Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

“Just so you know, judging from my little experience, I kind of believe in fate. It just works in really fucked up ways sometimes.” – Denise Fleming, Can’t Hardly Wait.

The release of Can’t Hardly Wait coincided with a very important moment in my life – my high school graduation. Having just finished some of the best/worst moments of my life, it was able to relate to the characters in this movie (especially the nerd, William Lichter).  Can’t Hardly Wait takes a lot of cues from American Graffiti (one of my favorite movies); it has a multi-storyline structure that follows various characters on the last night of their high school lives.  The difference between the two movies is that American Graffiti has a cinéma vérité feeling to it, while Can’t Hardly Wait is highly stylized. 

In my opinion Can’t Hardly Wait is one of the better teenage comedies from the late 1990s/early 2000s, largely due to its likable cast and energetic direction by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan.  

Can’t Hardly Wait has six primary characters and it’s important to discuss each one to help set up just exactly what Elfont/Kaplan were up to:

Preston Meyers (Ethan Embry)

Preston is an aspiring writer who has harbored a crush for Amanda Beckett since he was a freshman. After hearing that Mike Dexter has dumped Amanda , Preston is convinced that fate has given him an opportunity to tell Amanda how he truly feels (Ethan Embry, with his sad eyes and fidgety demeanor is well cast). Preston deduces that Amanda will be at the big graduation party (being held at the house of a nameless classmate), and thus this will give him a chance to deliver the love letter he has written her.  This letter has been in his possession for years and has gone through multiple drafts.  This is a great example of movie logic vs. real life logic. In the movie, Preston’s obsession over Amanda, to the point of endlessly revising a simply love letter, is ROMANTIC (swoon), in real life, however, it would be viewed as creepy.  Ladies, picture a man you have never spoken to, walking up to you in the street and with demented grin on his face, handing you a love letter that he has kept in his possession for many years…yeah, pretty damn creepy.  Therefore, it is completely understandable when, later on, Preston (sans the letter) confesses his feelings towards Amanda and she (oblivious to the fact that he wrote the love letter) writes him off as a complete creep.  Seconds later, she looks up Preston’s picture in the yearbook (Preston’s name is on the love letter, but she has no idea who he is) and is appalled at her behavior towards her semi-secret admirer. 

Amanda Beckett(Jennifer Love Hewitt)

Jennifer Love Hewitt was the IT girl when Can’t Hardly Wait went into production and is perfectly cast as Amanda as Amanda Beckett – the most popular girl in high school.  She also has probably the most thankless role in the entire cast; Amanda is sanest character out of the group, hence the least interesting.  Her main conflict is trying to adapt to post Mike Dexter/high school life.  Her identity in high school was simply “Mike’s Girlfriend” and it’s a role that she willing to play, because the alternative (being alone) scared her.  Preston’s love letter, which magically falls into her hands, gives her the confidence to move on with her life. Though, it’s a bit problematic that Amanda’s idea of moving on is to jump directly into another relationship (with Preston) after having just been dumped by Mike.  Of course, this is a trope that pervades most teen comedies, so it’s hard to really fault Can’t Hardly Wait for sticking to the formula. 

The filmmakers slowly build to Amanda's first appearance, thus give Jennifer Love Hewitt her "star" moment. It is not until about twenty minutes into the movie that we get a good look at Amanda Beckett. The party goers (and the movie) comes to a complete stop when she makes her appearance at the party.  Before this moment everything we  learn about her comes from high school gossip and Preston’s flashback, which cleverly  obscures her face.  She is a near mythic figure at Huntington High School; in Preston’s flashback her arrival is signaled by thunder and lightning.   The party is first time that many of her classmates, and the audience, are seeing her in a human light. Who is the real Amanda? What is she going to do?  As the movie progresses Amanda, despite her lofty position in the high school hierarchy, becomes a sympathetic figure.  The party is a catalyst for Amanda to move on with her life; she no longer cares what other people think of her.

Mike Dexter (Peter Facinelli)

Peter Facinelli gives  my favorite performance in the entire movie as the arrogant jock, Mike Dexter.  He is wonderfully obnoxious in his early scenes – when his friends express their disbelief that he broke up with THE Amanda Beckett, he responds with a belch.  He perfectly embodies the phrase “the man you love to hate.” Yet, when Mike’s world comes falling apart around him, Facinelli manages to make the character sympathetic. This was supposed to be a big night for Mike; instead it has turned into a descent into hell (an off screen, female voice calls him a “FAG” following his public humiliation at the hands of Amanda).  The only sympathetic ear at the party is William Fichter – the nerd who Mike has tormented for years.

