I got this movie on the basis of its IMDb score and the one big name - Winona Ryder. I have to say - IMDb voters, you let me down this time. No way is this worth 7.6 (edit - my faith is restored in IMDb voters - the rating has dropped considerably, now) .
The premise is reasonable and could have been made into a really good movie but, oh dear, there are far too many stupid plot lines. Henry McCarthy goes back home to give the commencement speech at his old high school. He is picked up by his two best friends from the airport (one of whom is Josh Holloway - I didn't like him in Lost and I really didn't like him here) and then come the clichés: served coffee by one of his former classmates, stopped by the police while drink-driving - guess what, another former classmate who lets him go with a pat on the back.
The idea that the principal (Chevy Chase with a plaster on his nose (why??? - it wasn't funny)) would treat his former pupil turned important author as a naughty schoolboy was stupid. So too was the fact that Scarlet's boyfriend, the coach, acted like a jealous 18 years old. Stupid, also, was the police involvement after the prom - is there really an offence of having a private party with underage drinking in the States (maybe so, but surely not one of being a 38 year old man in the company of an 18 year old girl). And so it went on (do they leave show houses open at night? If his Dad was so keen on his car why didn't he run it through a carwash before returning it?)
When the commencement speech and dénouement with Scarlet did come they were both underwhelming.
All in all I think this film's rating should languish in the sub 6 territory (my personal watershed for whether a film is worth watching).
The premise is reasonable and could have been made into a really good movie but, oh dear, there are far too many stupid plot lines. Henry McCarthy goes back home to give the commencement speech at his old high school. He is picked up by his two best friends from the airport (one of whom is Josh Holloway - I didn't like him in Lost and I really didn't like him here) and then come the clichés: served coffee by one of his former classmates, stopped by the police while drink-driving - guess what, another former classmate who lets him go with a pat on the back.
The idea that the principal (Chevy Chase with a plaster on his nose (why??? - it wasn't funny)) would treat his former pupil turned important author as a naughty schoolboy was stupid. So too was the fact that Scarlet's boyfriend, the coach, acted like a jealous 18 years old. Stupid, also, was the police involvement after the prom - is there really an offence of having a private party with underage drinking in the States (maybe so, but surely not one of being a 38 year old man in the company of an 18 year old girl). And so it went on (do they leave show houses open at night? If his Dad was so keen on his car why didn't he run it through a carwash before returning it?)
When the commencement speech and dénouement with Scarlet did come they were both underwhelming.
All in all I think this film's rating should languish in the sub 6 territory (my personal watershed for whether a film is worth watching).