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Riding in Cars with Boys
Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment


6.1

based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for thematic elements, drug and sexual content

Starring Drew Barrymore, Sara Gilbert, Steve Zahn, Brittany Murphy, Lorraine Bracco, James Woods, and Vincent Pastore

The fresh, funny, touching and unbelievably true story of writer Beverly D'Onofrio (played by Barrymore, who ages from 15 to 35 in the role) and her often irreverent, always unique personal journey. (Columbia Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Beverly D'Onofrio (book) Morgan Ward
DIRECTED BY:	Penny Marshall
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: March 19, 2002 Video: March 19, 2002 Theatrical: October 19, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	132 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Boston Globe Jay Carr

As a flawed but lovably lionhearted woman, Barrymore triumphantly comes of age as an actress.

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

It's Zahn's heartbreaking performance that drives Riding in Cars with Boys.

USA Today Claudia Puig

It's Barrymore's most ambitious role to date. She proves she is maturing as an actress.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Barrymore gives a performance that's nuanced, assured and captivating.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A film like this is refreshing and startling in the way it cuts loose from formula and shows us confused lives we recognize.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

What emerges is a funny and sometimes aching movie that treads familiar dysfunctional family turf but still manages to eke out an emotionally toned balance.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

It's the kind of film -- like Diane Keaton's "Hanging Up" -- that even as it dissolves narratively, still makes you dissolve emotionally.

Time Richard Schickel

It is somewhat repetitive, but it is also wonderfully acted, especially by Barrymore.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

It's just another case of mourning over what might have been.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

As the movie jumps back and forth in time, it displays an impressive cut-and-paste agility, skillfully interweaving humor and drama without tipping over into farce or soap opera.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

When Barrymore finally gets mean, the movie finally gets good. Then comes another sing-along, dammit.

Film Threat Michael Dequina

Whatever distinguished "Riding in Cars with Boys" the book certainly doesn't show up in the movie.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

A messy, woefully uneven chick flick.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Needs someone to roll down a window and let in some fresh air.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

An article of faith for girls who just wanna have fun; only problem is that the movie doesn't go all the way.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

What's lacking is any sense of Beverly's brightness. She's supposedly smart, but she never displays a shred of intelligence.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

It's a bitter story played for humor, in which a callous character is never quite allowed to see herself as such.

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

It's Zahn who truly conveys what Marshall and Barrymore are going for -- laughing through your tears.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

Thank God for Barrymore: When Beverly's water breaks and she looks down at her feet and cries, "This is so gross," you know how good this actress can be, and how good this movie might have been.

TV Guide Steve Simels

Added bonuses: A nice selection of oldies on the soundtrack, and an amusing third-act cameo by Rosie Perez as Ray's second wife.

Variety Robert Koehler

The result under Penny Marshall's direction is a film with genuinely serious intentions that falls considerably short of its intentions.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

It's as if the filmmakers, having committed themselves to the book, fled from its essence, which is wildness.

LA Weekly Chuck Wilson

In many ways, Marshall and Barrymore are an equal match -- while both have a flair for the small touches that build a good comic scene, each lacks the complex layering of motive and emotion that make a human life believably real.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Buried under the miscalculations, the shamelessness, the off-putting and inappropriate broadness are sporadically visible souvenirs of a good project gone bad, hints of the unusual, bittersweet story that got away.

Slate David Edelstein

There's no dramatic trajectory here at all.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Every scene is coated with Marshall's thumbprints, ultimately connecting into a manhandled, mangled, misshapen whole, its themes written out in thunderously obvious cues.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

But by the end of the movie -- which seems to last longer than the Crusades -- all the good stuff has dissipated.

Village Voice Jessica Winter

Mistakes self-pitying embitterment for carry-on endurance, and manages to have its causality both ways.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Hardly out of the driveway before director Penny Marshall loses control.

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

They try to make Beverly adorable, and the movie comes off strained and dishonest as a result.

New Times (L.A.) Robert Wilonsky

An overlong compendium of Oprah moments meant to move and inspire, even if, by the end, it's too exhausted with itself to offer up a single authentic tear or revelation.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Emily H. gave it a9:
Boring at times but one of my favourite movies for it's acting. A great piece by Drew Barrymore and truly shows how she works in both a comedic and serious role.

Lino G. gave it a 9:
While the movie did seem too long, the performances are so touching and heartwarming that I found myself connected to these characters. The direction is probably the most flawed thing about the film but like I mentioned earlier, the performances are great.

Heather A. gave it a 10:
I loved this movie, I dont know how anyone could hate it.

Blanco A. gave it a 0:
Man, this movie is torture... Pathetic!

Richard gave it a 6:
Too long and one too many endings, with the one they chose as the actual ending being the weakest. But this story of life's derailments of ambitions will get to you, thanks mostly to the exemplary acting. Sometimes it seems as if Barrymore is channelling her director (they have the same kind of closed-mouth drawl), but she's affecting and sincere. Even better are Brittany Murphy and especially Steve Zahn, who brings wondrous and tragic colors to a stock role.

Courtney gave it a 9:
This movie had great acting. It was a mix of humour and seriousness. The story line was meaningful and had a great lesson to be learned.

Ashley S. gave it a 0:
This movie was pathetic and boring... The plot never goes anywhere, no climax, nothing.

Riding in Cars with Boys Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment

Riding in Cars with Boys
Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment