Can't Hardly Wait

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2:31

Can't Hardly Wait

PG-13

1998

1h 38m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

42%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

School's out, and an entire graduating class -- from football stars and cool girls to complete nerds -- gathers at a wealthy classmate's home for a party. There, the artistic Preston (Ethan Embry) hopes to move in on Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt), the beauty he has admired from afar for years. Dorky William (Charlie Korsmo) schemes to pay back meathead Mike (Peter Facinelli) for years of bullying, and would-be rapper Kenny (Seth Green) gets locked in a room with snarky Denise (Lauren Ambrose).

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Critics Consensus

Occasionally clever and moderately intelligent, Can't Hardly Wait also contains too many cheap laughs, recycled plotting, and flat characters.

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Mark Caro

Chicago Tribune

Kaplan and Elfont provide a real public service by showing how underage binge drinking can boost bookish students' social lives.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 19, 2014

Full Review

Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Fortunately, some of the appealing young performers -- who include Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose and, especially, Seth Green -- manage to emerge from the film's generic suburban-teen backdrop.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 19, 2014

Full Review

Dave Kehr

New York Daily News

There are signs that Can't Hardly Wait once had more serious aspirations... But in the final edit, at least, it's the dumb, broad slapstick that prevails, short-circuiting identification with the characters before it can begin.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 19, 2014

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Can't Hardly Wait is the typical fare for 1990s teen movies and it is entertaining without going too far overboard.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 30, 2024

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

There’s little imagination in the scripting, meaning the movie’s main virtue is as a spot-the-rising-star game.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 14, 2024

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Can't Hardly Wait is the type of classic teen comedy that has everything.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 28, 2024

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Christian K

Seems like a perfect description of the era, contains dozens of recognizable faces that pop up for a taste every other scene. JLH is nice.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/09/25

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Michael D L

Not a bad Movie with decent funny moments here and there

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

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Michael W

This romantic comedy was pretty good. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Charlie Korsmo, and the rest of the cast did a pretty good job in this movie. The story of the movie kind of entertaining and dramatic. It's about doing something crazy before you go off to college, even if it's telling a girl that doesn't know you that you love her. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you might like it. It wasn't as great as I thought it would be, but it wasn't terrible.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/28/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é bacaninha, as cenas são bacanas, o elenco é bom, e a maioria ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é mais ou menos, os personagens sao bacaninhas, mas o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores, o bom do filme também é a trilha sonora com músicas muito boas, com isso eu até recomendo esse filme.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/04/25

Full Review

Audience Member

It was a fun movie from a great era. It isn't amazing, but any guy who grew up in that era is a little bit in love with Jennifer Love-Hewitt, haha. Fun movie that is a bit too adult for teens.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/25

Full Review

Tay L

Good teen movie that is tons of oldschool 90s fun. If you were a teenager then or in the 2000s, this will feel like traveling back in time when house parties were king and trying to get romantic afterward was queen. Very funny and entertaining. Side note: Couldn't help but feel as though this was written by a former nerd that was bullied by jocks that made a movie where he actually won in the end haha.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/04/25

Full Review

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Deborah Kaplan

Director

Harry Elfont

Director

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Amanda Beckett

Ethan Embry

Preston Meyers

Charlie Korsmo

William Lichter

Lauren Ambrose

Denise Fleming

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - It Was Fate

2:12

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - Take Me Back?

2:05

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - First Kiss

1:30

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - Amanda's Single

1:47

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - Paradise City

2:13

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - A Second Chance

2:05

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - Preston Kisses Amanda

2:09

Can't Hardly Wait: Official Clip - I Can't Believe She Came

1:57

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Can't Hardly Wait: Trailer 1

2:31

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Synopsis

School's out, and an entire graduating class -- from football stars and cool girls to complete nerds -- gathers at a wealthy classmate's home for a party. There, the artistic Preston (Ethan Embry) hopes to move in on Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt), the beauty he has admired from afar for years. Dorky William (Charlie Korsmo) schemes to pay back meathead Mike (Peter Facinelli) for years of bullying, and would-be rapper Kenny (Seth Green) gets locked in a room with snarky Denise (Lauren Ambrose).

Director: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont
Producer: Jenno Topping, Betty Thomas
Production Co: Tall Trees Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 12, 1998, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.3M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround

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