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CAN'T HARDLY WAIT
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Seth
Green
Directors: Deborah Kaplan &
Harry Elfont
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby
Surround
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic
Transfer, Standard 1.33:1
Studio: Columbia Tri Star
Features: See Review
Length: 101 Minutes
Release Date: November 17, 1998
Film ***
Can't Hardly Wait is a teen comedy that pays much homage to those that came before, like Sixteen Candles or Dazed and Confused. A lot of films in that genre are hit or miss. This is a hit.
First off, there is a great ensemble cast at work here—no weak links—and the most famous, Jennifer Love Hewitt, is no more visible than any other star. The script is mostly good and often downright hilarious. You will laugh out loud on more than one occasion. The direction is top notch, creating a somewhat chaotic but technically controlled environment for the kids to interact and "randomly" bounce off one another. The story mostly takes place at the last party of the year for a group of high school seniors…hardly uncultivated ground, but the directors use the setting and the multiple stories as a means for creating and maintaining a good comic energy level. For some, it’s just one last chance to cut loose, but for others, everything hangs in the balance. It’s the kind of night when the meaning to a particular Barry Manilow song can greatly influence the outcome of the evening.
At the heart of the story is the lovestruck teenage boy,
and Ethan Embry makes a good protagonist. There’s
something about his enthusiasm, and his unfortunate tendency to hesitate when he
should be acting that’s very likable. The
plot is nothing we haven't seen before: nice, quiet kid loves lonely, popular
beauty, and this party is his last chance to tell her.
Will he do it? Will they end
up together? Before the night is
over, will they have just missed each other several times?
(Naturally).
But what is less than enthralling plot-wise is more than
made up for by the strength of the acting and the hysterical writing.
My favorite is the band at the party, who never gets to play a single
note because the members can't stop arguing with each other!
Other cast members also deserve notice…Seth Green gives
one of his funniest performances as Kenny, the hip-hop white kid determined to
lose his virginity at the party, and Lauren Ambrose as the no-nonsense girl who
ends up sharing most of the evening with him, because…well, you’ll see.
And Jenna Elfman also turns up briefly, personifying the
film’s lone voice of adult wisdom and reason.
It’s a little bit ironic that she’s a prostitute dressed in an
angel’s costume.
Video
***1/2
Audio ***
This is a good 5.1 soundtrack, though maybe not quite as lively as I would have hoped for the big party scenes. Dialogue is clear throughout, and the .1 channel gets a little kick from the great music, which also gives the picture its sense of dynamic range. There are moments of ambient effects emanating from the rear stage, but like I said, just not as much discreet use as I would have liked to have seen.
Features ***
The disc contains a commentary track with writers/directors
Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, along with some cast members, a trailer, a
photo gallery, and Smash Mouth’s video for “Can’t Get Enough of You
Baby”. The commentary is quite
interesting. If you laughed at this version of the movie, wait until you hear about the one that almost
got made!
Summary: