Agora e Sempre

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.

In this coming-of-age story set in both the 1970s and 1990s, the younger cast is brilliant and natural, particularly Christina Ricci and Gaby Hoffmann. The script soars with female teenage humor, friendship, and pre-puberty naivete -- a sprightly soundtrack of 70s tunes takes older viewers down memory lane. But then, just when the story about four best friends during summer vacation in a new housing development is clipping along at a compelling pace, SLAM! The film jumps forward 20 years and the girls are grown-ups. And at these points, the movie groans along like a garbage disposal with too many potato peels crammed in it.

Remarkably, the dismal acting of these veteran actresses isn't as bad as the lack-luster script during these "flash-fronts". Were there separate writers for this film? I usually adore Rosie O'Donnell, but casting her as the grown Roberta was a horrible choice. Demi Moore's character is now self-absorbed and self-pitying, and Melanie Griffin (super-famous actress) and Rita Wilson (pregnant homemaker) are insipid caricatures. None of these women are one-quarter as interesting or delightful as they were when they were adolescents, particularly Roberta (Ricci/O'Donnell). The film's flipping back and forth between the decades becomes quickly annoying.

Suggestion: Rent the video, and fast-forward through the adult stuff. Fast-forwarding the tape won't rob anyone of the film's message (something like "friendship is forever," or "don't go into cemeteries at night"), and it'll save you about 30 minutes of fidgeting, waiting for the film to turn back to the four girls. At least they have fun. And the treehouse they save up to buy is every girl's idea of truly cool!

This is a cult classic girl movie and i still watch it today. Although I did not enjoy the 'Now' version of the film, where the four girls are grown up and re-uniting, mostly because i feel the characters dont really like eachother anymore, i loved watching the 'then' part with the four girls growing up in 1970's USA. The excellent soundtrack just adds to the uplifting feeling of this film. Watch as we follow Christina Richie and friends growing up through fun times (Devon Sawa getting his clothes stolen) and bad times (Richie finding out how her mum died). Look for an early performance from Brendan Frasier as a soldier back from war, and Thora Birch before she got all serious! Excellent film.

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. :)

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.