Review of Can't Hardly Wait (1998) by Alex R — 15 Jun 2012

Some have dismissed this movie as one that delivers teen appeal, but little for anyone else. This is an assessment I disagree with. I first saw this movie when I was 27 and now in my 30s I still enjoy it. Sure, it may be a "guilty pleasure" but it's an entertaining one that delivers a delightful concoction of comedy, drama and romance combined with a good score. In fact this movie manages to deliver some timeless themes, all packaged into 100 minutes of teen excess.

It's not hard to understand why someone would have a crush on Jennifer Love Hewitt, even before she started being a regular on the phenomenally popular television show PARTY OF FIVE she had legions of fans. By time this coming-of-age movie was released in 1998, she not only had tremendous face recognition from the small screen, but also on the big screen, having just starred as the lead in the teen shocker I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.

Of course there's also the fact that she was one of the most attractive of all the teen actresses at that time.

So, perhaps she was the perfect actress to play the part of the one girl in school that every man wants to be with, and the particular attention of a schoolboy crush in CAN'T HARDLY WAIT. Although she does not share as much screen time as lead Ethan Embry, her presence is felt nearly every scene in the movie.

So, what's the movie about? It's the end of school and there's a party in town to celebrate - and everyone's going to be there. Destined to leave for a workshop with his idol Kurt Vonnegut the next day, Preston Meyers (Embry) sees this as the last chance to let his dream girl Amanda Beckett (Hewitt) know how he feels. Rumors abound around the school that her jock boyfriend has broken up with her and he sees this as a chance to finally deliver a love letter he has been working on since he first saw her years earlier.

But fate works in mysterious ways.

A young Seth Green (he had yet to achieve fame on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) sees this party as an opportunity for quite another reason - namely to get laid and he and he has a whole bag of stuff with him to ensure that everything goes smoothly - which of course it doesn't.

Geek William Lichter (Charlie Korsmo) sees the party as an opportunity to wreak revenge on a class bully that has been torturing him for years and in fact it is Korsmo's character and Green's character that offer most of the comedic interludes. While Embry is waxing poetic about his four year obsession with Hewitt, Green is getting locked in a bathroom with a girl and Korsmo is learning a new side to the bully.

Yes, there are several subplots going on in this movie, but the humor is infectious and the characters are both well rounded and engaging.