June 1999

Can't Hardly Wait
Reviewed by Ian White
DVD Format

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Picture Quality:
Sound Quality:
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Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Seth Green

Directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont

Theatrical Release: 1998
DVD Release: 1999
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen/Full Screen

In the spirit of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Heathers, 1998 saw the release of one of the smartest teen films in years. Teen films in the late ‘80s and throughout the ‘90s, with the exception of Clueless, have portrayed a far uglier and more realistic picture of adolescence (Kids, River’s Edge, Welcome to the Doll House), but Can’t Hardly Wait takes more of a John Hughes approach to surviving high school in the decade of Beavis and Butthead, Puff Daddy, and Green Day, and succeeds on numerous fronts. Written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont (A Very Brady Sequel), Can’t Hardly Wait deals with the last night of high school for the eclectic and extremely diverse group of students of Huntington Hills High.

The plot centers around Dartmouth-bound Preston Meyers (played by Ethan Embry, Empire Records), who has spent all of high school obsessed with Huntington’s prom queen, Amanda Beckett (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) and who has only one night left to get her to fall in love with him (only in the movies, folks!). When Meyers discovers that Beckett has broken up with head jock and geek torturer Mike Dexter (Peter Facinelli, Texas Pop.81), he decides to take fate into his hands and give her a love letter that he has been constantly revising throughout high school. Time seems to have run out for the daunting Meyers, but as luck would have it, somebody is having a party.

One of the reasons why Can’t Hardly Wait succeeds, is because of the numerous, well-written sub-plots that are actually carried out with some terrific acting and smart conclusions.

Sub-plot #1: Meyers’ best friend and Huntington Hills High anti-social queen Denise Flemming (Lauren Ambrose, In & Out) is forced to finally confront him and his Barry Manilow-inspired behavior. To add to her misery, after being pelted in the head with a hash brownie, Flemming finds herself locked in a bathroom with wannabe homeboy and former childhood friend Kenny Fisher (Seth Green, Austin Powers, Idle Hands). Animosity and insecurity turn to romance as the two reminisce about their former friendship.

Sub-plot #2: Valedictorian and head geek William Lichter (Charlie Korsmo, Dick Tracy, Hook) decides to finally take revenge on Mike Dexter following a lifetime of abuse and humiliation. Lichter and his geek friends (‘90s versions of Anthony Michael Hall’s friends in Sixteen Candles) attend the party where they unleash their plan to humiliate the most popular kid in school. Lichter (through the aid of alcohol) comes out of his shell, makes out with girls for the first time, and impresses his drunken classmates with an impassioned version of Guns & Roses’ "Paradise City."

Sub-plot #3: After years of being the most popular kids in school, both Mike Dexter and Amanda Beckett discover that life after high school isn’t going to be as much fun. Beckett discovers that she wasted four years of her life with Dexter and that her fellow classmates and fair-weather friends have no real understanding of her. Dexter discovers that even his own collection of followers are prepared to sell him out at a moment’s notice and that popularity is fleeting.

No teen film would be complete without a strong soundtrack, and Matthew Sweet deserves top marks for his original score. Sweet’s own songs combined with a collection of hits from Smash Mouth, Parliament, RUN D.M.C., and Barry Manilow (yes, you read that correctly) carry the film and give it a great deal of energy and, more importantly, momentum. Facinelli, Korsmo, and Green shine in their respective roles, with very convincing portrayals of the jock, geek, and wannabe. Ethan Embry is cute as Preston Meyers, but his obsession becomes boring to watch. When Jennifer Love Hewitt gets the chance to open her mouth (there aren’t many, so pay attention), she is far more convincing than Embry and not as vacuous as we are led to believe. Lauren Ambrose is also good as she slowly emerges from her shell and becomes more sociable. There are a number of funny cameos, but I’ll leave those as a surprise. One thing to watch out for is the kid who constantly wanders in and out of scenes stealing stuff.

The DVD itself, has both excellent sound and picture quality. The 5.1 soundtrack doesn’t have a lot of surround-sound information (noise at the party), but the dialog is exceptionally clear, and the music comes across well. Almost all of the film takes place at night, and there was very little in the way of artifacts or pixelization that I could see in the blacks (except for the credits). The DVD is one of the best that I’ve watched in the past few months and is far superior to the VHS copy with its sharper picture, detail, and better sound. The extras include the theatrical trailer, a photo gallery, a Smash Mouth music video that features Jennifer Love Hewitt, and an excellent audio commentary that features the two directors and Seth Green. The audio commentary points out a number of details that you might otherwise miss, and I managed to watch the entire film with the running commentary.

The ending of the film was rather predictable, but it still works and doesn’t detract too much from the overall quality of the film. Peter Facinelli and Charlie Korsmo are actors to watch out for in the future, and it’s good to know that Matthew Sweet is working again. Well worth owning!

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