William Lichter (Charlie Korsmo)

William Lichter’s character arc is interesting, because it is the exact opposite of Mike Dexter’s – he begins the night as a complete outsider (he was an anti-social nerd in high school) and ends up being the most popular guy at the party; his drunken rendition of Guns N' Roses "Paradise City" proves to be a big hit with his fellow party goers. William’s initial reason for going to the party is to get revenge of Mike Dexter, for the years of torment and public embarrassments, and has contrived a plan to humiliate Mike:
He will lure Mike and a jock friend behind the pool house, then two of his nerd friends will jump the jocks and knock them out with chloroform.  The two jocks will then be stripped of their clothes and posed in suggestive positions while William takes Polaroids of them.
However, William’s revenge plot gets put on hold  as he starts to intermingle with his classmates and gets absolutely wasted as the night progresses.  In an even more shocking twist, William and Mike actually share a bonding moment at the party, albeit a drunken one.  This leads to one of my favorite exchanges in the movie:

 Mike Dexter: You remember the time that you had to make that really stupid speech, and I kinda sorta tripped you, and everybody started laughing at you in school?
William Lichter: OK, yeah. Yeah.
Mike Dexter: I'm sorry.
William Lichter: Oh, man. Don't worry about it.
Mike Dexter: Hey, it's ancient history, right?
William Lichter: It's ancient history.
Mike Dexter: When was that, anyway?
William Lichter: That was this morning at graduation.
Mike Dexter: Oh, yeah.

Denise Fleming(Lauren Ambrose)

Denise is the misfit out of the group – she doesn’t belong in a specific group and is fairly anti-social. It is only due to Preston’s insistence that she attends the party.  Preston is her best and, possibly,  only friend, so when he goes off to find Amanda, she is left to her own devices and has a hard time fitting in; the only person that talks to her, a seemingly shy girl, does so on a bet.  In a more traditional teenage comedy, Denise and Preston would end up together, while Amanda is left standing on the curb. After all, the set up is there – Preston is infatuated with Amanda, completely oblivious to the fact that his best, female, friend is fairly cute in her own right. Though, at least Can’t Hardly Wait doesn’t make this mistake most teen comedies make by casting the more attractive women in the role of the “plain best friend.” Lauren Ambrose is cute, but she is not “beautiful”, in the traditional Hollywood sense. However, Elfont/Kaplan have a much different fate in store for Denise. She doesn’t end up with her current best friend Preston, but, rather, her best friend from childhood, Kenny Fisher. 

Kenny Fisher(Seth Green)

In the 90s, the term used to describe a guy like Kenny was “wigger.” This piece of slang was, understandably, put to pasture by the end of the decade (though, it is occasionally thrown around). Kenny is a white suburban boy who emulates “black culture,” much to the annoyance of everyone around him.  His sole reason for going to the party is to get laid, but, much to his surprise, it proves to be a lot more difficult that he expected (most of the women greet him with complete disdain).  Just when it looks like he might score with a girl looking for rebound sex, he gets himself locked in a bathroom with Denise. The two of them have been estranged since the sixth grade – Kenny stopped talking to her because he thought it might hurt his popularity.  Their time in the bathroom together allows for them to reconnect and Kenny drops the pretense.

The underlying theme of Can’t Hardly Wait is fate: does it exist, and if so, what purpose does it play in our life. It is clear that Elfont/Kaplan clearly believe in fate as it is setting their cinematic world in motion:  Mike Dexter breaks up with Amanda Beckett on Graduation Day, which allows Preston to express his true feeling towards her (via love letter); The house band gets into a petty argument and breaks up, setting the stage for social wallflower, William, to do a rowdy sing a long to “Paradise City,” which in turns makes him the life of the party; a broken door knob traps estranged friends, Denise Fleming and Kenny Fisher, in the bathroom together, which leads to romance; and through a series of contrivances, Preston’s love letters ends up in Amanda’s hands (after he has thrown it in the garbage). 

Can’t Hardly Wait was given mixed reviews by the critics and, rather bafflingly, has a lower rating than American Pie. Sure, Can’t Hardly Wait isn’t a perfect movie, but its theme is much better integrated into its story than the contrived message American Pie preaches (There is more to life than sex, kids!”)

