Now and Then (1995)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I vaguely remember seeing trailers for this movie when it came out all those years ago but never saw it ... until today. My public library recently added the DVD to its holdings.The "now" and "then" refers to four 30-something friends from childhood who have come together in 1994 and seeing the old treehouse still in the backyard of one reminisce about that fateful year, 1970, when they were 12. So most of the movie has four 12-yr-old actresses playing the roles, but the beginning and end are the mature actresses playing their older selves. One is a doctor, another is a writer, yet another is an actress, while one stayed in town and is about to have a baby.The summer of 1970 has the girls playing in the cemetery at night and seeing a tombstone of a boy their age, 12, buried in 1945. Part of their quest is to find out who this boy was and how he died. They have a number of experiences, some with the local bullies, four brothers. And some adventures are unpleasant involving friction in families. But somehow they survive and finally finding out about the dead boy had some life lessons.Overall a really good movie. Shot in and around Savannah Georgia.

When you watch this 1995 movie in 2012, you wish all children grow up in small towns with the simplicity and innocence that comes with it.. it has its own share of maturity, " it is normal when things are shitty ".. the movie shows that real understanding can lead to a life-long friendship among four characteristically different kids..one having a tragic past, another having quarrelling parents, yet another being given unreal sex education by an embarrassed, yet caring mother..The kids have done excellent acting.. the pace is smooth.. the biggest lesson comes from from a mysterious man who visits a particular grave in a cemetery.. A must-see for all parents and also for all children who want to avoid loneliness

Okay, all 4 younger actresses are quite engaging, likable and amazingly unaffected---they can even almost sell me on the "Stand by Me" plot rip off (or what passes for a plot). I don't mind sweet, small town retro (that never really existed) and I am a feminist, so girl power is fine by me.BUT...it still doesn't cut it. For starters, all the homes exteriors are unquestionably mid-80's/90's style homes. EVERY house should have been a split level or a ranch (I grew up in exactly that type of sub division). While the interiors are overall more accurate,. houses that small wouldn't possibly have such large interior rooms. Teeny's room has painted art deco furniture---fashionable in 1995, NOT 1970 (and Teeny appears to be the wealthiest of the group). Really, couldn't they have borrowed "The Wonder Years" set? The other thing is the truly, utterly horrible acting from the adults. Rita Wilson portrays Chrissy as fully mentally unbalanced. Keeps her home exactly the way her mother had it decorated??? Races around like a shrill harpy??? I kept waiting for someone in a white coat with a net to come and take her away. Yes, she could be nerdy and traditional--that doesn't equal totally crazy.Since they're also all 37 now, it doesn't hold water on that level (they all still act twelve, with apologies to 12 year old). Unless she had serious fertility problems, Chrissy would have wanted to get pregnant the second she got married. Athletic, cute Christina Ricci turns into fat, ugly Rosie O'Donnnel??? And Melanie Griffith (more like 18 in 1970) is already far too old, and simply horrible.In all, if nothing else is on, watch it. But it isn't even fun in a campy way.

This movie is an amazing movie that is not only well-acted, but has an amazing storyline. Even for those of us that didn't grow up in the 1970s, seeing these girls' unforgettable summer makes your heart ache. Whenever I see this movie I wish I grew up in small-town Shelby, too. This movie will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately make you wish and think you were there and you knew these girls. Whenever I think of this movie, I think of all the great times these girls had together. No matter how much I grow older, I still fall in love with this movie over and over. Their struggles, and joys, are those that are timeless and we can all relate to. I recommend it completely.