Back to trending
Riding in Cars with Boys

Riding in Cars with Boys

Drama · Comedy · 2001

In 1965, a young woman with dreams of becoming a writer has a son at the age of 15 and struggles to make things work with the drug-addicted father.

Movie details

Riding in Cars with Boys

“She did everything wrong, but got everything right.”

2001 Drama · Comedy 2h 11m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

In 1965, a young woman with dreams of becoming a writer has a son at the age of 15 and struggles to make things work with the drug-addicted father.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Riding in Cars with Boys?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Unpregnant

Unpregnant

Drama · 2020

After discovering she can’t legally get an abortion in Missouri without her parents’ permission, teenager Veronica convinces her former best friend Bailey to take a road trip to Albuquerque to seek the procedure.

Moxie

Moxie

Comedy · 2021

Inspired by her mom's rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy 16-year-old publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.

Goodrich

Goodrich

Comedy · 2024

Andy Goodrich's life is upended when his wife enters a rehab program, leaving him on his own with their young kids. Goodrich leans on his daughter from his first marriage, Grace, as he ultimately evolves into the father Grace never had.

Fatherhood

Fatherhood

Drama · 2021

A widowed new dad copes with doubts, fears, heartache and dirty diapers as he sets out to raise his daughter on his own. Inspired by a true story.

Sky

Sky

Drama · 2016

A woman embarks on a journey alone across the United States after fleeing from her violent husband.

Losing Isaiah

Losing Isaiah

Drama · 1995

Khaila Richards, a crack-addicted single mother, accidentally leaves her baby in a dumpster while high and returns the next day in a panic to find he is missing. In reality, the baby has been adopted by a warm-hearted social worker, Margaret Lewin, and her husband, Charles. Years later, Khaila has gone through rehab and holds a steady job. After learning that her child is still alive, she challenges Margaret for the custody.

Rocks

Rocks

Drama · 2020

15-year-old Rocks fears that she and her little brother Emmanuel will be taken into care and forced apart if anyone finds out that their mother has left them. Against all odds, and with the help of her loyal friends, she evades the authorities and navigates the most defining days of her young life.

Good One

Good One

Drama · 2024

On a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam contends with the competing egos of her father and his oldest friend.

The Girl in the Book

The Girl in the Book

Drama · 2015

The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.

Before I Fall

Before I Fall

Drama · 2017

Samantha Kingston has everything. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, she wakes up with no future at all. Trapped into reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her life really was.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Penny Marshall

Written by

Morgan Ward

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore

Beverly Donofrio

Steve Zahn

Steve Zahn

Ray Hasek

Adam Garcia

Adam Garcia

Jason

Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy

Fay Forrester

James Woods

James Woods

Leonard Donofrio

Lorraine Bracco

Lorraine Bracco

Teresa Donofrio

Rosie Perez

Rosie Perez

Shirley Perro

Court is in session

Put Riding in Cars with Boys on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.