Riding in Cars with Boys
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: October 19, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
43
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
14
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
It's Zahn's heartbreaking performance that drives Riding in Cars with Boys.
30
Washington PostRita Kempley
Hardly out of the driveway before director Penny Marshall loses control. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
As the movie jumps back and forth in time, it displays an impressive cut-and-paste agility, skillfully interweaving humor and drama without tipping over into farce or soap opera. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
In many ways, Marshall and Barrymore are an equal match -- while both have a flair for the small touches that build a good comic scene, each lacks the complex layering of motive and emotion that make a human life believably real. Read full review
50
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
Whatever distinguished "Riding in Cars with Boys" the book certainly doesn't show up in the movie. Read full review
50
New York PostJonathan Foreman
A messy, woefully uneven chick flick. Read full review
30
SlateDavid Edelstein
There's no dramatic trajectory here at all. Read full review
30
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Every scene is coated with Marshall's thumbprints, ultimately connecting into a manhandled, mangled, misshapen whole, its themes written out in thunderously obvious cues. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
An article of faith for girls who just wanna have fun; only problem is that the movie doesn't go all the way. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Barrymore gives a performance that's nuanced, assured and captivating.
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
When Barrymore finally gets mean, the movie finally gets good. Then comes another sing-along, dammit. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Buried under the miscalculations, the shamelessness, the off-putting and inappropriate broadness are sporadically visible souvenirs of a good project gone bad, hints of the unusual, bittersweet story that got away. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
As a flawed but lovably lionhearted woman, Barrymore triumphantly comes of age as an actress.
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
It's as if the filmmakers, having committed themselves to the book, fled from its essence, which is wildness.
70
TimeRichard Schickel
It is somewhat repetitive, but it is also wonderfully acted, especially by Barrymore. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's Barrymore's most ambitious role to date. She proves she is maturing as an actress. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
But by the end of the movie -- which seems to last longer than the Crusades -- all the good stuff has dissipated. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Needs someone to roll down a window and let in some fresh air. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A film like this is refreshing and startling in the way it cuts loose from formula and shows us confused lives we recognize. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
What emerges is a funny and sometimes aching movie that treads familiar dysfunctional family turf but still manages to eke out an emotionally toned balance. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
It's the kind of film -- like Diane Keaton's "Hanging Up" -- that even as it dissolves narratively, still makes you dissolve emotionally. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
It's Zahn who truly conveys what Marshall and Barrymore are going for -- laughing through your tears. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Thank God for Barrymore: When Beverly's water breaks and she looks down at her feet and cries, "This is so gross," you know how good this actress can be, and how good this movie might have been. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
It's a bitter story played for humor, in which a callous character is never quite allowed to see herself as such. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineSteve Simels
Added bonuses: A nice selection of oldies on the soundtrack, and an amusing third-act cameo by Rosie Perez as Ray's second wife. Read full review
40
VarietyRobert Koehler
The result under Penny Marshall's direction is a film with genuinely serious intentions that falls considerably short of its intentions. Read full review
30
Village VoiceJessica Winter
Mistakes self-pitying embitterment for carry-on endurance, and manages to have its causality both ways. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
What's lacking is any sense of Beverly's brightness. She's supposedly smart, but she never displays a shred of intelligence. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
They try to make Beverly adorable, and the movie comes off strained and dishonest as a result. Read full review
10
New Times (L.A.)Robert Wilonsky
An overlong compendium of Oprah moments meant to move and inspire, even if, by the end, it's too exhausted with itself to offer up a single authentic tear or revelation. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
It's just another case of mourning over what might have been. Read full review
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