Riding in Cars with Boys poster
Review

Riding in Cars with Boys 2001

Directed by Penny Marshall · 131 mins · 2,024 views

3.8 Letterboxd 3.53(38,841)
Ratings A A K R D H A O R G

Synopsis

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.

Trailers

Reviews (35)

  1. A
    alex 8 月 24, 2026

    how did drew barrymore so convincingly play a 15 year old AND a 35 year old

    1,321 3
  2. A
    Alex Kittle 8 月 24, 2026

    In my personal ending for this movie, Drew Barrymore and Brittany Murphy end up together and it’s the best.

    548
  3. K
    kylie 8 月 24, 2026

    this was so raw and emotional and i really felt like i was feeling what the characters were feeling too the acting was so so good

    444
  4. R
    ros 8 月 24, 2026

    “My daughter’s a tramp MY DAUGHTER’S A TRAMP?!” i love you brittany murphy

    1,620
  5. D
    daniela 8 月 24, 2026

    watching this was all the birth control i needed

    660
  6. H
    Holly Murney 8 月 24, 2026

    Not to sound dramatic but I would’ve just thrown myself down the stairs

    693 3
  7. A
    aaaaahhhhhh 8 月 24, 2026

    greg heffleys dad did heroin

    956 1
  8. O
    olma 8 月 24, 2026

    a horror movie in a lot of ways for me

    916 4
  9. R
    Rizki 8 月 24, 2026

    My biggest mistake was expecting this to be a sweet romcom when, in fact, it’s actually more like an emotionally devastating, frustrating drama film.

    306 1
  10. G
    Gerri 8 月 24, 2026

    Anyways I miss Brittany Murphy a lot

    1,262
  11. J
    Jaime 🏳️‍🌈✨ 8 月 24, 2026

    I’m convinced Brittany Murphy is one of the greatest actresses of the last 50 years. She’s obviously hilarious, in this and basically everything else she’s been in, but she’s also able to make her characters feel so lived in and real. I started crying when she gave her wedding speech and part of it is the writing, but a lot of it comes from how incredible her performance is. The more movies I watch her in, the more I fall in love with her and the more I mourn her loss.

    383
  12. C
    chantal 8 月 24, 2026

    “I think that sometimes we love people so much that we have to be numb to it, because if we actually felt how much we really love them, it would kill us.”

    619 1
  13. M
    miranomi 8 月 23, 2026

    SO funny, crazy, natural, awkward and heartwarming absolute favorite

  14. S
    starchulo 8 月 23, 2026

    Was about to doze off but this eventually had me and gf locked in. This felt like 3 films into one, crazy how I was on both sides. I was pleased how realistic this felt. Brittany Murphy I love you. Her last scene being a phone call made me want to cry….

  15. S
    stevie 8 月 23, 2026

    not a perfect film by any stretch, but the performances are perfect. brittany murphy!!!!! amazing throwaway line is when faye says “she has this light around her💜” and someone in the background goes “it’s the chair.”

    1
  16. S
    sofia 8 月 23, 2026

    Às vezes amamos tanto as pessoas que precisamos nos anestesiar. Se realmente sentíssemos o quanto as amamos, isso nos mataria. Isso não faz de você uma pessoa ruim, significa que seu coração é grande demais. esse filme deveria ser mais comentado, além de dois anjos maravilhosos no elenco temos uma ótima história, a amizade delas duas é a coisa mais linda do mundo. algumas coisas são complexas demais pra se resolverem e a realidade delas é essa, td aqui é muito bem mostrado e tds os lados da história estão a disposição e mesmo escolhendo um dá pra entender o outro.

  17. C
    Coyde Gray Wolf Perry 8 月 23, 2026

    Moral of the story: never have sex.

  18. C
    chope_filante 8 月 23, 2026

    je me suis fait chier pendant 2h

  19. E
    Emily 8 月 23, 2026

    Birth control ad

  20. A
    ava 🐈‍⬛ 8 月 23, 2026

    i miss you brittany murphy

  21. S
    Shiloh 8 月 23, 2026

    I like the comedic relief randomly throughout the film

  22. T
    tiredpikminn 8 月 23, 2026

    Drew Barrymore and Brittany murphy. An angelic duo. Beyond that, felt entirely too much to comment on this movie… in a painfully good way thou

  23. N
    nlsn96 8 月 23, 2026

    i first watched this when i was little, haven’t rewatched since high school. it had me sobbing. the choice of steve zahn to play it so goofy despite being the biggest heartbreaker hits close to home.

