other because they have to be. Are they in love? No, it's more of a mutual liking between them. They don't hate each other, although shadows of extreme disgust and dislike begin to show further in the story. They're with each other because if not, she'd be a tramp and he'd be a deadbeat scumbag. This depicts the time in the world where men stepped up and made attempts to father the child they mistakingly brought into the world. And the women turn to her books and schoolwork as much as she could if impregnated at a young age. Now, when a woman is pregnant, before she calls her boyfriend, she tries to secure a deal with MTV.The supporting work doesn't just stem from Woods and Bracco. It's everywhere. Brittany Murphy gives one of the best performances of her career as Fay, Bev's best friend who also is attempting to bring up a kid in this world. She is raising a girl named Amelia, while Bev is bringing up a boy named Jason. The young, vibrant romance between the two youths is woefully under-developed and that is one thing the film should've been dripping with.Steve Zahn is captivating as well. He's an actor that can play virtually anyone. A screw up brother in one of my favorite horror films, a goofball father, a drugged out loser, and an idiot backup to Jack Black and Jason Biggs.One other minor complaint is the fact that at some points the film feels more considered with reenacting the nostalgia of the sixties than actually developing the story or advancing it. Sure, the beautiful set pieces and photography compliment the script, but the overall pictorial aspect could've been ignored to focus more on the realism of the events. The Vietnam War is mentioned, and many other elements of the sixties, all of which are used very attentively and properly. Not gratuitously.Drew Barrymore is simply convincing and enigmatic as Beverly. She puts herself in the role of this desperate woman who frequently feels as if she needs to father her son and her husband. Her performance reminds me greatly of Natalie Portman's in Where the Heart Is. There's a depressing work of art, but both performances are so enigmatic and delightful that they shine a ray of sun on a plot so grim at some points. Barrymore portrays the struggles of a woman of the time period in a way that is very difficult to accomplish. She nails it with stunning honesty and piercing accuracy in her emotional struggles.And that's the keyword here; honesty. This film is genuine, and not sugarcoated. Life can seriously suck sometimes. The film makes no attempt to hide that. The things Riding in Cars With Boys is astounding and nonetheless memorable. It's a tender film with so much to show other than being a great coming of age drama. With the way it's filmed, acted, and written I'm shocked none of the credits read "Rob Reiner." Starring: Drew Barrymore, Brittany Murphy, Adam Garcia, Steve Zahn, James Woods, and Lorraine Bracco. Directed by: Penny Marshall.