Product Description

A comedy about six teenagers on the night of their high school graduation. Preston, a young man who decides that on graduation day, just before he leaves town, he will proclaim his love for Denise, whom he has pined for from afar for the past four years.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4752 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 1998-12-22
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.com
This underrated teen comedy from 1998 is guilty of being a proud underachiever, and it doesn't bring anything new to the genre, but look closely and you'll find the makings of a much better movie buried under all the keg-party antics. The basic story is typical for this kind of comedy. A young, aspiring writer named Preston (Ethan Embry) has been lusting after class beauty Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt, from TV's Party of Five) for four years of high school, but he's never had the nerve to tell her. Now that they're about to graduate he's finally worked up the courage to write her a soul-baring love letter. At the raucous graduation keg party that takes up most of the movie's 98 minutes, Preston agonizes while Amanda's selfish jock ex-boyfriend tries to win her back, and delivering his love letter turns out to be more difficult than he ever imagined. What's interesting about Can't Hardly Wait has little to do with its attractive leads, however. The most engagingly real and entertaining characters are the misfits who show up in the subplots, including a geek (Charlie Korsmo) who turns into the life of the party, and a pair of old friends (Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose) who confront each other about their mutual needs and insecurities. There are some really good scenes between these two, and this modest movie has a few other pleasant surprises up its sleeve. That doesn't make it particularly good, but it does make it an agreeable waste of time. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

A Cult Classic Finally gets a special edition
Ethan Embry and Jennifer Love Hewitt star in this teen comedy originally released in 1998 and now finally 10 years later we are getting a special edition DVD. So what can you expect from the 10 Year Reunion Edition DVD of Can't Hardly Wait? Well Extras will include:

* an original commentary with filmmakers and cast (no big deal as this was on the original DVD release)
* a commentary with filmmakers and cast - 10 Years Later
* Featurette "Huntington High Class of `98" Reunion
* Featurette "Can't Hardly Wait: The Making of a Teen Classic"
* Featurette "The Life of the Party"
* exclusive deleted scenes (at last)
* A You Know You're `90's If..." trivia game
* and the "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby" Smashmouth music video (which was also on the original release)

All in all it has the makings to be great. I am just happy this amazing movie is finally getting the attention it deserves!

Definitely Recommendable
An excellent choice of cast - Jennifer Love Hewitt ( I Know What You Did Last Summer), Ethan Embry (Disturbing Behaviour), Seth Green (Buffy, The Vampire Slayer) and new faces like Lauren Ambrose, Charlie Kosmo and Peter Facinelli (Dancer, Texas, Pop. 81). So, Amanda Beckett (Love Hewitt) has been Preston Meyers (Ethan Embry) love interest since he first saw her. Now he has his chance to dive right in when Amanda dumps her ex-boyfriend, Mike (Peter Facinelli)! This movie is like one of those where everyone has a main part - it's excellent!

______BEWARE OF ALL ENTERPRISES THAT REQUIRE NEW CLOTHES
I really enjoyed this movie. I don't think it's a GREAT movie worthy of 5 stars, but instead I think it's worth ***1/2 (I had to round up). This movie was hilarious, and I have laughed through the entire thing all 14 times I have seen it in the past two months. (Some scenes I've seen about 30 times. You know, you just have to rewind some to see them again) I may be, you know, addicted, but that's beside the point.

This movie has terrific acting (Witness Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose, Ethan Embry, but excluding Jennifer Love Hewitt, I'm afraid), and yes, it even has symbolism. My favorite is the couple making out on the couch when Preston first tries to talk to Amanda and knocks over the candlesticks. They appear in the background several other times throughout the movie, at key points. 1: the graduation itself 2: When Amanda talks with the "Sheep Girl" 3: When Mike comes in from outside looking for Amanda and 4: On the table outside when Denise and Kenny are in the cafe. 5 times total, all at times concerning the central relationships of the movie. :)

Anyways, there are a bunch of little things like this throughout the whole movie that add an extra level to it. That is the main reason why I've seen it 14 times. (And forced others in my dorm to see it). It is a fun movie, a good movie that is worth seeing over and over again.

The cinematogrophy is EXCELLENT. The soundtrack is VERY GOOD. Even BETTER is the sound editing/mix. (Pay attention to the swell of the music when Mike admits he is a loser to William). And even the stereotypes ADD to the movie.

Many dislike this movie for the stereotypical representations of the jock, yearbook girl, nerds, etc. But the essence of these stereotypes is very important to the movie. Because most people we come in contact ARE one-dimensional, for the very reason that we don't take the time or effort to get to know them. That is how the movie treats these people. Only those that the movie focuses on are developed and change. At any rate, we all know several of those people that are in the movie, and that is what makes it so familiar to all of us.

I reccomend this movie to everyone. Don't expect a classic, but look deep into the movie, and the background, and you will discover more than you thought there ever could be!