Now and Then

 1.5/4

Starring: Gaby Hoffman, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Ashleigh Ashton Moore, Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson

Rated PG-13 for Adolescent Sex Discussions

I'm a sucker for nostalgia.  I admit that.  Movies like "The Sandlot" tug at my heartstrings despite the varying levels of quality (okay, "The Sandlot" is in fact awesome, but you get my point).  "Now and Then" tries to mine similar territory but with much less success.  Moments of genuine feeling are rare in this movie.  Far more common are scenes that come across as awkward, contrived or not remotely believable.

Samantha (Moore), Roberta (O'Donnell), Teeny (Griffith), and Chrissy (Wilson) made a pact during the summer of 1970 to always be there for each other.  Now, they've reunited to support Chrissy as she gives birth to her first child.

But these scenes actually just bookend the film.  The real meat of the story is what happens during that "special" summer.  Truth be told, however, not much does.  Samantha's parents get divorced, they try to contact the spirit of a dead boy, and deal with the pangs of adolescence.

Well, it could be interesting.  But the screenplay is a joke.  It gives the actresses inconsistent characters and some of the worst dialogue to come out of a movie not bearing the "Twilight" name.  It's so bad that not even talented actors like Christina Ricci, Thora Birch and Demi Moore emerge unscathed.

Movies like "Now and Then," "The Way Way Back" and others succeed because they probe our memories growing up.  That the situations are unoriginal isn't the problem.  It's that they are not effectively handled. They are too short, too long, too shallow, too unmotivated and everything in-between.  None of the situations are allowed to breathe.  We can't get emotionally invested in each situation because it's either superficial, badly written, or resolved too quickly.  Usually a combination of all three.

Had the characters been better defined, the movie might have worked.  But the actresses are given so little to work with.  The dialogue is never consistent.  Sometimes it's ironic, sometimes it's innocent, sometimes it's dumb.  The characters never talk and behave in a way that is consistent, so I was never sure how I was supposed to feel about them.  It changes from one scene to the next depending on how the film wants to tug at our nostalgia.  The actresses do what they can, but it's a losing battle.

To be fair, there are some moments that do work.  Mainly when the screenplay doesn't try too hard.  And there is a near drowning sequence that generates some suspense.  But that's it.

If you're hard up for nostalgia, watch "The Sandlot" or "The Way Way Back" again.  Or a sleepover favorite.  Leave this one in the discount bin where it belongs.

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