Fate is not the only thing at work in Can’t Hardly Wait, as there are thee moments of divine intervention: Mike’s run in with Trip McNeely; the head banger that starts blaring Gun N Roses’ “Paradise City” on his boom box; and, rather blatantly, Preston’s encounter with a stripper dressed like an angel. These three minor characters, seemingly, appear out of nowhere and force the main characters into taking action.

Divine Intervention#1: Trip McNeely

 
Mike Dexter has broken up with Amanda; because he is “a college guy” now and his main interest in life is hooking up with college girls. He tries to convince his friends to break up with their girlfriends so they can spend the entire summer hanging out together before going to college. His friends are, at first, enthusiastic about the idea (“Girlfriends suck!”), but when they arrive at the party they have a complete change of heart.  Mike feels betrayed and, after getting rejected by two girls, sits on a porch swing to sulk. Then, quite unexpectedly, former high school great, Trip McNeely, sits down next to Mike and is completely wasted. Mike is absolutely elated – not only is Trip a legend for his on field accomplishments, but his off field as well (he was a sexual monster).  However, post-high school life has not been pretty for Trip; he broke up with his high school girlfriend (for the exact same reason Mike broke up with Amanda) only to find rejection in college (the women on campus don’t care about athletics). He even begged his high school girlfriend to take him back, but she had moved on. Trip, oblivious Mike has broken up with Amanda, advises Mike to stay with her and then walks off in a drunken stupor. This is a “Ghost of Christmas Future” moment for Mike – Trip is, essentially, a future version of himself if he doesn’t change his ways. However, Mike misinterprets the meaning of this encounter and, rather focusing on bettering himself, he decides it is pivotal that he gets back with Amanda. He publicly asks Amanda to take him back, but she rejects the offer, thus making him look like an asshole in the process.  

Divine Intervention#2: The Head Banger

 
The party has grown kind of stale, when suddenly a head banger jumps on the band stage and starts blaring “Paradise City” on his boom box. William is chilling with the stoners outside, when he hears “Paradise City” blaring from inside the house. He comments that he knows this song because a student he tutored used to play this song all the time. He then stumbles indoors, pushes aside the head banger with the boom box, and does a rowdy, drunken sing a long to “Paradise City.” The other party goers find it funny at first, but the rowdier William gets, the more they get into it – there is body surfing and a drunken girl flashes him. William becomes a rock star in his own right and  even acquires a few groupies, who are eager to make out with him. The party is a life changing experience for William as it changes him from being a socially awkward nerd to a laid back, popular fellow (he goes on to become one of the most popular students at Harvard). However, without the head banger spurring on William, there is a good chance he would have spent the rest of party hanging out with the stoners, spewing philosophical nonsense.  

Divine Intervention #3: The Angel Stripper

 
Preston leaves the party after he witnesses (and misinterprets) Ron making a pass at Amanda. He was certain that this was going to be his night, because he heard the Barry Manilow song “Mandy” playing on the radio and interpreted as a sign. Denise scoffs at this and tells him that the song was written about a dog. It turns out that the radio station he is listening to is having a Barry Manilow marathon, much to Preston’s chagrin. However, the station is conducting an interview with Barry Manilow, and their  listeners can call in and ask him a question. Preston decides to call in to find out whether or not “Mandy” was about a dog and pulls up to a pay phone (remember those?).  While he is on the pay phone, a woman dressed like an angel materializes out of nowhere and asks if she can use the pay phone – her car has died and she needs to call a taxi.  She hangs up the phone on Preston, after hearing his question for the DJ, and then commandeers the pay phone. Preston has a few choice words with her, until she points out the absurdity of him wanting call Barry Manilow at two in the morning.  Preston realizes she is right and begins to mope on a bench. She then sits down next to him and offers up some words of wisdom.  She tells him there is fate, but it can only take you so far and the rest is up to you.  The angel stripper tells Preston about an encounter she had with Scott Baio – she had a major crush on the actor and fate had dealt her favorable hand to tell him how she felt. However, at the last second she chickened out, leaving her to wonder “WHAT IF?” for the rest of her life.

