Now and Then

Four 12-year-old girls grow up together during an eventful small-town summer in 1970.

Director: Lesli Linka Glatter Writer: I. Marlene King Stars: Christina Ricci, Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell

I think this film goes back to an innocent age when kids could go out all day and return home for dinner. Its a lovely reminder of what life used to be like. Before all the gadgets and must haves, when kids played together.

Samantha (Demi Moore) is called home to Shelby, Indianna for her childhood friend Chrissy (Rita Wilson)'s coming childbirth. She recalls her childhood in the summer of 1970 in the new subdivision Gaslight Addition. The four friends Roberta (Christina Ricci), Teeny (Thora Birch), Samantha (Gaby Hoffmann), and Chrissy (Ashleigh Aston Moore) try to earn enough money for a tree house. One night, they play séance at Dear Johnny's grave at the cemetery and lightning strikes. They go off to discover the story behind Dear Johnny while Wormer brothers continue to hound them.

There is a definite 'Stand By Me' feel to it. It's the female equivalent. The obvious question is if the adult version is compelling enough and do the two versions fit together. I can certainly do without the adult version. Rosie O'Donnell doesn't really fit as an adult Christina Ricci. It would have been much better to limit the adult storyline like 'Stand By Me'. Although, it's only about 20 minutes of screen time at the start and the end of the movie.

My daughters (ages 10 and 12) and I love this film, we cherish this film. We laughed, giggled, cried, hugged, and bonded. I highly advise this film to all mothers and daughters. Some warnings. There is a brief scene where some skinning dipping boys are chasing the girls who have stolen their clothes. It begins with a very quick shot of an older boy's penis as he flips into a pond (I didn't see at first, but my daughters did after repeated viewings and use of the pause button), followed by a discussion of male erections by the four girls. The scene is so well written and handled that parents could actually use it to break the ice in the discussion of sex with their children. I did. The girls then proceed to steal the boy's clothes and are chased on their bicycles by the four boys who are seen nude from the rear. This scene is played so innocently and cute that a parent need not worry about it, though I have noticed my girls rewinding that scene. A parent should not worry about their children viewing this film, however, the parent should watch it with their children.

This was a great family flick. It was funny and charming. I watched this film with my girlfriend, when she picked it out at Blockbuster I cringed at the fact of having to watch it, but you know, I admit, I enjoyed this film a lot more than I though I was going to. It was cute, the plot was good, it actually kind of reminded me of another fantastic film called "Stand By Me", but in a girl's perspective of course. If you have young children, heck, if you don't have young children, give this one a shot. This is a film I think any Female would probably enjoy. If your a dude, put away all your manly inhibitions for about an hour and a half, don't expect too much going into the film, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Now and Then is a good film that has a likeable cast and is funny and expresses friendship. Yes, it is definetley a girl's movie, but even though, I enjoyed it. The movie is like Stand By Me, except it shows girls's perspectives. The film is a good and fun movie to watch for fun. I give Now and Then a 9 out of 10. :)