Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)

Director:

Penny Marshall

Writers (WGA):

Beverly D'Onofrio (book)
Morgan Ward (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Based on a true story.

Plot:

A single mother, with dreams of becoming a writer, has a son at the age of 15 in 1965, and goes through a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father.

Plot Keywords:

Working Class | Marriage Problems | Affection | Humor | Reflection

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Drew Barrymore	...	Beverly Donofrio
Steve Zahn	...	Ray Hasek
Adam Garcia	...	Jason
Brittany Murphy	...	Fay Forrester
James Woods	...	Mr. Leonard Donofrio
Lorraine Bracco	...	Mrs. Teresa Donofrio
Rosie Perez	...	Shirley Perro
Sara Gilbert	...	Tina Barr
Peter Facinelli	...	Tommy Butcher
Mika Boorem	...	Beverly Donofrio - Age 11
Celine Marget	...	Janet Donofrio - Age 8
Vincent Pastore	...	Uncle Lou
Maryann Urbano	...	Aunt Ann
Alissa Dean	...	Townie Girl #1
Jessica Leshnower	...	Townie Girl #2

Also Known As:

Chicos de mi vida, Los (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Écarts de conduite (France) [fr]
Au volant avec les gars (Canada: French title) [fr]
Chicos de mi vida (Riding in cars with boys), Los (Argentina) [es]
Fiúk az életemböl (Hungary) [hu]
Garotos da Minha Vida, Os (Brazil) [pt]
Miehet elämässäni (Finland) [fi]
Pojkarna i mitt liv (Sweden) [sv]
Ragazzi della mia vita, I (Italy) [it]
Thank You, Boys (Japan: English title) [en]
Unterwegs mit Jungs (Germany) [de]
Uomini della mia vita, Gli (Italy) [it]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug and sexual content.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bloomfield, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Gracie Films

Trivia:

The wedding scene was shot over a two day period, which required Brittany Murphy to cry the entire time. The first take was the one used in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Fay and Bev change dresses in the car, the bodice of the dress that Fay is wearing is different from the bodice of the dress that Bev is wearing at the party.

Quotes:

Raymond Hasek: My dad always said my head was hard as a rock. He broke his hand on it twice.

Movie Connections:

References "Roseanne" (1988)

Soundtrack:

Back In My Arms Again

If you want the depressing truth, read the book - otherwise a GREAT movie!

While not belaboring this entire string of comments, I was glad that a couple of people have already mentioned about getting the truth from the book, as opposed to this movie.

The movie itself is excellent and will keep you glued to your seat. Drew Barrymore did a phenomenal job in her portrayal of Beverly Donofrio, as Beverly is depicted in the film meaning how the storyline was written - and it is definitely a story, but an enjoyable one nevertheless.

I could barely find any similarities however between what took place in the movie and what actually happened to Beverly in real life. Had they produced the movie as the book was written, it would have been a much more intense drama with tons of sex, drugs and rock and roll, literally. Beverly Donofrio as depicted in the movie is nothing short of a Miss Goody Two Shoes compared to how Beverly actually was. But had the producers gone this route, it would have been very depressing to see.