If you were a middle schooler growing up in the ‘90s, chances are you may have rented Now and Then on VHS. Released in the fall of 1995 and on VHS the following year, I was 11 and in the summer between seventh and eighth grade when I discovered the film.
Now and Then is the perfect summer coming-of-age story. It’s a Stand By Me for females if you will. Despite being nearly 30 years old, the movie holds up quite well. It deals with universal themes like the often-difficult transition to womanhood, overprotective mothers, divorce, and more.
The film begins with Demi Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Melanie Griffith, and Rita Wilson as four grown women getting together to celebrate the impending birth of a new baby (Wilson’s). They soon begin reminiscing about what they deem the best summer of their lives. Viewers are taken back to 1970 when they were twelve years old.
One of the best parts of the film is its excellent soundtrack. There are songs like “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies, “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. Decades later, I still think the soundtrack makes the movie.
I identified with Ashleigh Aston Moore/Rita Wilson’s character Chrissy the most growing up. She was the mother of the group, making sure everyone was comfortable and welcome in her home. As a pre-teen, she was the pigtailed, innocent one, due to her overbearing mother (there’s a hilarious scene where she attempts to explain sex to Chrissy). Both actresses make her naivete endearing.
Rosie O’Donnell and Christina Ricci portray Roberta, a tomboy with three older brothers. She struggles with the fact that she is becoming a woman, especially since her mother died tragically in a car accident when she was only four. Roberta ends up becoming an obstetrician-gynecologist and delivers Chrissy’s baby! Ricci truly shines in this role and you can foresee how her acting talents will develop as she gets older.
Before Thora Birch became an indie movie queen, she played Tina “Teeny” Tercell, and star Melanie Griffith is her adult counterpart. The character brings lots of comic relief, especially when her desire for bigger breasts leads her to stuff her bra with pudding-filled balloons.
Finally, Demi Moore and Gaby Hoffman portray broody sci-fi writer Samantha, arguably the best pairing casting-wise. Hoffman and Moore not only look alike but they share the same mannerisms and voice inflections. Samantha’s character has the most dramatic situations happen to her, with her parents divorcing during the movie and her dad moving out.
Now and Then is the quintessential sleepover movie. Even though the girls are generations removed from today’s Gen Z, I still think it would be a popular choice for preteens today. The film deals with timeless issues like young love and growing up but most of all, it centers on an important part of life—especially as a 12-year-old: friends.