Can't Hardly Wait
Encyclopedia : C : CA : CAN : Can't Hardly Wait
Can't Hardly Wait is a 1998 romantic teen comedy film directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, and Seth Green.
The movie takes place at a high school graduation party, and in a style much like that of the high school movies of the 1980s. Though the film deals in common high school stereotypes, some favor the film's chaotic but appealing mise en scène and performances.
The movie was named after The Replacements' song of the same title, from their 1987 album Pleased to Meet Me.
The film was heavily cut upon its release (seventeen confirmed changes) to get a PG-13 rating. None of the deleted scenes have since surfaced.
Tagline: An event 18 years in the making.
Plot
The film revolves around an eclectic group of students attending a high school graduation party at a large house owned by a rich class member's family. Each character has different plans for the night. Optimistic misfit Preston Myers (Ethan Embry) plans to proclaim his love to his four-year secret crush, to whom he's never had the nerve to speak before, prom queen Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who in turn has recently broken up with her top jock boyfriend, Mike Dexter (Peter Facinelli).Cynical Denise Flemming (Lauren Ambrose) has no intention of going to the party. But when her best friend, Preston, says he's going to proclaim his love for Amanda, she is dragged along. Kenny Fisher (Seth Green) is a ludicrous wannabe rapper who plans on losing his virginity by the end of the night. When he goes into the upstairs bathroom to "get ready", Denise happens to walk in. That is when the pair of former friends learn that the door has a broken doorknob. The two begin talking about how they fell apart, which eventually leads them back to their friendship.
Mike Dexter learns from a graduate and former high school stud that in college, jerks like them are "a dime a dozen" and ironically, find themselves on the receiving end of bullying. He tries to get Amanda back, but she is happier without him. He also tries to talk his jock friends into dumping their girlfriends (unsuccessfully). At the same time, super-bright William Lichter (Charlie Korsmo) plots his revenge on Mike for ruining his life throughout high school. He has his two even more nerdy, X-Files-obsessed friends wait on the roof, while he goes into the party and drives Mike out. However, while inside the party, William begins drinking in order to fit in. After a while, he drinks enough to make him forget what he was originally doing there. Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City" plays an unexpected role. William begins talking with Mike, and forgives him for tripping earlier in the day at the graduation ceremony while William was giving the valedictorian speech.
Meanwhile, Preston Myers still longs for Amanda Beckett, and the action relocates to a railway station. Amanda visits Preston at the station where she asks him about the letter. Preston confesses he wrote and that he's about to depart for the college function. But he immediately stops and finally comes back to Amanda where they kiss.
As the film ends, it ends with the fate of the characters as to what happened to them:
- Preston and Amanda became a couple, and Amanda wrote him a letter every day while he was away at school.
- Denise and Kenny broke up at a restaurant, but proceeded to get back together minutes later in the bathroom.
- Mike went onto college but quickly dropped out. He ended up forty pounds overweight and lost his job at the car wash, when incriminating photos appeared.
- William on the other hand, became one of the most popular students at his school. He later went onto opening his own computer company that has made him worth millions, and he's dating a supermodel.
Cast
- Jennifer Love Hewitt as Amanda Beckett
- Ethan Embry as Preston Meyers
- Charlie Korsmo as William Lichter
- Lauren Ambrose as Denise Fleming
- Peter Facinelli as Mike Dexter
- Seth Green as Kenny Fisher
- Erik Palladino as Cousin Ron
- Channon Roe as Jake, Jock #1
- Sean Patrick Thomas as Ben, Jock #2
- Freddy Rodríguez as T.J., Jock #3
- Johnny Zander as Jimmy
- Donald Faison as Dan, Party Band Drummer
- Alec Ledd as Brian, Party Band Bass Player
- Jaime Pressly as Beth, Girlfriend #1
- Tamala Jones as Cindi, Girlfriend #2
- Jennifer Lyons as Rachel, Girlfriend #3
- Chris Owen as Klepto Kid
- Brianna Churchill as Madasyn Kelly, Cleaner #1
Many other actors from Can't Hardly Wait went on to roles in the HBO series Six Feet Under, Lauren Ambrose (played Claire Fisher, the only daughter of the Fisher family), Freddy Rodriguez (played Federico Diaz, the assistant turned partner at Fisher and Sons [later Fisher and Diaz]), Eric Balfour (played Gabriel Dimas, Claire's high-school boyfriend), and Peter Facinelli (played Jimmy).
