'Now and Then': A female 'Stand by me' for the 90s

By Primastuti Handayani

JAKARTA (JP): "All for one and one for all".

This old proverb is not the monopoly of the Three Musketeers. It also applies to a quartet of girls in the small town of Shelby, Indiana. Now and Then is the story of a lasting friendship between four women.

The film is about four women reminiscing about the good old days of the 1970s.

The women are doctor Roberta Martin (Rossie O'Donnell), writer Samantha Albertson (Demi Moore), actress Tina Tercell or Teeny (Melanie Griffith) and housewife and a mother-to-be Christina Dewitt or Chrissy (Rita Wilson).

The music and fashion of the 1970s accompany their memories of childhood, played by a different, but no less talented, cast.

Dressed in short pants, the gang is led by tomboy Roberta (Christina Ricci), who plays baseball and likes punching boys.

The others are Samantha Albertson (Gaby Hoffman), a wise girl who leads her friends in make-believe plays, Teeny (Thora Birch), who cares more about her appearance and boys, and Chrissy (Ashleigh Ashton Moore), the most naive of the four.

One summer night, during a seance in a cemetery, they stumble upon the tomb of Dear Johnny who was brutally murdered in 1945. They decide there and then to investigate, for Johnny's death reminds Roberta of her mother's, who died in a car accident. Thus begins their adventure.

But Roberta is not the only one with problems.

Samantha has to deal with the fact that her father left the family. Teeny, an only child, is sick of her parents. Chrissy is only one with few problems.

Fans of Moore, Griffith, and O'Donnell might be in for a disappointment, because the movie is more about the girls adventures than their adult lives.

In fact Moore and Griffith and O'Donnell only appear for 20 minutes or so. Still they are memorable, particularly during the scene when they help Chrissy deliver her baby.

Now and Then is different from Waiting to Exhale, which also tells the story of the friendship of four women, starring Whitney Houston and Angela Basset. While Exhale is about adult problems such as love affairs and divorce, Now and Then focuses on pre- pubescent problems.

Now and Then's main strength comes from the fact that the main cast is all female, as well as the people behind the scenes, the director, script writer and both producers. Only the director of photography is a man.

Lesli Linka Glatter directed. A one-time choreographer, she received an Academy Award nomination for her short film Tales of Meeting and Parting. Her previous work includes two episodes of ABC's series NYPD Blue and four episodes of David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

Demi Moore, who co-produced the film with Suzanne Todd, says she agreed to produce the film because of the story, which was adapted from a semi-autobiographical book by Marlene King.

"I loved that it was a story about four young girls, but what was most interesting for me is that it is also about life's betrayals and the loss of innocence," she said.

Unfortunately, in Now and Then, Moore failed to express Samantha's character as a philosopher. She is too sexy for the role.

Nominee of the Golden Globe award in her megahit Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg, Moore starred in controversial films like Disclosure and more recently Striptease, and box office hits such as A few Good Man with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, and Indecent Proposal with Robert Redford.

Griffith, who grabbed the world's attention in Working Girl with Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver, is charming as TV star Tina Tercell.

O'Donnell, who received Kids Choice Award as favorite movie actress for her role as Barney's wife in Flintstone, was convincing as Roberta, especially when, as doctor, she calmly helps Chrissy delivers the baby.

O'Donnell, who made her debut in Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own, also received American Comedy Award nominations for Another Stakeout and Nora Erphon's Sleepless in Seattle.

Newcomer Rita Wilson, wife of Tom Hanks, is perfect as Chrissy, a small town housewife. Wilson's previous movie appearances include Sleepless in Seattle and Volunteers.

But the real stars of the movie are the young girls.

Christina Ricci is convincing as Roberta. Ricci's first movie appearance was in Mermaids with Cher and Wynona Ryder, and she drew the world's attention in Steven Spielberg's Casper, The Addam's Family and Addam's Family Values.

Thora Birch shines as Tina, who dreams of being a Hollywood superstar and is the only one who pays much attention to her looks.

Birch played Harrison Ford's daughter in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. But she first caught the attention of moviegoers in Monkey Trouble where she teamed up with a pick- pocketing primate.

Gaby Hoffman was a natural choice for the role of Samantha, who is suffering from her parent's divorce. Hoffman started her career in Mel Gibson's Man Without a Face and Sleepless in Seattle.

Hoffman, the daughter of writer and famed Andy Warhol collaborator Viva, was acclaimed for her role in NBC's TV series Someone Like Me.

Ashleigh Ashton Moore, who received the 1995 Best Actress Award in Canada for Youth Television, acted naturally as a naive girl who always feels awkward when her friends talk about sex.

Who cares about her breast size? Who still remembers her first kiss? In Now and Then, you'll remember the good old days with your friends. As they reminisce about their good old days, the women find that friends are valuable gifts.