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Riding in Cars with Boys
EMAILPRINTColumbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Entertainment

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 31 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Beverly D'Onofrio (book)
Morgan Ward
Directed by: Penny Marshall
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 19, 2001
DVD: March 19, 2002
Running Time: 132 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
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)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Awakenings Big Renaissance Man
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Schickel
It is somewhat repetitive, but it is also wonderfully acted, especially by Barrymore.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
It's just another case of mourning over what might have been.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
When Barrymore finally gets mean, the movie finally gets good. Then comes another sing-along, dammit.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Michael Dequina
Whatever distinguished "Riding in Cars with Boys" the book certainly doesn't show up in the movie.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Needs someone to roll down a window and let in some fresh air.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan
It's Zahn who truly conveys what Marshall and Barrymore are going for -- laughing through your tears.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Variety Robert Koehler
The result under Penny Marshall's direction is a film with genuinely serious intentions that falls considerably short of its intentions.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Jessica Winter
Mistakes self-pitying embitterment for carry-on endurance, and manages to have its causality both ways.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Rita Kempley
Hardly out of the driveway before director Penny Marshall loses control.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann
They try to make Beverly adorable, and the movie comes off strained and dishonest as a result.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
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.
