Gay-Ireland.com rating : 5 out of 10

Well with a name of 'Riding in cars with boys' how could we not go and see this film. A sorta "been there done that kind of thing" except this film was about the true story of Beverly D'Onofrio played by Drew Barrymore who has a lot of film credits to her name ranging from ET to Charlie's Angels. Personally I think she is a very attractive actress, though not in the Meryl Streep bracket!

The film is about a 1960's -1985 modern day John Boy Walton story. A wanna be writer who will do anything to get in to college and have her work published, only there is a slight problem of a 'ride' she took in a car when she was 15 years old. Teenage pregnancy was not a new thing in mid 60's America but it did cause ructions amongst her straight upright family whose father happened to be the local police chief. Almost unheard of was her desire not to get married to the weed like Ray Haseck (Steve Zahn). Needless to say they were forced to marry. 

I am not a particular fan of this 1960's period of American culture - that of the drive in, skimpy skirts, college jocks or open top 'cruisemobiles' and for that reason I was bored silly for the first 20 minutes. Its quite a long film at 135 mins in total and could well have been cut. The film time hops back and forth and whilst the early transitions of the high school students come off well, Barrymore fails in the end where she expects the audience to believe she is the mother of Jason D'Onofrio (Garcia) in appearance.

Ok, so we have the would be writer married to Ray (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Bono of U2), and her best school friend (Fay), who is also pregnant. We have the usual comparisons of mothers to be, with an odd humours moment, but mostly predictable stuff. Boy hubby Ray is tending to go off the rails a bit - missing appointments, post work drinks etc. the almost lesbian like friendship between the two mothers grows stronger especially after each gives birth.... Amelia and Jason, awe shucks!!!!
Fay's marriage takes a bit of a nose dive and heads for divorce while Barrymore gets more and more frustrated at the lack of success in attaining a college place. Ray by this stage appears to be more and more distant and eventually confides in Beverly's father that he is a confirmed Heroin addict and admittedly beyond redemption. Realistic scenes of Ray going through cold turkey and the hopelessness of Beverly's position - trapped with an ever growing child and ever more desperate for money, now that she knows her addict husband has taken the savings to feed his habit. Ray gets shown the door. Some excellent acting by Barrymore at this point and she carries it off and some nice stuff by her son as well.

Desperate for money she turns her hand to illegal narcotics - gets busted by her father - her son ironically 'Grassing' (sic) on her plans. Well she double jobs her way to college and we arrive at the start of the film - Mother and son heading to his fathers trailer park in the wilds in snow cover Indiana. Wont spoil the ending for you but can the mother and son bond be broken.
Night JohnBoy, night Mary Ellen... night Paw!!

Reviewed by Tomer Avshalom