I was pretty skeptical when my girlfriend said "We have to go see this," it just looked like it was going to be too much like Say Anything (which, if you haven't seen, is a really good movie with a similar story), and just a lame attempt at a movie to get teenagers to the theaters this summer. Well, I was pretty much wrong... Can't Hardly Wait was an enjoyable movie.
The graduates party like it's 1999
The movie begins at a high school graduation with all the soon to be graduates talking among themselves as the principle and valedictorian give their speeches. As we hear them whispering we learn of a huge party going on that night and of the "Big Break Up" between Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Mike Dexter (Peter Facinelli)... the latter of which enthralls Preston Meyers (Ethan Embry) who has had a crush on Amanda ever since he first saw her step out of the car on their first day of high school. He drags his friend to the party so he can give Amanda the love letter he has written and re-written (and re-written, and re-written, etc.) for her, hoping to win her heart. Also at the party (among the entire graduating class) are the school nerd William Lichter (Korsmo) who has a plan to humiliate Mike for his years of torment, and "homeboy" Kenny Fisher (Seth Green) who is on a mission for sex so he will be experienced when he goes to UCLA next year. As the party gets into full swing we see the situations these grads get into throughout the party. Eventually Preston's love letter gets to Amanda (by a Rube Goldberg type chain of events) and she reads it and is amazed... there is one problem, she doesn't know who Preston is. Preston then realizes that he must take a chance and try and talk to her; but Amanda, sick of being hit on by everyone because of her recent breakup, tells him off (not knowing he is her secret Romeo) and he is humiliated. Do they get together? Does William get his revenge? Does Kenny score? These question and more will be answered when you go see for yourself/
Amanda Beckett (2nd from left in blue) sits with her "friends"
As I said I didn't have high expectations for this movie, which is good because ti wouldn't have filled high expectations, but it did exceed my expectations and suprised as being a good teen film. It might be easier if you are teen aged, or at least have a good memory of high school so you can laugh at all the types of people in the movie (the jock, the nerd, the prom queen, etc.)... but it is still a fun movie that will make you smile. Sure, it may not be a masterpiece of cinema, but Can't Hardly Wait is an enjoyable movie that shouldn't leave you disappointed.
