The late 90’s ushered in a slew of teen films that harkened back to the John Hughes angsty teen endeavors that left their mark on 80’s cinema. The film that sparked this new trend was 1995’s Clueless, which won over critics and became a sleeper hit at the box office upon release. This was followed a year late with the release of Scream which reinvented the horror genre and pumped life back into teen slasher subgenre of horror.
In the midst of this rebirth of teen inspired cinema, Can’t Hardly Wait was released on June 12, 1998. The film, which was cast full of well-known and up and coming young stars of the time. It would be easy to dismiss Can’t Hardly Wait in the pantheon of teen films to come out at the time because it wasn’t a massive success when it was released. The film had a modest $8 million opening weekend and tapped out at $25.6 million and while it more than doubled its $10 million production budget, it didn’t match the grosses of some of the more successful films of its kind to be released at the time. I recall seeing it on opening night and my theater was about half full and while our crowd loved it, the film didn’t seem to really explode right out the gate.
Sometimes the best films achieve their deserved success later in life and Can’t Hardly Wait is a prime example of this feat. After a modest box office run, the film achieved cult status when it was released on VHS and DVD in November of 1998 and since that time, the film has only increased in popularity. Perhaps being released in the summer of 1998 allowed it to get lost in the shuffle because the amount of affection and admiration the film receives now, recalls a movie that has much greater mass appeal. 20 years since its release, Can’t Hardly Wait has continued to endure and the power of its longevity is due to slick writing, a winning cast and, most importantly, its heart.
Writers Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, who had just finished writing the script for 1996’s A Very Brady Sequel, were looking to come up with an idea that they could write and direct. The goal was to come up with something that could be made on the cheap and with their total creative control.
“What could we do if we wanted to make a movie for as little as possible? OK, well, we have a house or an apartment and we have a lot of young actor friends who are unemployed.” – Deborah Kaplan
The main idea to keep the film’s budget relatively low was to center the film around one main event: The last big party before its core characters moved on after high school graduation. Essentially the idea would be one long party scene and the narrative would evolve from the situations at the party.
“We thought, wee should do a throwback to John Hughes.’ And we also talked a lot about Say Anything, specifically the party scene, and then we were like, ‘What if that’s the whole movie?’” – Harry Elfont
For a couple of writers without much money trying to become first-time directors, the idea seemed inspired. Elfont and Kaplan could rent a place, gather up all their friends, throw a literal party that’d last an entire weekend, and then boom—there’s your movie. Of course, once the duo began writing the film, they realized that it wouldn’t be entirely that easy but at its core, they more or less could set out to do what they were trying to accomplish.
Can’t Hardly Wait is, true to Elfont and Kaplan’s initial idea, a party scene stretched out into an entire movie. Focusing on a handful of high school archetypes—the hopeless romantic everyman, the jock, the nerd, the prettiest girl in school, the one who desperately wants to get laid—it weaves through a house party thrown the night of graduation, a night that signifies the end of one part of a teenager’s life and the beginning of another. It is, essentially, a series of smaller stories stitched together and united by the fact that they all take place at the same rager that isn’t unlike some of the high school parties we can all remember attending as we navigated through teen angst.
Can’t Hardly Wait was originally titled The Party, and Elfont and Kaplan had structured it so that all of the movie’s main characters—Preston, Mike, William, and Kenny—were friends, and Preston was meant to fall for his best girlfriend, Denise. This idea wasn’t entirely coming together for the writing duo, however:
“It just didn’t feel like we were reflecting enough as a whole. It felt like just a subsection of the high school experience.” – Harry Elfont
It wasn’t until they had the idea to break up the characters and turn them into representatives of relatable high school archetypes that things fell into place. Each character would represent someone relatable to the high school experience and by making some of the characters virtually strangers, it allowed for some of their unions to lead to some pleasant surprises on screen. Elfont and Kaplan kept the through line of Preston finding love—but with Amanda Beckett, the most popular girl in school, who had just been dumped by her equally popular boyfriend, Mike Dexter—while writing vignettes featuring William, Kenny, and Denise that would orbit the main plot.
