Now and Then (film)

Now and Then
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter
Produced by Demi Moore
Suzanne Todd
Written by I. Marlene King
Starring
Music by Cliff Eidelman
Cinematography Ueli Steiger
Edited by Jacqueline Cambas
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release date
  • October 20, 1995 (1995-10-20) (US)
  • June 7, 1996 (1996-06-07) (UK)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $12 million
Box office $37,591,674[1]

Now and Then is a 1995 American coming-of-age film directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and starring Christina Ricci, Rosie O'Donnell, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffith, Gaby Hoffmann, Demi Moore, Ashleigh Aston Moore (no relation to Demi), and Rita Wilson. The supporting cast features Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, Cloris Leachman, and Bonnie Hunt, among many others. The plot follows four women who recount a pivotal summer they shared together as adolescents in 1970.

It was filmed largely in the Country Walk subdivision off Coffee Bluff Road in Savannah, Georgia, although called Shelby, Indiana in the movie, using the Gaslight Addition and Old Town Cemetery, highlighting the downtown area. Additional filming was done in Statesboro, Georgia in locations including the Bulloch County Court House (also featured in the film 1969 and the building now housing the Averitt Center for the Arts.

On July 18, 2012, it was announced that ABC Family would develop the film into a television series by I. Marlene King, who wrote the film and adapted Pretty Little Liars.[2][3] However, the project did not move past the development stage.

Plot

In 1991, four childhood friends reunite in their hometown of Shelby, Indiana. Samantha Albertson, a science-fiction writer, narrates the story. As an adolescent, Samantha was considered the "weird" girl who liked performing seances and was interested in science fiction and the supernatural. Roberta Martin, a doctor, was a tough tomboy whose mother died when she was four years old. Chrissy DeWitt, who lives in her childhood home, is married and about to give birth to her first child. As a naïve youngster, she was overly sheltered by her mother. Tina "Teeny" Tercell is a successful Hollywood actress; as a child, she had always dreamed of fame. Teeny and Samantha have not visited their hometown in ten years.

The story flashes back to 1970 when the girls had two goals: saving enough money to buy a tree house and avoiding the Wormer brothers. One night, they sneak out to the cemetery to perform a seance. A cracked tombstone convinces them they have resurrected the spirit of a young boy identified only as Dear Johnny, who died in 1945 at the age of twelve. Intrigued, they search for information at the library but find nothing.

Later, while heading for the library in a nearby town, they spy the Wormer brothers skinny dipping in the lake. To retaliate for a prank the boys played on them, the girls steal the boys' clothes, tossing them onto the road while riding off. At the library, Roberta discovers an article about her mother being killed in a car accident, a fact previously unknown to her. Samantha finds a story about Dear Johnny and his mother tragically dying, but a part is missing, leaving the cause of their deaths a mystery. The girls then visit a local psychic Wiladene who determines he was murdered.

Samantha goes home and unexpectedly meets Bud Kent, a man her newly-single mother invited to dinner. Upset, she storms out and flees to Teeny's. They hang out in the tree house display at the store where Samantha confesses her parents are getting divorced. Teeny comforts her, then breaks her favorite necklace in two, giving one half to Samantha as a "best friends for life" bracelet. On their way home during a thunder storm, Samantha loses her half of the bracelet in a storm drain. When she climbs down to retrieve it, the water rises, trapping her. Crazy Pete, an old vagrant, pulls her out. Grateful, the girls now see him differently. At the same time, Roberta is playing basketball in her driveway when Scott Wormer suddenly arrives. They question why they fight all the time before sharing a kiss.

The next day, the girls consult Samantha's grandmother about Dear Johnny's death, and discover from a newspaper article that he and his mother were murdered. Roberta becomes upset and angry that two innocent people were killed and also by the realization that her mother died violently, contrary to what she was told. Samantha announces that her parents are divorcing, and the four make a pact to always be there for one another.

