Park 'n Ride

I reordered my Netflix queue last weekend, moving to the top two movies both I and Lady Grace had on our lists. Turns out we didn't watch any TV in the evenings, we just sat around talking politics with her parents, which of course was awesome! However, it also left me with two movies I didn't really want to watch on my own but now have to, since I still have them.

Riding in Cars with Boys was one of those movies. First of all, there are very, very few Drew Barrymore movies I actually like. So that should have been a tip-off. Secondly, I didn't read Beverly D'Onofrio's memoir, so I don't know if the movie is very true to it or if I'd even like the book. Regardless, I think the girl-gets-pregnant-in-the-60s thing is overdone. The plot definitely addressed a lot of good issues, and portrayed what is probably real life for a lot of families struggling with addiction, poverty, and lost dreams.

The film had its moments. My favorite is the one where you realize the guy driving Beverly's car isn't her boyfriend but her son. And then, of course, you know where the flashbacks to her life as a 15-year-old are going to lead... There are a lot of other moments that are also so pathos-ridden that you can't help but empathize. Then again, there are also a lot of clichés. But in general, I felt like I knew where the plot was going the whole time, and I don't tend to like movies that I can predict.