Souvenirs d'un été

"Now and Then" is very simular to "Stand by Me". Thats why I saw it. It is a girlie film but I did enjoy it and even own a copy! It's only flaw- it's cliched (but hey, I'm a horror fan, so I really shouldn't complain!). Four friends all aged 12, an over- weight kid that gets picked on. The four friends have to cope with loss, death and of course.... adolescence. All these things were brought up in "Stand by Me". Despite "Now and Then"'s flaws, it is, in general, a great coming of age flick. Well acted and has a great cast of young and adult actors. The comedy is better in this film than it is in Reiner's 1986 hit. And seeing as this is a comedy, it delivers. A fun filled ride into adolescence!

Samantha (Demi Moore) is called home to Shelby, Indianna for her childhood friend Chrissy (Rita Wilson)'s coming childbirth. She recalls her childhood in the summer of 1970 in the new subdivision Gaslight Addition. The four friends Roberta (Christina Ricci), Teeny (Thora Birch), Samantha (Gaby Hoffmann), and Chrissy (Ashleigh Aston Moore) try to earn enough money for a tree house. One night, they play séance at Dear Johnny's grave at the cemetery and lightning strikes. They go off to discover the story behind Dear Johnny while Wormer brothers continue to hound them.

There is a definite 'Stand By Me' feel to it. It's the female equivalent. The obvious question is if the adult version is compelling enough and do the two versions fit together. I can certainly do without the adult version. Rosie O'Donnell doesn't really fit as an adult Christina Ricci. It would have been much better to limit the adult storyline like 'Stand By Me'. Although, it's only about 20 minutes of screen time at the start and the end of the movie.

'Now And Then' is about a group of women who return to their old treehouse and reminisce about the one summer that truly changed their lives...

With an all star cast, 'Now And Then' features Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore, Rita Wilson and Rosie O'Donnell, with Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffman, Ashleigh Aston Moore and Christina Ricci playing their younger counterparts.

Teen star Christina Ricci ('Casper', 'The Adams Family') is great - as is Ricci's 'Gold Diggers' co-star, Ashleigh Aston Moore - as the mis-informed Chrissy. Bonnie Hunt ('Jumangi') and Devon Sawa ('Wild America') also star.

The story is great - plenty of laughs to be had here, with sad moments, too. The acting is A-Grade (the young girls look very promising) and the finished product is a film all the cast should be proud of.

This was a great family flick. It was funny and charming. I watched this film with my girlfriend, when she picked it out at Blockbuster I cringed at the fact of having to watch it, but you know, I admit, I enjoyed this film a lot more than I though I was going to. It was cute, the plot was good, it actually kind of reminded me of another fantastic film called "Stand By Me", but in a girl's perspective of course. If you have young children, heck, if you don't have young children, give this one a shot. This is a film I think any Female would probably enjoy. If your a dude, put away all your manly inhibitions for about an hour and a half, don't expect too much going into the film, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Now and Then is a good film that has a likeable cast and is funny and expresses friendship. Yes, it is definetley a girl's movie, but even though, I enjoyed it. The movie is like Stand By Me, except it shows girls's perspectives. The film is a good and fun movie to watch for fun. I give Now and Then a 9 out of 10. :)