  24. M
    mpulliam 8 月 23, 2026

    The execution of this film is probably around 2 stars, but the story is a 5. However, the last 10ish minutes of this movie was done to perfection. I laughed, I cried, I would watch again.

  25. L
    LBerrigan 8 月 23, 2026

    this movie went kinda hard tbh. everyone sort of talked to each other the way that people who actually love each other do. i dated an insane person who kinda looks like steve zahn in this movie

  26. P
    phantom.ofthe.megaplex 8 月 22, 2026

    the kind of movie that’s makes you grateful for abortion i like that james woods’s hades voice and small-town connecticut voice are the same

  27. K
    kelsey 8 月 22, 2026

    sometimes we love people so much we have to be numb to it, because if we actually felt how much we really love them, it would kill us.

  28. K
    kubster 8 月 22, 2026

    Terrifying little glimpse of life

  29. B
    Brock Acker 8 月 22, 2026

    The scene where Jason grabs his toothbrush and chases his dad BROKE my heart. The acting performances in this were PHENOMENAL.

    1
  30. A
    amccombo1 8 月 22, 2026

    Solid movie! A sleeper hit if you like stacked casts and have mommy issues. Not my favorite film but the inevitable post-movie discussions and character analyses was a lot of fun to have with Nina! Maybe I’ll even consider reading the memoir.

    2
  31. L
    Liv 8 月 22, 2026

    This is actually pretty good!! This did have some funny moments like Ray drinking bidet water but this is definitely more of a drama. It’s pretty emotional and I thought the way they did the timeline and the complex relationships was done well to support that. I feel like Drew Barrymore’s accent went in and out a lot (I still love you Drew I’m sorry). Maybe the 60s were different but people from Connecticut don’t really sound like that? At least…

  32. E
    elenarebecca 8 月 22, 2026

    biblically accurate boy mom (she hates her life)

  33. J
    jnmo253 8 月 22, 2026

    I’m writing something here because if I don’t, Jake will yell at me.

    2 2
  34. E
    emily wheeler 8 月 20, 2026

    MY DAUGHTERS A TRAMP?!?!

  35. A
    andreyuh_ 8 月 12, 2026

    A kid who believes that they’ve crushed their mother’s dream for being born, and a mother who’s being raised by her own child—making it his responsibility to fulfill her dream.

Write a Review

My rating

D Drew Barrymore Beverly Donofrio
S Steve Zahn Ray Hasek
A Adam Garcia Jason
B Brittany Murphy Fay Forrester
J James Woods Leonard Donofrio
L Lorraine Bracco Teresa Donofrio
R Rosie Perez Shirley Perro
S Sara Gilbert Tina Barr
P Peter Facinelli Tommy Butcher
M Mika Boorem Beverly Donofrio (Age 11)
V Vincent Pastore Uncle Lou
M Maryann Urbano Aunt Ann
A Alexia Landeau Jenny
K Kristin Proctor Cindy
C Celine Ordioni Janet Donofrio (Age 8)
A Alissa Dean Townie Girl #1
J Jessica Leshnower Townie Girl #2
T Temple Brooks Karen
L Lauren Lake Karen's Friend
D Desmond Harrington Bobby
Director Penny Marshall
Writer Morgan Ward
Producer Julie Ansell, Timothy M. Bourne, Amy Lemisch, James L. Brooks, Richard Sakai, Beverly D'Onofrio, Laurence Mark, Sara Colleton
Executive Producer Morgan Ward, Bridget Johnson
Editor Lawrence Jordan, Richard Marks
Original Music Hans Zimmer
Sound Christine Danelski, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Alicia Stevenson, David Betancourt, Dawn Fintor, Dennis Drummond, Stewart Nelsen, John M. Chalfant, Matthew Dettmann, Scott G.G. Haller, Bill W. Benton, Lane Burch, Gary A. Hecker, Michael O'Farrell
Art Direction Molly Mikula, Ted Haigh, Marion Kolsby, Stephen H. Carter, Teresa Carriker-Thayer
Casting Sheila Jaffe, Georgianne Walken, Katharina Eggmann
Synopsis
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.
Director
Penny Marshall
Writer
Morgan Ward
Studio
Columbia Pictures, Gracie Films
Country
USA
Language
English
Year
2001
Runtime
131 mins

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