 

 This revitalizes Preston and he is determined to tell Amanda his true feelings – he doesn’t want to have another “WHAT IF?” moment in his life.  This one of the best scenes in the movie and, interestingly, Ethan Embry has much better onscreen chemistry with Jenna Elfman than he does with Jennifer Love Hewitt.  Jenna Elfman’s delivery of the “Scott Baio” monologue borders on the comedic/tragic. It is simultaneously hilarious and heart breaking.  It is a small role, but Elfman nearly steals the movie.  I also like the touch of having her emerge from a fog bank – it gives the scene an ethereal quality to it. Is she really a stripper disguised as an angel? Or is she Preston’s guardian angel disguised as a stripper?

While the Amanda – Preston story line is settled in a traditional manner, the structure of Can’t Hardly Wait, itself, is fairly atypical.  The plot to your average teen comedy is “Boy meets girl – boy loses girl – boy wins girl back". However, the two “romantic leads” in Can’t Hardly Wait, Ethan Embry and Jennifer Love Hewitt, share very little screen time and only twice do they exchange dialogue (both scenes occur in the last half hour). It seems whenever Preston is ready to make his movie, fate steps in the way. Early in the party, he is sitting right next to Amanda on a couch, when suddenly a nostalgic classmate starts to tell an embarrassing story about Preston, while Amanda laughs in the foreground.

 

The closer Preston gets to Amanda the more difficult it becomes - it's on par with getting to the final boss in a video game. You work so hard to get to the final stage, when, out of nowhere, a stray bullet strikes the character and you have to start all over. It is always an uphill battle Preston. Maybe the party is fate's way of telling Preston that it is not meant to be. NAH!

William Lichter's revenge plot against Mike Dexter gets put on hold as he is too busy intermingling with his classmates and having the time of his life. It also proves to be unnecessary because Amanda's public take down of Mike is far more damaging to his ego than any revenge William could ever think of. It also backfires big time - when, after the police raid the party, Mike tries to lead his newfound friend, William, to safety behind the pool house and the two of them get jumped, and chloroformed, by William's two nerdy minions. The nerds snap pictures of Mike and William is obscene positions and only afterwards do they realize their mistake. The cops then arrive on the scene and haul Mike and William to jail.   

There are also a few minor subplots going on as the movie unfolds: A psychotically perky girl (Melissa Joan Hart) is determined to get everyone to sign her yearbook; the hostess of the party slowly loses her mind as it gets more out of control; the band, Love Burger, breaks up before playing a single note and then agree to get back together; and a kleptomaniac steals anything that is within his reach.  The one thing you can’t say about Can’t Hardly Wait is that it is boring, because there is so much going on.

However, there are certain scenes/elements of Can’t Hardly Wait that never really sat well with me and I often cringe whenever they come up; the first being the complete rejection – and undermining – Mike Dexter’s character arc.  The movie leads you to believe that Mike has turned over a new leaf when he takes the fall for William. Yet, when William thanks Mike at the diner the next morning, Mike denies knowing him and proceeds to mock William in front of his friends.  A title card then appears onscreen that informs us of Mike’s fate – he flunked out of college, gained forty pounds, and got fired from the car wash.  This irks me to no end. Granted, it fits in with Elfont and Kaplan’s cinematic world view: the party has been a humbling experience for Mike and fate has given him an opportunity to better himself, but he completely rejects it. I, personally, would rather see Mike be given a full redemption. The movie doesn’t necessarily have to end with William and him becoming BFFS, but at least have Mike and William give a slight nod of the head to each other. Sure, it is corny idea, but I find it preferable to the stereotype of “the dumb jock who amounts to nothing.” 

 

I’ve also never been sold on the idea that Denise would be so willing to sleep with Kenny, despite the bonding that goes on in the bathroom. This not the fault of the actors, but rather the writing – prior to them being locked in the bathroom together, it is never established that Kenny and Denise have a history together.  There is a brief moment where Denise makes fun of Kenny, but so does everyone else at the party.  The two of them hooking up always felt a bit contrived to me despite the sincerity of the performers.  

Finally, my least favorite scene in the movie: Cousin Ron making a move on Amanda!  
At the party Amanda runs into her second cousin (through marriage), Ron, and he offers up a sympathetic ear as she airs out her grievances. This, however, turns out to be a complete ruse on his part and, sensing that Amanda is vulnerable, he makes a pass at her.  Preston walks in, sees the two of them kissing, and assumes that this is consensual, and then leaves the party absolutely deflated. Seconds after he leaves, Amanda pushes Ron away, gives him a good scolding, and walks out of the room. Ron runs after her, pleading to her not to tell his mother.  The only reason Ron exists is to give Preston a crisis of faith. I hate it for two reasons:

1)      The filmmakers could have easily accomplished that same thing by having Preston walk in as Amanda and Ron share a friendly hug.  Or, have Amanda give Ron an affection kiss on the cheek. You don’t need Ron to be a complete lech in order for Preston to have a crisis of faith.

