Can't Hardly Wait (***1/2)
review by Jon Waterman

School just let out. Now it’s time to party. Practically the whole graduating class shows up at this one girls house for the best party they’ll see for three or four months (assuming the kids don’t skip college and enter the work force). Everyone is there. The loser kids, the stoners, the hippies, the jocks, the band members (but interestingly enough, no band geeks), the snobby intellectuals and the posers are all together at last. With all the different people to choose from, how could a cohesive movie come about?

Well, writer/directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan decided to split the film up between as many characters as possible. Typical High School kids aren’t interesting enough to fill a whole movie. “Can’t Hardly Wait” is full of typical High School kids: It plays off of the bland characterizations of people found in schools of that time. Thus, we are given several stories to follow.

The main plot involves Preston (Ethan Embry) and his vow to finally tell Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) how he loves her, despite the fact they’ve never talked to each other. Denise (Lauren Ambrose) struggles to find a purpose for following Preston to the party. Mike wants to start a new life or get back together with Amanda, whichever is more convenient for him. Kenny is looking to find a girl to help him lose his “V Card.” William is out for revenge on the bullies that caused him pain and humiliation for four years. Surrounding all of these subplots are quirky characters used for a quick gag or two or three.

With a huge cast full of young people, there’s a huge chance for failure. Of course there are exaggerated characters in there, but there would not be a joke without overplaying the stereotype. Elfont and Kaplan give an equal opportunity to each group to be made fun of. But the wide varieties of personality types represented here all have one thing in common: Character arc. Everyone experiences some type of change or growth. It’s not always positive, but it’s there.

Also with a huge cast full of young people, there’s a huge chance for up and comers to get exposure and for established young stars to make cameos. For instance, this movie boasts three future cast members for “Six Feet Under” with Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez (Mike’s Jock friend, T.J.) and Eric Balfour (Hippie Guy) as well as cameos from Jenna Elfman, Jerry O’Connell.

Since this is a party movie, the music is very important. The majority of American youth would enjoy this set list at their house party. It mixes a wide range of contemporary (at the time) and older, yet cool, music. Not only does it work well for background noise, but it also provides help towards the emotional tone of the scene. The score by David Kitay, however, does not have the same effect. Even though it’s somewhat of a wacky comedy, the music is too overdone at times. Comedic music works best when it’s subtle and serious.

Although the film has its out-there hijinx humor, what really keeps me entertained is the subtleness. There are jokes in the film that aren’t laugh-out-loud funny, but undoubtedly clever. “Can’t Hardly Wait” is a rare mix of humor and solid, yet still somewhat two-dimensional acting that surpasses most of the screwball comedies of the past decade.

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