Drew Barrymore and Cody Arens in "Riding in Cars with Boys."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Drew Barrymore and Steve Zahn Director: Penny Marshall Rated: PG-13, with profanity and sexual issues Length: 122 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(October 19, 2001) -- "All life is is four or five big days that change everything," says Beverly Donofrio, the central figure in Riding in Cars with Boys.

The entertaining new comedy-drama from director Penny Marshall examines those days in absorbing detail.

The film is based on Donofrio's real-life 1990 memoir of her resilient life -- overcoming unsupportive parents, a teenage pregnancy and marriage, a ne'er-do-well husband and other obstacles while growing up in working-class Wallingford, Conn.

Drew Barrymore gives the film its vibrant heart, portraying Beverly over 20 years -- from 1965, when she became a child bride, to 1985, as she prepares to publish her book.

Barrymore delivers on the promise of her earlier work with a performance that's honest, affecting, funny and touching. She just might be the woman to beat for an Oscar this year.

Steve Zahn is also superb, playing Ray Hasek, the sweet, tough, none-too-bright high school dropout who rescues an embarrassed Beverly at a high school party, then impregnates and weds her in relatively short order.

He soon becomes the albatross around Beverly's dreams for herself and her son, especially when he reveals a serious, demoralizing drug habit.

Zahn is a proven comedic actor who adds a more realistic edge to his repertoire here.

Marshall directs with restraint and maturity, never allowing the humor to slide into slapstick or the sentiment to turn to sap. And she gets first-rate performances from her large, capable cast, including several youngsters playing Ray and his childhood friend, Amelia, at several ages.

Marshall adopts a gritty, overcast look for the film, reflecting the working-class nature of its central characters and their public-assistance neighborhood.

Morgan Upton Ward's script tells its story through flashbacks, from the opening in which the 35-year-old Beverly is depicted on an important car trip with her 20-year-old son, Jason (Adam Garcia). Their alternating memories take us back to the '60s and '70s for Beverly's story.

And, in case you're wondering about that title: The key events in Beverly's life seem to always happen when she's in a car -- trying to have a conversation with her well-intentioned but insensitive father (beautifully played by James Woods); with her fumbling newfound lover, Ray; and later with her son, Jason, at various stages of his young life.

They all contribute to making Beverly Donofrio a complex, flawed but fascinating woman, brought memorably to life by Barrymore.