“Once we hit on how the stories would be separate in a woven story, once we figured that out, it didn’t take that long to write at all.” – Deborah Kaplan
As the writers were putting the finishing touches on the script for Can’t Hardly Wait toward the end of 1996, Scream was released on December 20th. Wes Craven’s high school horror flick made $6 million in its first weekend, but surged to over $10 million in its third weekend and steadily remained near the top of the box office into March of 1997. When all was said and done, Scream had made over $100 million domestically on a $14 million budget—and studios were looking for more movies like it.
“Suddenly every place was open for business for teen movies. It didn’t even need to be a horror movie. Studios just realized that there was a huge teen audience that was being underserved, so everybody was looking for teen scripts. And we had one.” – Harry Elfont
Elfont and Kaplan had a deal to make Can’t Hardly Wait with Columbia Pictures, through Sony, by mid-1997. To their surprise, the studio also agreed to their demand that they direct the film. With a budget of $10 million, the gamble was a small one for the studio and this allowed them to give the reigns to the duo as they set out to make the film they dreamed of.
The fact that Can’t Hardly Wait was a movie with a solid script and large ensemble meant different things to different people. For young actors like Joel Michaely, who played X-Phile #1 in the film, it meant opportunity. For Elfont and Kaplan, it meant that casting was going to be of the utmost importance. Not only did they need a couple of good leads, they needed good actors in basically every role because there really wasn’t that much difference in screen time between Preston and Watermelon Guy. They needed actors who could—no matter how small the role—take their character off the page and make them feel like a real person you had gone to high school with.
“What’s crazy is that there were good options for all of the roles because there were so few movies for these actors. There were some shows that they were on, but there were no movies for actors who could play teenagers, so everybody came in. It was really exciting because everybody wanted to be a part of it, and a lot of the supporting actors—like, all the friends—came in to read for the larger parts and, if they didn’t get it, we would just cast them as the friends.” – Harry Elfont
Casting the movie turned out to be a combination of leaning on friends (or friends of friends), decisiveness, and serendipity. Both Ethan Embry and Peter Facinelli were turned on to Can’t Hardly Wait because of Breckin Meyer, who was dating Kaplan at the time. Meyer also put up his friend Seth Green.
Elfont and Kaplan certainly weren’t imagining Ethan Embry when they wrote Preston, an affable, romantic teen who’s convinced that fate has finally smiled on him when he hears that his longtime crush, Amanda Beckett, was dumped by her jock boyfriend, Mike Dexter. By then, Embry had already played a bunch of weirdos, most notably the kid who headbangs to Gwar and slams pot brownies in Empire Records. There wasn’t much about Embry that screamed sensitive male lead and the duo actually wanted him to read for the role of the nerdy William in the film but Embry fought for the part of Preston:
“I said no. I know I’m not your typical leading man type, but I thought this movie was better suited if they didn’t cast that guy.” – Ethan Embry
Eventually, Elfont and Kaplan relented and allowed him to read for Preston and they suddenly saw the role in a whole new light:
“So, we had him read for Preston and there was something so charming and winning and endearing, because he read the part with some distance. Somehow Ethan was able to make it really sympathetic; he just had an openness and innocence.” – Harry Elfont
Casting Peter Facinelli as über-jock Mike Dexter was an easier proposition, and it was sealed the second Facinelli kicked off his audition by doing push-ups, completely conveying the jock-like personna they were looking for:
“I thought it was a very egotistical and confident thing to do. It was either the most asinine thing or the most perfect thing he could have done.” – Deborah Kaplan
Elfont and Kaplan were originally eyeing James Marsden for the role of Mike but Facinelli won them over with his audition and a sense of danger that he brought to the role that they felt that Marsden lacked.
Seth Green was also meant to read for William, but when it was clear that Breckin Meyer wouldn’t be able to have a large role in the movie—he was filming 54 at the time—the role of Kenny was up for grabs. Green became an obvious choice for Kenny because he was willing to do just about anything for a laugh and this characteristic was needed for a character who was a white kid who quotes Tupac and Biggie, unironically wears JNCO Jeans and ski goggles, and who carries around a backpack he calls “the love kit” that’s full of condoms, oils, and scented candles.
