Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, Riding in Cars with Boys scores 6.5/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Above Average), weakest on Cinematography (Below Average).
In 1965, a young woman with dreams of becoming a writer has a son at the age of 15 and struggles to make things work with the drug-addicted father.
Drew Barrymore delivers a committed, emotionally layered performance spanning decades, anchoring a film that covers familiar coming-of-age and struggling-mother territory without much visual distinction. The story, based on Beverly Donofrio's memoir, hits recognizable beats of youthful mistakes and hard-won maturity. The acting ensemble (including Steve Zahn) elevates relatively conventional material, but the cinematography is workmanlike and unremarkable for a Penny Marshall production. The narrative arc resolves with modest emotional satisfaction without a particularly memorable final act.