Plot
A single mother, with dreams of becoming a writer, has a son at the age of 15 in 1965, and goes through a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father.

Release Year: 2001

Rating: 6.2/10 (14,458 voted)

Critic's Score: 43/100

Director: Penny Marshall

Stars: Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn, Adam Garcia

Storyline
Seriocomic story based on the memoir by Beverly Donofrio, the movie follows a young woman who finds her life radically altered by an event from her teen years. Born in 1950, Beverly grew up bright and ambitious in a working-class neighborhood in Connecticut; her father was a tough but good-hearted cop who listened to his daughter's problems, and her mother was a nervous woman eager to imagine the worst. From an early age, Beverly displays a keen intelligence and an interest in literature, and dreams of going to college in New York and becoming a writer. However, she also develops an early interest in boys, and at 15 finds herself madly in love with a boy from her high school. However, an attempt to get his attention leads to an embarassing incident at a party, and Ray, a sweet but thick-headed 18-year-old, steps forward to defend her. Beverly and Ray end up making out, and after one thing leads to another...

Writers: Beverly D'Onofrio, Morgan Ward

Cast:
Drew Barrymore - Beverly Donofrio
Steve Zahn - Ray Hasek
Adam Garcia - Jason
Brittany Murphy - Fay Forrester
James Woods - Mr. Leonard Donofrio
Lorraine Bracco - Mrs. Teresa Donofrio
Rosie Perez - Shirley Perro
Sara Gilbert - Tina Barr
Peter Facinelli - Tommy Butcher
Mika Boorem - Beverly Donofrio - Age 11
Celine Marget - Janet Donofrio - Age 8
Vincent Pastore - Uncle Lou
Maryann Urbano - Aunt Ann
Alissa Dean - Townie Girl #1
Jessica Leshnower - Townie Girl #2

Taglines: Based on a true story.

Release Date: 19 October 2001

Filming Locations: Bloomfield, New Jersey, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $48,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $10,404,652 (USA) (21 October 2001) (2770 Screens)

Gross: $35,743,308 (Worldwide)

Runtime: 132 min

Trivia:
During the wedding reception when Faye says, "I just wanted to say how beautiful Bev looks tonight," Drew Barrymore turns to smile at the real Beverly D'Onofrio.

Goofs:
Anachronisms: A scene set in 1986 shows a Ryder truck displaying the web address www.ryder.com.

Quotes:
[first lines]
Beverly (Age 11): There on a wind-swept bluff, he stands waiting. The man of your dreams. The man that will love you more than anything else for the rest of your life.
Jason - Age 8: Wow!
Beverly (Age 11): You run to each other. Your bodies, your lips, they're coming closer, and closer together, until finally,
[closing her eyes]
Beverly (Age 11): you kiss.

Real life is brutal.

Rating:

I admit that I watched this movie for the most frivolous of reasons: I liked Brittany Murphy's performance in the trailer ("My daughta's a tramp!"). I really never cared for Drew Barrymore, before. However, my opinion of her has changed. Drew put in an INCREDIBLE performance in this movie. She really nailed it. In fact, all of the actors gave commendable performances. I was so moved that I was quite uncomfortable for much of the movie. The pain that was portrayed was so real that I almost regretted purchasing what I thought was supposed to be a comedy. I'm glad I got through it - and an hour later I'm still stunned by what I saw. This movie is well worth seeing.

Perhaps the reviewers who hated it don't understand that you can be repulsed by another person's behavior, but you don't have to agree with them. You don't have to accept their morals (or lack thereof) in order to recognize what they are going through. And perhaps in seeing these roles acted out, you will see someone you know who has touched your life. Perhaps you'll even see yourself. I profess to have high moral standards, but I was not offended by this movie. I just felt very sad. I've known people like these characters. I don't feel that they were trying to justify their decisions.

They were just telling a story. I also think that this movie was a kind of therapy for Beverly, who is standing up, triumphantly, shouting, "I went through a lot of crap and I made it!"

Sure the viewer gets beaten up by this movie, but in a respectful way.

This isn't a fairy tale. This is a story about real life. And real life is brutal.

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