“We needed someone who would just kill it comedically and Seth just fully, fully committed.” – Harry Elfont
To play Amanda, the object of Preston’s—and really, every man at the party’s—affection, Jennifer Love Hewitt was always the first choice. She was the only performer in the film who didn’t have to audition and was sought after for the role.
“We just kind of offered it to her and she said yes. She was really excited to play this part she never had, and we were thrilled to have her.” – Harry Elfont
The casting of Hewitt was also a case of great timing for the future prospects of the film. She had already made a name for herself as one of the stars of Party of Five, but it wasn’t until after she signed onto the movie that she truly blew up.
“While we were shooting, I Know What You Did Last Summer came out and it was a huge hit. It was like, ‘This is great!’” – Harry Elfont
In contrast to casting Hewitt for Amanda, the role of Denise landed on many names before Lauren Ambrose ultimately got the part. Some of the names that came across their desk were Alicia Witt, Reese Witherspoon & Christina Ricci but all of those names fell out of play when Elfont and Kaplan saw Ambrose’s audition tape.
“I think casting deleted half of her tape. It was like they hadn’t even meant for us to see it. Half of her audition showed up at the tail end of a tape and we were like, ‘Wait, who’s that?’” – Deborah Kaplan
Needless to say, once they met with Ambrose in person, it became very clear that she was the only one who could pull the part off of Preston’s antisocial, cynical best friend.
Can’t Hardly Wait started shooting in October of 1997. The exterior scenes were filmed at a house in Altadena, California, and the interiors were on a soundstage. Elfont and Kaplan may have been first-time directors, but the 26-day shoot ended up being remarkably easy. The duo never felt like they were scrambling and even though there was some tension because it was their first time directing, the shoot ran relatively smoothly.
There was really only one major hiccup: Just days into filming, Elfont and Kaplan realized they had made a mistake in casting the role of William. Adam Hann-Byrd, a then-15-year-old actor who had gained critical attention with his turn in 1991’s Little Man Tate, was initially given the role, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t working out.
“We started worrying like, ‘Oh my gosh, this guy is gonna have to sing “Paradise City” at the top of his lungs on a bar. It just wasn’t who he is.” – Harry Elfont
The release of Adam Hann-Byrd actually had most of the cast nervous, especially those who felt they made not been the first choice for their roles. Lauren Ambrose is one who was said to be very nervous after Hann-Byrd was let go as was Peter Facinelli and Ethan Embry.
“Peter was very scared. But I remember telling Peter that it wasn’t him—it was going to be me.” – Ethan Embry
Much to the delight of everyone involved, no one else was fired and it led to casting a new William that would make the character one of the most iconic nerds to hit the big screen. Elfont and Kaplan turned to Charlie Korsmo, another actor who had wowed in performances as a child. Korsmo, who had been in Hook, Dick Tracy, and What About Bob? as a child actor, had left Hollywood for college at MIT. In his sophomore year, however, he decided to get back into acting and reached out to his agent that he was ready to perform again.
“He put himself on tape. He rapped and chugged a real beer at the end of his audition.” – Harry Elfont
Michaely, who filmed most of his scenes with Korsmo, recalls how the actor was much like the character he was portraying:
“All of a sudden they rolled in Charlie Korsmo and it was like, ‘Whoa!’ Because Charlie Korsmo was big. I was like, ‘Let’s party! Wanna go out tonight?!’ He was like, ‘I don’t go out.’” – Joel Michaely
This is a vibe that permeated throughout much of the filming of Can’t Hardly Wait. It was a mix of stark professionalism and people who just wanted to have fun. This goes a long way to creating a well-acted film that also feels like you’re a part of the party. The rowdiness is infectious and its attention to detail in creating the high school party experience makes it instantly relatable.
