A review by Brooks Rich
I don't think they make teen comedies the way they used to. That probably makes me sound like an old man complaining about the damn kids who won't get off his lawn. But it's true. There really doesn't seem to be a market for the R rated teen sex comedy anymore. They aren't coming out as often as they were back then. The American Pie franchise was probably the last real successful teen comedy franchise. Now it's dystopian and vampire films aimed at teens. American Pie is probably the big most remembered teen sex comedy of the '90s. My favorite however is 1998's Can't Hardly Wait.
Can't Hardly Wait takes place over the course of one night at a wild house party for the graduating seniors of Huntington Hillside. A variety of stories unfold during the night, such as a white rapper kid trying to get laid and the resident nerdy kid and his friends trying to get revenge on the high school jock who tormented them. There's also smaller stories weaving in and out of the main ones. For example Melissa Joan Hart, who any kids of the '90s will recognize as Clarissa from Clarrisa Explains It All, is going around trying to get signatures in her yearbook from every student, which eventually grates on everyone's nerves. But the main arch of the film involves Preston Meyers trying to declare his love for his crush Amanda Beckett after she dumps her boyfriend, previously mentioned high school jock and most popular kid in school Mike Dexter.
The variety of stories is really what works here. It makes the film feel real. The party doesn't just focus on the love triangle between Preston, Amanda, and Mike. That's only the main arch for them. Everyone else is the star of their own film so to speak. Each story gets the closure it needs and some are touching and some are downright hilarious. The epic saga of the band hired for the night is laugh out loud funny. The white wannabe rapper's story conclusion is both touching and hilarious.
Can't Hardly Wait is legitimately funny. I can actually say that about very few teen films. This film never fails to make me laugh. But it also has a heart to it and has something important to say. High school doesn't define you. It might seem so at the time but it's not what makes you the person you're going to be. The character we learn that through is Mike Dexter, who has a scene with former most popular kid in school Trip McNeely, played by Jerry 'o' Connell.
This is much more than a teen comedy of the late '90s. Sure it has the teen comedy tropes. But it is also at times a serious look at growing up. Some teen comedies are such swallow films looking to move on to the next dick joke. Can't Hardly Wait is so much more than that. Maybe give this is a look if you're looking for a comedy.
I don't think they make teen comedies the way they used to. That probably makes me sound like an old man complaining about the damn kids who won't get off his lawn. But it's true. There really doesn't seem to be a market for the R rated teen sex comedy anymore. They aren't coming out as often as they were back then. The American Pie franchise was probably the last real successful teen comedy franchise. Now it's dystopian and vampire films aimed at teens. American Pie is probably the big most remembered teen sex comedy of the '90s. My favorite however is 1998's Can't Hardly Wait.
Can't Hardly Wait takes place over the course of one night at a wild house party for the graduating seniors of Huntington Hillside. A variety of stories unfold during the night, such as a white rapper kid trying to get laid and the resident nerdy kid and his friends trying to get revenge on the high school jock who tormented them. There's also smaller stories weaving in and out of the main ones. For example Melissa Joan Hart, who any kids of the '90s will recognize as Clarissa from Clarrisa Explains It All, is going around trying to get signatures in her yearbook from every student, which eventually grates on everyone's nerves. But the main arch of the film involves Preston Meyers trying to declare his love for his crush Amanda Beckett after she dumps her boyfriend, previously mentioned high school jock and most popular kid in school Mike Dexter.
The variety of stories is really what works here. It makes the film feel real. The party doesn't just focus on the love triangle between Preston, Amanda, and Mike. That's only the main arch for them. Everyone else is the star of their own film so to speak. Each story gets the closure it needs and some are touching and some are downright hilarious. The epic saga of the band hired for the night is laugh out loud funny. The white wannabe rapper's story conclusion is both touching and hilarious.
Can't Hardly Wait is legitimately funny. I can actually say that about very few teen films. This film never fails to make me laugh. But it also has a heart to it and has something important to say. High school doesn't define you. It might seem so at the time but it's not what makes you the person you're going to be. The character we learn that through is Mike Dexter, who has a scene with former most popular kid in school Trip McNeely, played by Jerry 'o' Connell.
This is much more than a teen comedy of the late '90s. Sure it has the teen comedy tropes. But it is also at times a serious look at growing up. Some teen comedies are such swallow films looking to move on to the next dick joke. Can't Hardly Wait is so much more than that. Maybe give this is a look if you're looking for a comedy.
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