Nine actors from Can't Hardly Wait were also on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, including Seth Green (Daniel 'Oz' Osborne), Amber Benson (Tara Maclay), Paige Moss (Veruca), Eric Balfour (Jesse McNally), Channon Roe (Jack O'Toole in "The Zeppo"), Nicole Bilderback (a Cordette in "The Wish"), Clea DuVall (Marcie Ross in "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"), Christopher Wiehl (Owen in "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"), and John Patrick White (Pete in "Beauty and the Beasts"). Amber Benson's scenes in Can't Hardly Wait were deleted.
Quotes
- Preston: It was October, freshman year. First time in history that I'd ever missed the bus. If I had arrived on time, I never would've seen her. But as it was, I was the first person at Huntington Hills High to set eyes on Amanda Beckett. It was her first day at school. Then, I'm sitting in class enjoying a late breakfast when out of all the classrooms in the entire school, she walks into mine. And where does the teacher sit her? Right next to me! Now, up until now, one could write this off to coincidence. But then she reaches in her bag and pulls out a strawberry Pop-Tart - the very same breakfast pastry I was consuming at that moment! What was I to do? How was I to proceed?
- Exchange student: Would you like to touch my penis? I am a sex machine!
- William: You know what they say about women and trolley cars. There's plenty of 'em in the sea.
- Kenny Fisher: Yo, I gotta have sex tonight! I mean peep this - They say here ninety-two percent of the honeys at UCLA are sexually active. Ninety-two of the women in Los Angeles at UCLA walking around going, "Class... or sex? What shall I do?" Ninety-two percent, yo! Hey, you know what that means?
Ritchie Koolboy: What?
Kenny Fisher: It means I gots a ninety-two percent chance of embarrassing myself. I roll up on that shorty be like, "What's up yo?" she be like, "You don't know 20 different ways to make me call you Big Poppa" cuz I don't yo. - William: (drunk) You... have to come with me. There's this chick... there's these two chicks... they're triplets, man. You're not going to believe what they're doing. Not because I made it up or anything but because it is so... unbelievable. Come on out to the pool house, 'cause they told me to tell you... they want you to watch. So, come out... the pool house, come on...
Mike Dexter: (interrupting him) I'm a loser. I broke up with the hottest girl in school, my friends all sold me out... and somebody in there just called me a fag! - Kenny Fisher: 'Sup, ladies? Yo Jana, wanna dance?
Jana: I'm allergic.
Kenny Fisher: You're allergic to dancing?
Jana: Yeah. - (after drinking his first beer and spitting it out)
William: Nobody drink the beer, the beer has gone bad! - Preston: Hey, I've got one for ya. Remember that time when I was about to talk to that beautiful girl, and you came up to me and started telling me all these asinine stories? Remember that, huh?
Reminiscing Guy: No.
Preston: Gee, that's funny. Because it *just* happened! - Trip McNeely: (as he approaches a sulking Mike with a six-pack in hand) Hey man, you want a beer?
Mike Dexter: Trip McNeely!
Trip McNeely: Trip McNeely.
Mike Dexter: No way, man!
Trip McNeely: Trip McNeely.
Mike Dexter: Trip McNeely! Geez. You were a sexual icon! You know girls at Huntington still talk about you?
Trip McNeely: Really? Which ones?
Mike Dexter: You must be racking up at college. College!
Trip McNeely: I wish, bro. I can't even get digits as a freshman.
Mike Dexter: Shut up! Come on, you can tell me.
Trip McNeely: Seriously, man. I thought college was gonna be a 24-7 orgy. Hell, that's even why I broke up with Janeen before I left.
Mike Dexter: (after an uneasy pause) S-so, what happened?
Trip McNeely: (sighs) College chicks are totally different, bro. They're all serious and shit. They all talk about world issues and "ecolomological" crap. They all wanna date older guys.
(Tosses an empty beer can aside)
Mike Dexter: Yeah, but... not all of 'em, right?
Trip McNeely: Way it goes. Hell, I even tried crawling back to Janeen. She was all cozy with some senior. He's a pre-med. They ALL are. Guys like us... we are a dime a dozen.
(Belches and then chuckles)
Trip McNeely: Speaking of which, you still with that Amanda chick? She was a prize piece if I ever saw one.
Mike Dexter: (Lying to Trip) Yeah,
(Scoffs)
Mike Dexter: Me and Amanda. Definitely. Yep.
Trip McNeely: You're lucky, bro.
Mike Dextter: I sure am.
Trip McNeely: Stay with her. It's the best advice I can give you.
(Farts)
Trip McNeely: Oh, that, and bring rubber flip-flops in the shower. I got warts all over my feet.
(Leaves)
Mike Dexter: (With a discouraged tone) Take it easy, Trip! Trip McNeely! All right...
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.