The first weekend that Can’t Hardly Wait was in theaters was a roller coaster of emotions for Elfont and Kaplan. On that Friday, executives were calling them, celebrating.
“You’ve got a big hit but then the phone didn’t ring on Sunday or Monday, though. It was like tumbleweeds blowing through our homes. You’re like, ‘OK, well, I just spent a lot of time on that and I disappointed everyone, I guess.’” – Deborah Kaplan
All told, Can’t Hardly Wait made $25.6 million domestically and stayed in theaters for only three weeks—a disappointment, given the movie’s promising testing and the studio’s excitement on that first Friday. The film more than doubled its production budget but the studio honestly thought they had a much bigger hit on their hands.
There are a few theories as to why it didn’t explode out of the gate. Some blame the crowed summer release date while Ethan Embry thinks some of it has to do with the sanitized final product that the studio strived for in order to gain a PG-13 rating. In truth, many things were edited out: characters on drugs; Jason Segel not just being Watermelon Guy, but having a sexual relationship with said watermelon; and a character played by Jennifer Elise Cox called “Drunk Crying Girl,” whose lines were all subtitled.
“They did it to Empire Records too!” They never even released that shit in the theater. And then Can’t Hardly Wait opened up in fourth. Of course it did.” – Ethan Embry.
Oddly enough, the more raunchy material would probably fly much easier today and it even played out well soon after the release of Can’t Hardly Wait. The following summer, American Pie was released and it embraced its R-rating to staggering box office success.
Like many cult classics before it, the popularity of Can’t Hardly Wait grew slowly. Despite a three week run in theaters, the film found renewed life when it hit home release in November of 1998.
“I would notice in stores that it was always checked out, or I would go to people’s houses and everyone would have it in their DVD collection. You could just feel the love and affection for the movie start billowing up and billowing up.” – Joel Michaely
What would pleasantly surprise all involved was how much the film meant to so many people who grew up with the film.
“Many years later people started saying, ‘Oh, that movie meant so much to me when I was in high school. It had a whole life on home video and TV. We’d meet people who graduated in ’98 or around then and they’d say, ‘Oh, that was my movie.’ That was when we realized we kind of did what we wanted to, which was we made a high school movie that kind of really connected with that generation.” – Deborah Kaplan
Even though it’s been only 20 years, Can’t Hardly Wait evokes a simpler time. A time without cell phones or social media. A time when it was still possible to suspend your disbelief and convince yourself that the teenage boy carrying around a love letter for a girl he’s never spoken to is just a hopeless romantic and not a disturbing stalker. A time when teen movies came with a sweet sheen of perfection and innocence. A year after Can’t Hardly Wait’s release, American Pie came out, not only tossing a gallon of tainted beer on the teen movie sheen but making over $100 million domestically (and three sequels) in the process. Two years after that, a stake was driven through the heart of the genre by Not Another Teen Movie, a title that now seems a bit prescient. In the wake of those films, teen movies stopped being made for the adolescent crowd who couldn’t wait to grow up and started being made for the adult crowd who just wanted to go back to high school
The movie is one of the forefathers of the late 90’s teen movie craze. Following in Clueless’s footsteps, Can’t Hardly Wait helped pave the way for movies like She’s All That, Drive Me Crazy, and 10 Things I Hate About You. It is a time capsule, not only because of its loud fashion and Smash Mouth–and–Blink-182–heavy soundtrack, but because movies like it—major studio teen/rom-com flicks—no longer exist. And, of course, because its cast from top to bottom is loaded with 90’s icons or young actors who would go on to have extremely successful careers. There are Ethan Embry, Breckin Meyer, Melissa Joan Hart, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, but also Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Charlie Korsmo, Jaime Pressly, Donald Faison, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Freddy Rodriguez, as well as Jerry O’Connell, Selma Blair, Clea Duvall, and Jason Segel in “blink and you’ll miss it” cameos. There is something about the film that is frozen in time yet it still manages to be relevant for those watching it in 2018. That’s a testament to how strong the film is and it more than earns its status as one of the best teen films of the 90’s.
Lauren Catherine Ricca
Love this movie.