They Couldn’t Wait But Maybe Should Have
‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ revolves around a huge party for recent high school grads, but what they’re waiting for isn’t what they get.
I remember when I graduated from high school, I was so excited to finally be done because I couldn’t wait for what life had in store for me. The future seemed to be wide open, with a myriad of possibilities waiting for me to discover. I soon figured out that hope can be deceiving, and that the wide open world isn’t exactly what I was expecting.
Can’t Hardly Wait was released in the summer of 1998. The plot is pretty simple and kind of predictable: It’s the end of the school year, and there’s going to be a blow-out party for the seniors. Preston, played by Ethan Embry, needs to deliver a letter to Amanda that proclaims his love to her. Amanda, portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt, is the popular girl who just got dumped by her jock boyfriend, Mike. Hijinks and shenanigans ensue at this raucous party, and Preston almost doesn’t get the girl until, wouldn’t you know it, he does in the end. Like I said, simple and predictable, but let’s look a little beyond the surface.
The title, at first read, isn’t much of a big deal. As a senior, you’re the biggest fish in the smallest pond. You’ve endured the freshmen status of being the babies on campus, the sophomore middle children syndrome, and junior year is the year before everyone can take their position at the top of the food chain, for the most part. All of these kids can’t hardly wait for their futures after high school.
As for the main characters, they can’t hardly wait for certain things to happen either at or after this party. Mike, played by Peter Facinelli, can’t hardly wait for college to start, so he can hook up with as many girls as he wants to. Charlie Korsmo, who plays William, can’t hardly wait to exact revenge on Mike at the party for all of the humiliation he’s put him through. Amanda can’t hardly wait to discover who she is without the presence of Mike looming in her life. Kenny, whose role was played by Seth Green, can’t hardly wait to have sex before college, so he can have some experience beforehand, and Preston can’t hardly wait to express his unrequited love for Amanda in the hopes that she will reciprocate those feelings.
But, sometimes the things that we can’t hardly wait for aren’t as amazing as we thought they’d be. Mike discovers that college won’t be easy as a freshman trying to get laid because he’ll be surrounded by guys that are older, more mature, and wiser than him. William’s revenge goes south as he gets wasted and ends up befriending, then getting rejected by Mike, which leaves him in the same place as where he started. Amanda learns that being single equals a lot of horny dudes trying to get her to sleep with them. Kenny figures out that sex is complicated and you need to be mature about it, and Preston gets totally embarrassed by Amanda as she yells at him in front of the entire party, proving that she has no idea who he is, let alone have any feelings for him. All of these characters have their high hopes dashed in one fell swoop at this party.
But, in all reality, Can’t Hardly Wait really isn’t that deep. At face value, it’s about kids partying one last time before heading their separate ways.
William gets to be popular for one night as he drinks his way through the party, mingling with his classmates like he never did during school. Mike gets taken down a peg or two by Amanda but ends up being the same butthead at the end of the movie. Kenneth gets to have sex for the first time and ends up maturing just a little bit, and Preston eventually gets to have a heart-to-heart with Amanda, which results in them seemingly ending up in a relationship.
The main characters’ plot points aside, it’s a fun and silly movie about a party, and there are plenty of funny scenes to enjoy. As I mentioned earlier, Can’t Hardly Wait is simple and predictable if you’re only taking the movie for what it was advertised to be: a cheery and an easy watch.