To put Dear Johnny's soul to rest, the girls go to the cemetery to perform another seance. Johnny's tombstone suddenly rises surrounded by bright light. A figure appears from behind, but it is only the groundskeeper who explains that the stone was damaged and is being replaced. The groundskeeper explains he was the one who cracked the tombstone. Realizing they never resurrected Dear Johnny, they agree to stop the seances. While leaving, they notice Crazy Pete, and Samantha follows him back to Dear Johnny's grave. Realizing that he is Dear Johnny's father, she comforts him, while he advises her not to dwell on things. Some time after, the tree house is finally bought, and Samantha narrates, "The tree house was supposed to bring us more independence. But what the summer actually brought was independence from each other."

The film returns to 1991, and Chrissy goes into labor and gives birth to a girl. Later, in their old tree house, it is revealed by Roberta that Crazy Pete had died the previous year. They then discuss how happy they are in life and make another pact to visit more often.

Cast

Main characters

  • Samantha Albertson (Gaby Hoffmann/Demi Moore) narrates the film. As a girl, she is considered "weird", and believes in the paranormal and conducts the seances in the graveyard with her friends, who for the most part believe it to be all pretend. From the outside, her home life appears normal with her parents and younger sister, Angela. However, her parents had been having marital issues for some time now, much to the point that it had reached a level of consistency that never seemed to bother her. However, this came to an abrupt change when one night, her father moves out, and within a few weeks she learns her mother is seeing another man. As an adult, she is a popular science-fiction author who has commitment issues. At age 12, she was the most invested in the mystery of Dear Johnny, whose spirit the girls believe they have resurrected from his grave. She alone learns the truth behind his death, and receives valuable advice that later helps her come to terms with her current struggles in life
  • Roberta Martin (Christina Ricci/Rosie O'Donnell) is the proclaimed tomboy of the group, stemming primarily from her upbringing in a family consisting of her father and three older brothers, her mother having died in a car crash when she was four. As a girl, she tapes her breasts to flatten them, plays sports, and never hesitates to fight a boy. She usually leads the girls in their rivalry with the Wormer brothers, but eventually shares a kiss with Scott Wormer. Afterwards, she no longer tapes her breasts, indicating that she accepts that she is growing into a woman. Her struggle to come to terms with her mother's death is highlighted in the film when she fakes her own death before her friends by pretending to have drowned while they were swimming, as well as in another instance in which Samantha recalls Roberta having jumped off the roof and pretended to have broken her neck earlier that summer. As an adult, she is a doctor (an obstetrician), and lives with her boyfriend. At the end of the movie, she delivers Chrissy's baby.
  • Chrissy DeWitt (Ashleigh Aston Moore/Rita Wilson) was raised by an overbearing, fastidious mother (played by Bonnie Hunt) who sheltered her. Her naivete, particularly about all things sexual, is often laughed at by her friends. She is the "good girl," who chastises the others for cussing (as children and adults). Being the most responsible, she closely monitors the "tree house money" they are saving. She always questions the others' schemes, but is fiercely loyal to them. As an adult, she marries the nerdy Morton Williams, and they live in her mother's old house and later on have a baby daughter. The pending birth of her first child brings Samantha and Teeny back to their hometown.
  • Tina "Teeny" Tercell (Thora Birch/Melanie Griffith) lives with her rich country-club parents who are rarely around, which according to Samantha's narration is, "a typical upbringing for actors and pathological liars." Teeny loves glamour, dressing up, and using makeup, and watches the movies at the drive-in theater from her rooftop. Among the girls, she is the most interested in sexuality and boys and often flirts. Teeny desires a bigger bust, and has breast implants when she's an adult. She is now a successful actress and has had multiple marriages. The limousine she arrives in is later used to transport Chrissy to the hospital when she goes into labor.