2)      It would be nice to meet one male who doesn’t have designs on Amanda. Practically every male she encounters at the party, other than Preston, is a horn dog that wants to shack up with Amanda. It would be a nice twist to have her meet a guy (her second cousin) who has zero interest in her. It wouldn’t be so redundant. 

There plenty of flaws with the script by Elfont and Kaplan, but they are extremely imaginative filmmakers.  My favorite part is how they link characters, in different locations, together throw creative editing and screen direction.  The movie opens on Preston and Denise at the graduation ceremony.  After Preston reveals his whole plan to Denise, they get in his car and drive off. The car drives out of the right side of the frame. 
CUT to. A long shot of Preston’s car, driving left to right in the frame, and then pan over to Mike and his friends at a fast food restaurant.  Mike convinces his cronies to dump their girlfriends and they get in his red pick up truck; the truck drives to the left and out of frame. 
CUT to. A long shot as a red, toy pick up truck rolls right to left into the frame. All of a sudden, a hand comes into frame and knocks the toy pick up truck over. The camera tilts up to reveal William Lichter.  He then explains his elaborate revenge plot to his two minions. The three of them walk upstairs as they appear on black and white surveillance monitor (that, for some reason, William has in his room).
CUT to. A long shot of a surveillance camera in an convenience store. The camera tilts down to reveal Kenny and his homeboys hanging out. 

This is a clever, and efficient, way to introduce each character. It keeps the movie going at a fast pace and, visually, gives us the information we need about each character.

 
Can’t Hardly Wait is not a great work of art, but it is great piece of entertainment. It helped kick off the teen comedy cycle that, for better or worse, would dominate the cinemas in the late 1990s/early 2000s; and would later be a parodied in Not Another Teen Movie. It is a much more imaginative movie than the later teen comedies, even though it wasn’t as big of a hit (She’s All That and Bring It On did better box office). It is also interesting to see familiar faces, before they hit stardom, in smaller roles: Selma Blair, Jason Segal, Clea DuVal, Marisol Nichols, Sara Rue, and Eric Balfour (to name a few).  It greatly helps that most of the main cast members were actual teenagers when the movie went into production (the only two exceptions being Peter Facinelli and Seth Green).  It's always a distraction when actors clearly in their mid-twenties to early-thirties play hip, young teenagers. 

Credits
Cast: Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda Beckett), Ethan Embry (Preston), Lauren Ambrose (Denise), Charlie Korsmo (William), Peter Facinelli (Mike Dexter), Seth Green (Kenny), Jenna Elfman (The Angel), Melissa Joan Hart (Yearbook Girl), Erik Pallandino (Cousin Ron),  Jerry O’ Connell (Trip McNeely), Channon Roe (Jock #1), Sean Patrick Thomas (Jock #2), Freddy Rodriguez (Jock #3),  Michelle Brockhurst (Girl Whose Party It is), Joey Michaely (X-Phile #1), Jay Paulson (X-Phile #2), Jaime Pressley (Girlfriend #1), Tamala Jones (Girlfriend #2), Jennifer Lyons (Girlfriend #3),  Branden Williams (Homeboy #1), Robert Jayne (Homeboy #2), Chris Owen (Klepto Kid), Marisol Nichols (Groupie), Monica McSwain (Groupie), Alexander Martin (Exchange Student), Clea DuVall (Jana), Jason Segal (Watermelon Guy),  Breckin Meyer (Lead Singer), Donald Faison (Drummer), Johnny Zander (Guitar Player), Alec Ledd (Bass Player),  Nicole Bilderback (Ready to Have Sex Girl), Leslie Grossman (Ready to Have Sex Girl’s Friend), Victor Togunde (Reminiscing Guy), Selma Blair (Girl Mike Hits on #1), Jennifer Praz (Girl Mike Hits on #2), Brian Klugman (Stoner), Meadow Sisto (Hippie Girl), Eric Balfour (Hippie Guy), Sara Rue (Earth Girl).

Directors: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Screenplay: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan
Running Time: 100 min.