When You Watch “Now & Then,” Now.

Something Now & Then and Stranger Things gets really right about our childhoods is kids riding around on bikes.

Much of our childhoods were spent riding around on bikes with our friends having glorious adventures. Oftentimes, chasing boys.

My husband caught part of Now & Then. He had never heard of this movie before. We went over the star-studded pairings of which woman was matched with girl.

“Wait, who’s Little Johnny?” Why are they in a cemetery?”

“Jake, little girls just do weird shit like this,” I explained. Because we did.

Now & Then has been streaming on Netflix since August 1st. It’s often described as a “90’s coming of age movie.” The last time I saw it, I had rented the cassette at a Blockbuster or Mr. Movies. Every once in a while, Now & Then has popped into my mind and I wondered if I’d ever see it again.

Watching Now & Then decades later when I’m the adult counterparts’ ages is strange.

I always wanted to be Roberta; she punched a guy in the face and kissed one, too (Devon Sawa). She grew up to be a confident, funny doctor. Really, I was more similar to Chrissy.

Later, I would watch Sex & The City and hope I would turn into a Miranda. I think I turned out more like Charlotte. We don’t always turn into who we imagined and that’s ok.

Like all 90’s movies I’ve re-visted, Now & Then isn’t completely unprobalamatic. People shame Chrissy about her weight. And there’s that weird scene with Brendan Fraser.

Still, there’s something about girlhood and womanhood and friendship that drew me in and stirs me now.

It’s funny how the most profound lines were completely lost on me when I was young. 

Roberta trying to make death “funny” after losing her mother.

About it being more difficult to just believe, not because we don’t want to, but, because “too much has happened and we can’t”

On realizing that your parents aren’t always right.

And trying to accept that things happening in your life that you can’t stop, but using that as a reason to shut-out the world.

I hope I watch this movie again when I’m Cloris Leachman running out of the house to join her old lady friends in a car speeding off to bingo.

I’m not sure if we ever stop growing up.

There’s always more trailing behind us and further now to go.

1 Comment

  1. Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids

    I loved this movie as a kid but haven’t made time to watch it again now that it is on Netflix. Great review of this classic!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© 2024 Jeni Eats

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑

Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
INSTAGRAM