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Parents' Guide to

Riding in Cars with Boys

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Not a great movie, although Drew Barrymore shines.

Movie PG-13 2001 132 minutes
Riding in Cars with Boys Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Sarah Grace
Sarah Grace Adult
November 7, 2010
age 12+

I described pretty much the whole plot in my review, but there's good info

Very educational movie. If you think about it, anyway. It's based on a true story. The main character girl makes mistake after mistake; she's clearly lost. She doesn't save herself for marriage, and she eventually gets pregnant (and thinks the baby is far worse than her fornication when the baby wasn't the problem at all). She debates with herself and her boyfriend on whether or not she should abort her child. Finally doing the right things, she keeps her baby and marries the father of her child. But, after a few years, she tells her husband to go away forever because of his addiction to drugs (instead of being patient with him, and really trying to help him). Later in her life, she becomes excessively controlling of her son; finally doing another right thing, she lets her son go to the college he wants to go to.This movie is a good depiction of what the state of fallen humanity is - lost. And we need help from Jesus. Although this movie really has nothing to do with God, it shows how life is for people when they have no guidance by not studying their Bibles, not listening to wisdom. (The only parts I would fast forward is a few lingering make-out scenes, and a brief parked-car-at-night-in-front-of-a-waterfall-at-a-park-looking-place. But these things are really only there to make the movie more realistic. There's nothing very explicit, though.)

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
June 26, 2012
age 13+

One of the best!

Absolutely wonderful movie! One of my favorites. Drew Barrymore is exceptional and plays Beverly's character perfectly. This is probably one of the best coming-of-age movies out there that you can actually learn from. Everyone makes mistakes but not everyone learns from them...Beverly *eventually* learned from hers. I felt sorry for her through most of it because she never actually got what she wanted out of life - she married a man she didn't love only because of their silly decision one summer that lead to a child they had together, she never got to go to university which she so badly wanted, she and her best friend Fay who also gets pregnant (remarkably played by the deceased Brittany Murphy) got separated and could no longer be the close friends they once were...and so much more, her life was literally depressing. She finally realizes that her son was the best thing that ever happened to her and was worth everything she went through, so she wrote a book about her life and that is how this film was born. Acting was incredibly realistic, Drew and Brittany were amazing together. Steve Zahn kept the laughs coming, he is so hilarious in this even when it may not be intended! There is a bit of teen violence. Drug use & references of using heroin by the husband and his friends (one scene of marijuana scattered on a kitchen table getting ready to be packed and sold) and also a few mentions of "weed". Some making out (one heavy scene with Fay and her boyfriend in a bathroom), two teen pregnancies. Overall, a must watch!!

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on a true story, RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS centers on Beverly Donofrio (Drew Barrymore), whose dreams of going to NYU and becoming a writer seemed impossible when she became pregnant at age 15. Beverly is the daughter of a policeman (James Woods) and a homemaker (Lorraine Bracco). When she gets pregnant by sweet but irresponsible drop-out Ray (Steve Zahn), her parents insisted that they get married. They spent the next seven years on welfare. As the movie begins, Beverly has written her life story. She and her son, now in college, have a wintery journey of reconciliation as they seek out Ray to get him to sign a release so that the book can be published. The story alternates between that snowy car ride and flashbacks to the past that led up to it.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Like the life of its subject matter, there is a lot that is wrong with this movie, but there is also something right enough for a bittersweet happy ending. This is not an upbeat story with a lot of cute sit-com-y moments. Bev is not a good mother. She is so angry at Ray, her son Jason, and her parents that her behavior is often selfish and bitter. If an actress less irresistible than Barrymore were in the role, we would stop caring whether she ever got to college.

The script makes some odd choices in showing us too many scenes of Bev's despair and nothing about what she did that finally pulled her life together. Jason's romantic involvement seems to tie up too many loose ends to be authentic. Director Penny Marshall bangs too hard on the cultural signifiers of each era Bev lives through, and the soundtrack's songs are pedestrian. But the movie gets four stars just for Barrymore's performance as she shows us Bev at 15, 20, and 35. Zahn, always a marvelous actor in comedy or drama, gives a performance of great generosity and heart. There are also great moments from Brittany Murphy, as Bev's friend Fay, and Woods as Bev's dad.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how families support members who have made bad choices and the importance of accepting responsibility for your mistakes. What did Bev's family do wrong? What did they do right? Why was she able to achieve her dream? What did Jason do to make her see things differently? What do you think about Ray's comment that the best thing he could do for Jason was to leave him?

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