Now and Then (1995) VHS Movie Review

 

Now and Then was released into theaters on October 20th, 1995 on a budget of $12,000,000 and grossed $37,591,674 in the box office. The film is a coming-of-age film that follows four women who recount a pivotal summer they shared in 1970 as adolescents.

Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and she’s best known for her TV work on Homeland and the West Wing.

Written by I. Marlene King and she’s best known for her TV work on Pretty Little Liars.

Produced by Demi Moore and Suzanne Todd, Todd is the owner of the film production company Team Todd and has produced hits for nearly every major studio.

Now and Then Cast
Gaby Hoffman/Demi Moore as Samantha Albertson
Christina Ricci/Rosie O’Donnell as Roberta Martin
Ashleigh Aston Moore/Rita Wilson as Chrissy DeWitt
Thora Birch/Melanie Griffith as Tina “Teeny” Tercell

Supporting Cast
Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. DeWitt
Cloris Leachman as Grandma Albertson
Janeane Garofalo as Wiladene
Brendan Fraser as a Vietnam Veteran
Hank Azaria as Bud Kent

Now and Then Trailers
Movieline Magazine Promo
Now and Then Soundtrack Promo
Theodore Rex Trailer
Bed of Roses Trailer
Mortal Kombat Coming Soon to VHS Trailer
The Mask Now on VHS Trailer
Dumb and Dumber Now on VHS Trailer
Certified Original Macrovision: In order to ensure that the program you are about to watch is an original, and of the highest quality, this videocassette incorporates the exclusive Macrovision encoding process.

Now and Then Plot
In 1991, four childhood friends reunite in their hometown of Shelby, Indiana.

Samantha Albertson (Demi Moore) Science-Fiction writer who narrates the story. She was played by Gaby Hoffman and was the “weird” girl who liked to perform seances.

Roberta Martin (Rosie O’Donnell) She’s now a doctor and was played by Christina Ricci, a tough tomboy whose mother died when she was four-years-old.

Chrissy DeWitt (Rita Wilson) She’s about to give birth to her first child. , and she was a naive child that was over-sheltered by her mother (Bonnie Hunt).

Tina “Teeny” Tercell (Melanie Griffith) is a successful Hollywood actress; as a child (Thora Birch), she had always dreamed of fame. Teeny and Samantha have not visited their hometown in ten years.

The story flashes back to 1970 when the girls had two goals: saving enough money to buy a tree house and avoiding the Wormer brothers. One night, they sneak out to the cemetery to perform a seance. A cracked tombstone convinces them they have resurrected the spirit of a young boy identified only as Dear Johnny, who died in 1945 at the age of twelve. Intrigued, they search for information at the library but find nothing. Roberta, on the other hand, sees the true story of her mothers death.

While heading for the library in a nearby town, they bump into the Wormers and steal their clothes while they swim. At the library, Roberta discovers an article about her mother dying in a car accident. Samantha finds a story about Dear Johnny and his mother tragically dying, but a part is missing, leaving the cause of their deaths a mystery.

The girls meet a Vietnam veteran (Brendan Fraser) while riding their bike. He is now a hippie that travels from town to town. The girls then visit a local psychic Wiladene (Janeane Garofalo) who determines he was murdered with tarot cards.

Samantha meets her mom’s boyfriend Bud Kent over dinner and storms out to Teeny’s place where she is watching a drive-in movie. Samantha tells Teeny that her parents are getting a divorce. Teeny breaks her favorite necklace in two and makes them both friendship bracelets. On their way home during a thunderstorm, Samantha loses her half of the bracelet in a storm drain. When she climbs down to get it, the water rises, trapping her. Crazy Pete, a homeless man, pulls her out. Thankful, the girls now see him differently. At the same time, Roberta is playing basketball in her driveway when Scott Wormer suddenly arrives. They kiss on the porch.

The next day, the girls ask Samantha’s grandmother about Dear Johnny’s death and discover from a newspaper article that he and his mother were murdered. Roberta becomes upset and angry that two innocent people were killed and also by the realization that her mother died brutally, opposite to what she was told. Samantha announces that her parents are divorcing, and the four make a pact to always be there for one another, no matter what.

To put Dear Johnny’s soul to rest, the girls go to the cemetery to perform another seance. Johnny’s tombstone suddenly rises surrounded by bright lights. A figure appears from behind, but it is only the groundskeeper who explains that the stone was damaged and is being replaced. The groundskeeper explains he was the one who cracked the tombstone on accident. While leaving, they notice Crazy Pete, and Samantha follows him back to Dear Johnny’s grave. Realizing that he is Dear Johnny’s father, she comforts him, while he advises her not to dwell on things. After all this, the tree house is finally bought, and Samantha narrates, “The tree house was supposed to bring us more independence. But what the summer actually brought was independence from each other.”

The film returns to 1991, and Chrissy goes into labor and gives birth to a girl. Later, in their old tree house, it is revealed by Roberta that Crazy Pete had died the previous year. They then discuss how happy they are in life and make another pact to visit more often.

Come back in two weeks for You’ve Got Mail from 1998 to finish our ladies month.

Discuss these movies and more on our Facebook page.

You can also listen to us on iTunes, Podbean, and Youtube!

Email us at analogjonestof@gmail.com with any comments or questions!