Can't Hardly Wait
First screened and reviewed in August 2024
Directors: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan. Cast: Ethan Embry, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lauren Ambrose, Jamie Kennedy, Charlie Korsmo, Peter Facinelli, Michelle Brookhurst, Freddy Rodriguez, Channon Roe, Sean Patrick Thomas, Erik Palladino, Melissa Joan Hart, Joel Michaely, Jay Paulson, Jamie Pressly, Tamala Jones, Jennifer Lyons, Jenna Elfman, Jerry O'Connell, Breckin Meyer, Donald Faison, Victor Togunde, Alexander Martin, Nicole Bilderback, Vicellous Shannon, Chris Owen, Brian Klugman, Jason Segel, Jennifer Elise Cox, Amber Benson, Selma Blair, Jennifer Paz, Sara Rue, Eric Balfour, Ali Maclean. Screenplay: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan.VOR:①
Aiming high is not a prerequisite for success in this genre, but aside from sheer sprawl, it's hard to award any originality points.
I was just aiming to purge some residual adrenalin from Strange Darling, and in no time at all, this movie needle-dropped "Love Hurts" and shone a nostalgic spotlight on Scott Baio. This is officially a haunting.
Also, Can't Hardly Wait is kind of dire, even for its genre? I do think Charlie Korsmo had as good a time as he gave; Michelle Brookhurst has funny last-nerve energy as "Girl Whose Party It Is"; Lauren Ambrose never condescends to a role or a job even when they're beneath her; Peter Facinelli gives a good, unexpectedly sweet line reading to an important "I'm sorry"; and Ethan Embry's wide open puppy face and happy eyes compensate for nobody having written him much of a character in the central role. Jennifer Love Hewitt, the poor thing, furnishes no such compensation for an even sketchier central role, but there's truly no point in me hanging around after running out of nice things to say. Grade:D
