Hey, I know that person…!
One thing which made Can’t Hardly Wait so iconic was the notable cast that appeared in this film. The teen comedy genre gets played and replayed with a new film for each new generation. The script was organic and not highly original, but the personalities each actor brought to this film made it come alive. The embodiment of the stereotypes you might remember from high school made Can’t Hardly Wait recognizable ten years ago, and gave me a sense of nostalgia ten years later. I remembered a different time in life, and while it was a fun place to visit for the approximately 100 minutes worth of run time, it also made me happy I don’t have to relive such awkward years of life.
This film centers on the stories of several high school graduates, the night of their graduation ceremony. With school now a close memory, we are treated to a night where five young people try and find closure to an old chapter of their lives while also launching a new chapter at the same time.
The main character is ayoung man named Preston Meyers. Preston is an optimistic and fairly naive hopeless romantic. After four years of watching the girl of his dreams date the high school jock, Preston finally gets the chance to give her a letter he wrote; expressing his true feelings. Preston hopes that with this act of endearment, he just might capture the heart of the girl who has made him swoon for so long.
Along with the awkward comedy surrounding Preston, we are treated to a star-studded cast, many of whom are still big names in Hollywood today. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays the apple of Preston’s eye Amanda Beckett. Support cast members include Lauren Ambrose (SixFeet Under), Seth Green (Family Guy), Donald Faison (Scrubs) and many, many more. More times than I could count I’d see one liners and background parts being played by actors who are big names today, on the cusp of their bigbreaks. The casting in this film was simply fantastic.
Not another teen movie
Lets face facts, teens and tweens have more readily expendable cash flow than any other age group. As long as this statistic is true, Hollywood is going to green light a lot of teen comedies. While some will be very tempted to lump this film into the genre and never give it a second look, I’ll politely disagree and say that this is actually worth a gander.
While this film is not epic, it’s also not half bad. If you’re not the sentimental type who can appreciate a few moments of nostalgia back to high school (like Melissa Joan Hart’s yearbook signature obsessed character in this film), then at least give this film credit for being witty without being too over the top for a teen movie. While I doubt Can’t Hardly Wait will make too many critics topten favorite films lists, it’s still a light hearted comedy that makes for a decent addition to your collection.
Ten Years of Features
Along with the standard commentary, we are treated to commentary with the cast and crew 10 years after the making of this film. This really does add to the reminiscent feel of this movie. Add in the original commentary, Deleted Scenes, A “Huntington Hills” high school reunion, “The Making of”, a 90s Trivia Game, Special K’s 411 track, and a music video from Smash Mouth (remember them?) and you get the total package. This is everything I could hope for (and some stuff I don’t even want.) For this release on Blu-Ray Disc, I feel like you get your money’s worth.
