Riding in Cars with Boys

"I'm just another angry house wife, standing on her lawn and yelling at her husband! Oh yeah, that's me! "

Imagine being sixteen years old and knowing exactly what you want to do with your life, in this case attend college and become a writer, and in one moment have those dreams taken away. Thats what happened to Beverly D'Onofrio. In her thirties she wrote a book chronicling her life and the choices she made, which she titled "Riding in Cars with Boys", which is also the name of the film adaption.

At the age of 16 Bev (Barrymore) was a smart, poetic girl who wanted a relationship. After being humiliated at a party (she wrote a love poem to a handsome football star, the poem was then read in front of a large group of mocking boys), she meets Ray (Zahn) an older but incredibly messed up boy. He protects her honor by slugging the football player, and then escapes with Bev and their friends where they find they have a lot in common and are attracted to each other. Bev's father (James Woods) forbids her from seeing Ray, although she still does. She eventually finds out she's pregnant and Ray proposes: "Please marry me, Bev. Because I'm shit without you", and she responds with "Oh how romantic...a marriage proposal that contains the word shit". They marry and move into a house of their own. With the help of Bev's mom (Lorraine Bracco), they manage to survive together until the baby is born: his name is Jason. Bev's best friend Fay (Murphy) also finds herself pregant (she has a daughter) and they begin motherhood together. Bev unconsciously (and at times consciously) blames Jason for her losses in life: being married to Ray, not going to college, living in squalor, etc. These scenes are flashbacks as Jason (Garcia) drives Bev to get her book published. It is their journey to reconcilation.

The film has a lot of heart, the acting is well done and you understand the positions of all the characters (or atleast Bev and Jason). It's funny, honest, and heartwarming.

Watch it while doing homework: some scenes are spell-binding, but at other times you only need to half pay attention (the outcome is pretty predictable)

Rent it once: it's worth it once...although a second viewing may also help

Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) 132 minutes
Director: Penny Marshall
Starring: Drew Barrymore as Bev
Steve Zahn as Ray
Brittany Murphy as Fay
Adam Garcia as Jason

Million Dollar Baby

"There is magic in fighting battles beyond endurance"

I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this film...yes I know it sweeped the Oscars (it won Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture), but after watching "Mystic River" (also by Eastwood) I wasn't sure what to expect. I saw "Mystic River" in theaters, I didn't know anything about the film (or that I was going, until about 5 minutes before it started). Needless to say I was shocked and incredibly depressed when it was over. A friend had given me a basic plot summary of "Million Dollar Baby", including the ending, so I assumed it would follow the pattern of darkness found in "Mystic River"...thankfully I was wrong.

The story follows the intertwined lives of three boxers: Frankie (Eastwood) the trainer, Scrap (Freeman) former boxer who lost an eye and now cleans Frankie's gym, and Maggie (Swank) a 30ish bosing hopeful. Frankie is a unique character: he attends mass daily (much to the annoyance of the priest), he tells his fighters they aren't good enough (usually during a fight to make them mad enough to do something about it), but has heart. He is hurting, carrying a burden of regret and guilt which is slowly killing him. He is a no-nonsense guy, and he doesn't "train girls". Maggie left her home and everything she knows to live in squalor and work as a waitress to support her dream of becoming a boxer. She is willing to do anything. Through the intervention of Scrap (who gives Maggie training tips, and extra practice time), Frankie agrees to be Maggie's manager.

The characters have raw emotion (including the supporting cast of Maggie's family, and the other boxers in the gym) and the plot keeps you guessing. I've seen every film Clint Eastwood has been in (my grandfather's love his old westerns), but it was only after watching this film that I truly understood his appeal.

- : if you're going to watch this film you need to commit to your time and attention to it fully

Buy it without seeing it: this is a powerful film and while it may not be for everyone it is a film worth owning

Million Dollar Baby (2004) 132 minutes
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood as Frankie
Hillary Swank as Maggie
Morgan Freeman as Scrap