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Riding in Cars With Boys

Play trailer Poster for Riding in Cars With Boys PG-13 2001 2h 12m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
48% Tomatometer 107 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
The fresh, funny, touching and true story of writer Beverly Donofrio (played by Drew Barrymore, who ages from 15 to 35 in the role), reveals her coming of age in the late 1960s and her whole life colored by an event that happened when she was 15. The events span more than two decades, as the young heroine experiences often-humorous, sometimes-irreverent, but certainly a unique personal journey to make something meaningful of her life.
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Riding in Cars With Boys

Riding in Cars With Boys

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Critics Consensus

Riding in Cars With Boys suffers from mixing grit and pathos with cuteness and comedy. Ironically, many critics found Zahn's character more compelling and three-dimensional than Barrymore's.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/28/2010
3/5
Not a great movie, although Drew Barrymore shines. Go to Full Review Peter Rainer New York Magazine/Vulture 01/22/2002
Beverly is supposed to be a bad girl running with the wrong crowd, but most of the time she seems to be right out of a serioso episode of Laverne & Shirley. Go to Full Review Neil Smith BBC.com 12/10/2001
3/5
The film belongs to Zahn, who turns his two-dimensional slacker character into a truly heartbreaking portrait of disillusion and guilt. Go to Full Review Kit Bowen Hollywood.com 11/20/2008
2/5
Bob Grimm Sacramento News & Review 08/07/2008
3/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 04/24/2007
C-
Columbia's marketing exploits the commercial title and producer James Brooks pedigree, but this humorless chick flick is one of Penny Marshall's worst films. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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pappawatchesbaby T @pappawatchesbaby Dec 23 Thank god Morgan Ward quit the business. What a donkey! See more Tim M @tgmacman 09/05/2025 Drew Barrymore gives it her all, but Riding in Cars with Boys doesn't have the aptitude to support its weighty themes. See more Joyful Jadyn T @joyfuljj 07/24/2025 One of the most moving and beautiful films I have ever seen. After I watched it, I couldn’t stop thinking about what would have happened if the characters lives went a different direction. I can’t believe the ratings for this film are so low — it was amazing. Beautiful movie See more Andrew B @RT56354645 06/19/2025 Brittany Murphy brought the only joy to this movie, shining among an interesting but ultimately unlikeable cast of characters. While the film effectively portrayed the pain of regret, it dwelled too heavily on this theme. It was fascinating to see Drew Barrymore, typically known for her bright roles, take on such dark material. Though the opening scene was compelling, the movie failed to give its characters any meaningful development, leaving them stuck in a plateau of misery. See more thiago s @Thiagostone 06/03/2025 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. See more Stern G @RT02952475 04/07/2025 I adore this movie. I welcome the comedy with the pain of life’s circumstances. After all… it’s how we get through. See more Read all reviews
Riding in Cars With Boys

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Cast & Crew

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Penny Marshall

Director

Drew Barrymore

Beverly Donofrio

Steve Zahn

Ray Hasek

Brittany Murphy

Fay Forrester

Adam Garcia

Jason (Age 20)

Lorraine Bracco

Mrs. Donofrio

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Riding in Cars With Boys

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Movie Info

Synopsis The fresh, funny, touching and true story of writer Beverly Donofrio (played by Drew Barrymore, who ages from 15 to 35 in the role), reveals her coming of age in the late 1960s and her whole life colored by an event that happened when she was 15. The events span more than two decades, as the young heroine experiences often-humorous, sometimes-irreverent, but certainly a unique personal journey to make something meaningful of her life.
Director
Penny Marshall
Producer
James L. Brooks, Laurence Mark, Richard Sakai, Julie Ansell, Sara Colleton
Screenwriter
Beverly D'Onofrio, Morgan Ward
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Flower Films, Parkway Productions, Gracie Films
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Content|Drug Content|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 19, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 25, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$29.8M
Runtime
2h 12m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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