I really really wanted to see this movie because it had Devon Sawa in it. He was the worst part of the movie. It was the four main characters and their chemistry that made this movie fun.
amazing cast! this is an adorable coming of age movie & the sweet innocence of the young girls is brilliant. christina ricci & thora birch are phenomenal, along with rosie o'donnel & the other grown-up versions.
First off what the hell?.. you cannot have Christina Ricci becoming Rosie O'Donnell, the woman is an idiot (O'Donnell) and it's a travesty to try and convince people that we live in a world were a nice young girl can turn into that evil bitch of a women, i mean what are young little girls who watch the film gonna think? they are going to run out of the room screaming at the start when the credits show the lead character is played by a top actress and then 'her'. Apart from this the movie was great, the girly 'Stand by me' some terrific acting by the young girls and a good story too about the four girls trying to find out what happened to a dead boy who's spirit has come to haunt them.
Me and my friend in grade school watched this movie in their house. It was in VHS tape then. It's a nice movie about a memorable childhood. Summer vacations, friends, secrets, promises, fun, adventure, etc.
Is it a good film? Well, no. Anyone who compares it to Stand By Me is committing sin, for it has not the depth, plot, soundtrack or script to even set itself in the same league as Stand By Me. The 'now' part is horrifically soppy and boring, and altogether pointless. Why so many stars then? It just has so many little elements that collectively earn it a good rating, the first of which is little Christina Ricci, who perfectly portrays the kickass character of Roberta and ultimately steals the film with her wonderfulness. Thora Birch also gives an excellent performance as another decent character. The other two girls suck, but Samantha's poncho is a winner! There are a few cute scenes in the cemetery, and special moments like when Ricci beats the shit out of some taunting sexist asshole, who really has it coming. Not a good film, but I guess I just had to like it...
'Now and Then' has been hailed as a 'Stand By Me' for girls, but unfortunately the film is not anywhere near the calibre or distinction of that picture. It is a coming-of-age story with most of the film being a single flashback to the summer of 1970, where we follow the lives and laughs, as well as sorrows, of four teenage friends. What the film does, however, is bookend this flashback with the characters in present tense, all grown up and where one is expecting their first-born. This is my first complaint - these modern scenes are so inescapably dull we are left with a sour opening, and a bad aftertaste. Then the majority of the girls' summer is in fact spent uncovering the mysterious death of a boy 40 years earlier. Why? It's never properly explained. We are just forced to accept such a boring subplot, not to mention countless other convoluted scenes where characters find themselves in turmoil or distress, none of which are convincing enough to satisfy or entertain. The script's weaknesses are so obvious, but also so easily rectifiable -yet the director seems to prefer the fuzzy, insufferable style of so many coming-of-age films. Christina Ricci and Thora Birch are among the standouts of the teenage cast, who are surprisingly more convincing and effective than their older counterparts - some of the casting of which is too, questionable; I had trouble believing that a young, slim Ricci grew outwards into the significantly different Rosie O'Donnell. Still, there is occasionally a surprising jolt of humour in the script, or a genuinely touching moment, but they are few and far between. The film wants to be nice, but sadly nice only means conventional, predictable and lacking in originality.
LOVED IT!!!!!! THIS IS SUCH A GOOD MOVIE THE MORAL OF THIS STORY I THINK IS THAT TIME GOES BY WAY TOO FAST FOR YOU TO WASTE IT!!!!! SO SPEND WHAT TIME YOU HAVE WISELY!!!!!!!!!!!
This film is fab. It's a girl version of Stand by Me. Remember watching it at a girly sleep over and loving it and as an adult I still think it's great. Christina Ricci is great in this, she's great as ever.
I absolutely loved this film as a child, watching it over and over with my girlfriends. Now an adult, I don't enjoy it anymore. I would therefore only recommend this film to young girls who are likely to identify with the preteen leads (I was Roberta lol), the fun they have and the lessons they learn.
This movie is so touching and i love how believable it is that the little girls in the pic could have really grown up into the adult actresses in the movie!! Well done acting!!
"Now and Then" is a misguided tale that beautifully captures the many painful and joyful ups and downs of four best friends growing up in the 1970's. Best compared to "Stand By Me" and "Man in the Moon," this tender movie gently touches base with the delicate time period when young girls experience the confusions and emotions that are present in the process of puberty. Beyond its treatment of family dynamics, the plot entertains through adventure; that adventure underscores the loss of freedom in American childhood to do dangerous things typical in a Baby-Boomer childhood that we dared not tell our parents. The cast was solid, although the youth-to-adult match-ups bothered me. I recommend it completely.
MCT:June 19, 2008
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