Big Party

Yeah, yeah. It is the girl, it is the boy, it is the crazy one, it is the geek, it is the popular one, it is the party. I know all those things that most of the time come along in the package of a teen movie. But this film is really one good piece. I can't say great, but I can't also say bad.

Here, unlike many teen comedies, we get to meet the characters. To know details and things about them, because they aren't comic creatures. They aren't one dimensional, you know? It always happen that some characters just got to be there, and don't have much development, but some others do. And it's not easy to create much development for one night only, because there is only a party.

This guy, Preston. He is totally mad for this girl, so that he thinks they are meant to be. And maybe they really are. And this girl, is so trapped in her world (no matter what that world is), that she's not looking anywhere else. And if she looks, it might be too late. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ethan Embry are more than alright for this characters. She (Hewitt)is gorgeous, and she doesn't need a lot of effort to play Amanda's part. It's just the part of a gorgeous girl. He (Embry) is impressive. In his eyes you can see that he has been left aside, most of the time. Embry gives some kind of depth to his characters, even if he doesn't have to. I liked him in "White Squall" and I understand him here.

The rational character is Denise. She doesn't want anything to happen but she hasn't even tried. Ambrose gives simply the best performance of the movie. And Seth Green made me laugh. His character, Kenny, wants anything to happen, but he has looked to much, and needs to stop a little bit. As for William, well, he is that neutral character, he needs some new things in his routine. His life has been the same for too long. Many things could happen in this party.

All the rest of the cast is in and out, going and leaving, talking, remembering. High School is ending, it must be enjoyed, I think.

Last, but not least: there's fate...

After a while, it's hard to remember back to that immortality of youth that this movie captures in a very clever way. The number of now famous actors and actresses who pop up in this epic is amazing. The characters are well polished: The jerks are jerkier, the nerds are nerdier, the jocks are even more jocked up, and as a boy who remembers what it was like to love the most popular girl from afar, the pain you suffered with that love was of a white hot intensity that the hero of this movie could not let go, much to his betterment, and to my loss (I didn't go, and she never knew).

Brilliant.

This movie was great. It's not blockbuster, but it wasn't made to be. It was something geared towards teenagers, so older folks beware. I would not go see it if you're out of your twenties. It was funny, it was sweet and that's about it. The two best performances were given by Ethan Embry and Seth Green. Ethan was male lead, Preston who convincingly yearned for Jennifer Love Hewitt's character, Amanda. Ethan pulled his role off wonderfully. The second awesome performance was given by Seth Green who was the local gangsta-wannabe Kenny. This one had me rolling on the floor laughing because sadly, most of the guys i know are just like him. So, if you just want something to entertain, make you laugh, and not think to hard, I'd go see this movie.

In the wake of the John Hughes teen-flick boom of the '80s, the '90s was well-stocked with a plethora of coming-of-age films aimed at teenagers. Some were better ("Dazed & Confused") than others ("Empire Records"), but regardless of where you stood on the social ladder, there was most assuredly a film tailor-made just for you. For every "She's All That," there was a "The Craft." Perhaps no film so perfectly encapsulated the late '90s vibe better than "Can't Hardly Wait," a film named after a Replacements song jam packed with music from the likes of Eve 6 and Blink-182. Arriving just one year before "American Pie" would close the decade with a definitive thrust, "Can't Hardly Wait" didn't exactly make a big splash upon release, but has proved to be one of the most re-watchable of its time and of its kind.

It's the last day of high school at Huntington Hillside and the class of '98 packs into the house of one of its more unfortunate classmates for one last hoorah. A virtual melting pot of geeks, stoners, jocks, morons and miscreants, this is a party for just about everyone. Most prominent is our lead character, Preston (played by Ethan Embry, recalling a time when the actor was known as more than "that creepy guy" from any number of horror/thrillers), who is taking advantage of the occasion to finally tell the girl of his dreams, Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt, recalling a time when the actress was the "it" girl), just how much he admires her. He's been silently stalking her through the halls, writing a long-winded love letter that he plans on giving to her tonight (because that's not creepy or anything). On the other side of the party, disgruntled nerd William Lichter (Charlie Korsmo) seeks revenge against his tormentor, the insufferable jock Mike Dexter (Peter Facinelli), who -- depending on who you ask -- is either a god, a role model or an a-hole.

The guest list is jam-packed with a slew of actors who were either in every other film of its era or who would go on to do bigger gigs. From Seth Green's wannabe poser, to the criminally underrated Lauren Ambrose (who turns into Green's unlikely love interest), you can't throw a cat in this film without hitting a "Hey, I know that guy/girl!" Jason Segal, Selma Blair, Jerry O'Connell, Breckin Meyer, Clea DuVall, Freddy Rodriguez, Donald Faison, Jaime Pressly and Jenna Elfman, playing an angelic stripper. This film is stacked with young talent. Thankfully, none of this ever feels cluttered or disjointed. Directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont duck in and out of different social circles with ease, delivering a memorable moment just about every other minute. The film is high-energy and the cast is more than up to the task of making the sum greater than its parts. Though Green and Ambrose nearly hijack the narrative with their natural chemistry, the film truly belongs to the entire cast.

More than just a time capsule, "Can't Hardly Wait" is a great example of a teen flick done just right. The audience is never insulted, though there is admittedly more than enough sentiment on hand. Unlike the aforementioned "American Pie," the film never goes for gross and never cheapens its characters. These feel like real people having a real experience. Though it didn't have as big an impact as it should've, chances are, if you came of age during the late '90s and saw this film, it's an undeniable part of your DNA at this point. Insanely re-watchable, even those of us in our '30s and even '40s (!) will find it worth revisiting from time to time, unlike our actual high school experiences.

What a sweet movie this is! Predictable all the way, but saved by it's extremely likeable cast: Ethan Embry, as the daydreamer nice guy, Seth Green, showing off is talent in his part as a wigger and the photogenic Jennifer Love Hewitt, who has the part of "perfect girl" down to perfection. (Is there any other way to describe it? She really is that good at it.)

Like most good films in its genre Can't Hardly Wait has many witty moments, pace and charm. The parallels with Fast Times At Ridgemont High are obvious.

Seth Green as a white boy who really would rather have been a black boy is a very funny and to the point social comment. It's a shame, however, that the film can't break loose from the stereotypes that resurface in every teen comedy. There's the blonde bimbos who just look pretty and are armpieces to the jocks. There's the jocks who drink beer and pick on the nerds. There's the nerds who have big glasses and re-enact scenes from Star Wars and the likes. Why don't producers seem able to break away from those stereotypes? The moments where these characters are brought into play, the boring slapstick they engage in... Those are the moments where the film loses it's pace and that's why these films only brush upon interesting subject matter. This is also the reason why new generations won't be bored to watch until the end of this film in twenty years time. I know I changed the channel 30 minutes into Fast Times...

Without the everlasting stereotypes and standard storylines (nice boy wants girl... nerd gets cheerleader for one night or forever more) this kind of film might actually distinguish itself. As long as that doesn't change the rating of this film is likely to remain stuck at 6.3, at which it is stuck right now. That's where the genre deserves to be as it is. I rate this film slightly higher at 7.