Hey folks, Harry here... First to answer Viacom Girl's first question, yes there would be book signings and a book tour, and I presume that's how to get an autographed copy, or come to any of the various events that I attend and appear at throughout the year. Meanwhile, onto the Penny Marshall flick.... We've heard good things about this film, that this is a good coming of age flick... And that's fairly rare these days...
Hey there, Harry! I've already ordered your book from Amazon. Will you be doing book signings? Will there be a way to eventually get autographed copies?
Anyhow, on to more pressing business:
I went to a preview the other night at the Mann Marketplace theater out here in Thousand Oaks, California. The movie being shown was "Riding In Cars With Boys" directed by Penny Marshall and starring Drew Barrymore.
This movie was right up my alley, being a "chick flick," but it's a lot darker than what I expected which is why I think guys will like it too. A lot. It also features a truly great performance from Steve Zahn as Ray.
Drew B. plays Beverly, a fifteen year old with a promising future that's destroyed when she gets pregnant over the summer by a well meaning loser (Zahn). Her promising life, that's been perfectly laid out by her parents (James Woods & Lorraine Bracco) spirals out of control as she attempts to still make something of herself.
This is not a predictable film by any means, and doesn't follow a formula. I suppose it shouldn't a surprise that James L. Brooks is involved, as it alternates between high comedy and some pretty intense drama in a "Terms of Endearment" or "As Good As It Gets" style. Still, it seemed better directed than those other films, without falling into some of the cutesy sitcom contrivances of the latter.
The ending of this film was totally unexpected. It was clear the audience liked it, and people were really rooting for Drew Barrymore's character.
The version shown clearly wasn't finished yet. It had temp music and I hope to hell they don't keep the songs they used throughout which were so "on the nose" it was almost laughable.
The film spans many eras, from the sixties to seventies to eighties, so they were using period stuff but it was obvious and cheap. (When I heard the lyrics "I am a rock" and others over montages, I felt I was supposed to laugh and don't think I was.)
Also, another complaint was the clunky narration that was delivered by one of the supporting characters when Drew, who is playing a writer, should have been the one performing doing storytelling. I hope this is temp stuff.
I saw the trailer for "Riding In Cars With Boys" before "America's Sweethearts" and there were many things in the preview I didn't see in this version last night. The trailer itself is very funny, funnier than the mediocre "Sweethearts," but the actual movie is richer and deeper than that.
It's a surprising movie and is Penny Marshall's best effort since "Big."
Incidentally, when the preview was over I saw Penny Marshall at back of the theater huddled with what looked like studio execs.
Then, in the lobby there was this weird looking guy with a baseball cap wandering around, seeming like he was lost, and it turned out to be James L. Brooks. In person, he looks like a character from "The Simpsons."
"Riding In Cars With Boys" proves to me, in a year filled with junk like "The Mummy Returns" and "Rat Race," that there's still some hope for commercial studio filmmaking.
VIACOM GIRL