Supporting

  • Devon Sawa as Scott Wormer-one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls but later reforms and shares a kiss with Roberta.
  • Lolita Davidovich as Mrs. Albertson, Samantha's Mom-mother of Samantha and Angela who recently gets a divorce from her husband and gets a new boyfriend Bud Kent.
  • Rumer Willis as Angela Albertson, Samantha's sister (credited as Willa Glen)-sister of Samantha who misses her father dearly but takes a quick liking to her mom's new boyfriend Bud Kent.
  • Cloris Leachman as Grandma Albertson-mother of Mr. Albertson and grandmother of Samantha and Angela. She becomes very upset when her son leaves and worries dearly about her granddaughters. She is an avid poker and bingo player.
  • Hank Azaria as Bud Kent, Mrs. Albertson's boyfriend-Mrs. Albertson's boyfriend whom she gets after her husband leaves. Angela takes a quick liking to him but Samantha doesn't. He volunteers to take them to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.
  • Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. DeWitt, Chrissy's Mom-mother of Chrissy who shelters her and uses plants and gardening to explain sex to her daughter and also informs her that all hippies are sex fiends.
  • Janeane Garofalo as Wiladene-diner waitress and spiritural reader and adviser who the girls visit to tell them that they've been contacted by a spirit Jonathan Sims to which Wiladene tells them that Jonathan and his mom Beverly were murdered.
  • Walter Sparrow as Crazy Pete-an old man who only comes out at night and scares the girls but they later learn he is nice after he saves Samantha. He is later revealed to be the father of Jonathan Sims and the husband of Beverly Sims.
  • Bradley Coryell as Clay Wormer-one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls.
  • Travis Robertson as Roger Wormer-one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls.
  • Justin Humphrey as Eric Wormer-one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls.
  • Brendan Fraser as Vietnam veteran (uncredited)-a soldier who fought in Vietnam whom the girls meet while riding their bikes and whom Samantha might developed a crush on. He informs the girls that although their parents are adults they're not always right.

Reception

The film was released on October 20, 1995 and was critically panned. The plot was considered overly familiar, sit-com like, and too similar to Stand by Me. Based on reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 24% approval rating by critics, with an average score of 4.7/10, based on seventeen reviews.[4]

Soundtrack and score

Columbia Records released a soundtrack album on October 17, 1995. Except for Thompson Twins's end credit song, the album was made up of tunes from the 1960s and 1970s. Although appearing in the film, Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" does not appear on the soundtrack. Two of the songs are anachronistic for a story set in the summer of 1970: "Knock Three Times" was released in 1971, and "I'll Be There" was released on August 28, 1970, so that it would only have gotten airtime on the radio after the summer vacation was over.

  1. "Sugar, Sugar" – The Archies (2:45)
  2. "Knock Three Times" – Tony Orlando and Dawn (2:54)
  3. "I Want You Back" – The Jackson 5 (2:53)
  4. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" – Stevie Wonder (2:39)
  5. "Band of Gold" – Freda Payne (2:53)
  6. "Daydream Believer" – The Monkees (2:49)
  7. "No Matter What" – Badfinger (2:59)
  8. "Hitchin' a Ride" – Vanity Fare (2:55)
  9. "All Right Now" – Free (5:29)
  10. "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" – Supremes/Temptations (3:06)
  11. "I'll Be There" – The Jackson 5 (3:56)
  12. "Now and Then" – Susanna Hoffs (5:34)
  13. "Hold Me Now" – Thompson Twins (4:45)

Varèse Sarabande issued an album of Cliff Eidelman's score on October 24, 1995.

  1. "Main Title" (3:05)
  2. "Remembrance" (1:57)
  3. "A Secret Meeting" (2:11)
  4. "On the Swing" (1:26)
  5. "It's My Mom" (2:32)
  6. "Spirits Are Here" (2:17)
  7. "Sam's Dad Leaves" (1:56)
  8. "It's a Girl" (1:48)
  9. "Roberta Fakes Death" (1:26)
  10. "Best Friends for Life" (3:07)
  11. "Pete Saves Sam" (2:29)
  12. "The Pact" (3:10)
  13. "No More Seances" (1:44)
  14. "Rest in Peace Johnny" (4:22)

References

  1. ↑ Now and Then at Box Office Mojo
  2. ↑ "'Now & Then' TV show heading to ABC Family? - Zap2it". Blog.zap2it.com. 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  3. ↑ Stuart Levine (2012-07-18). "King in early development on 'Now and Then' series: 'Pretty Little Liars' exec producer brings show to ABC Family". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  4. ↑ "Rotten Tomatoes: Now and Then (1995)". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
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