LWITM: Can't Hardly Wait

I figured I would at least give you all (the few that look here) a little something. I have thought about doing this for a little while now, and since I have nothing to say today - it might be the perfect time.

I have noticed that there are a few movies out there from the past, whose casts are pretty strong - especially if they would try to get that cast together today.

So, my first Look Who's In That Movie (LWITM) is about Can't Hardly Wait.

Can't Hardly Wait arrived in theaters in 1998 with the huge star supposedly Jennifer Love Hewitt. But, dive a little deeper and you will see just how many of today's stars were just up-and-comers when this little movie came out.

First off, you have the circle of stars in this film:

• Jennifer Love Hewitt played Amanda Beckett, the object of Preston Myers affection.
• Ethan Embry played Preston Myers, a boy who pined after Amanda since the first day she walked into school - but never had the courage to speak to her.
• Lauren Ambrose played Denise Fleming, a girl who thought she was better than the high school crowd - and was Preston's best friend.
• Seth Green played Kenny Fisher, a boy who acted urban despite obviously being very white. His whole persona was trying to get laid.
• Peter Facinelli played Mike Dexter, Amanda's ex-boyfriend and ruler of the high school. The very obvious jock-type who picks on the nerds and is looking to score.
• Charlie Korsmo played William Lichter, a huge nerd whose purpose for attending the party is to embarrass Mike - but ends up getting drunk and becoming the life of the party.

Hewitt was a decent sized star before this movie came out with her television role on Party of Five and movie roles like I Know What You Did Last Summer. Green has become a huge star in Hollywood with film roles, guest stars on television shows and two of his own in Robot Chicken and Family Guy. Ambrose had the starring role in the hit television series Six Feet Under. Facinelli starred in Fastlane, and has been last seen in Damages. Korsmo, however, did a reverse turn. He was more known for his child roles in Hook and Dick Tracy - Can't Hardly Wait was his last film role.

Dive a little deeper, however, and even those smaller characters have become players in Hollywood.

• Scrubs star Donald Faison was the Lovebürger drummer.
• My Name Is Earl star Jaime Pressly played Beth, one of Amanda's friends.
• American Pie's Chris Owen was the Klepto Kid.
• Breckin Myer of Road Trip played the Lovebürger lead singer.
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch's Melissa-Joan Hart was the Yearbook Girl.
• Selma Blair, of Hellboy, was one of the girls that Mike hits on.
• Less Than Perfect star Sara Rue was known as Earth Girl.
• 24's Eric Balfour played the Hippie Guy.
• How I Met Your Mother star Jason Segal was the Watermelon Guy.
• Save the Last Dance's Sean Patrick Thomas was Mike's jock friend.
• Freddy Rodriguez from Grindhouse played another jock friend.
• Cloverfield's Brian Klugman was the Stoner Guy.

That's most of the now known characters, but I am sure there are more. A pretty eclectic list - and I am sure most of those actors/actresses would not be in this movie - if it were made today. The asking price for some of their salaries might almost eclipse the entire movie's budget.

It's pretty cool that so many characters from one film have made it, at least somewhat, in the movie/television world. I will keep my eyes open for more films like this - and when I don't have much to write about, I will slap that sucker into a blog.

Hope you like it.

Grade:

Missing in Action

Growing up, you are introduced to a lot of different shows and/or movies. In these are actors or actresses that you sort of start to like, most are child actors/actresses.

Sometimes, however, these actors/actresses sort of vanish. They may appear in the random B-movie, or in a very small guest starring role on a television series, but for the most part have completely vanished from the mainstream.

Here is just a few that have gone missing (this is not a Top 10 list):

Charlie Korsmo

You may remember Charlie from such hits as Hook, Dick Tracy or What About Bob? But not since Can't Hardly Wait have we seen this talented actor. According to his wikipedia page, he is currently a lawyer after being a part of the U.S. government.

Ben Savage

Savage was always in his older brother's (Fred Savage) shadow, until he scored big on the hit show Boy Meets World. Since then, however, Ben has not been seen in too many things, besides low budget movies.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Thomas portrayed the middle child on the huge television hit, Home Improvement. He was known for his wisecracks and good looks, and therefore bridged into movies. However, since I'll Be Home For Christmas with Jessica Biel, Thomas has not been a successful movie. His last stint on television was a guest role on Veronica Mars.

Jaleel White

White, as all of you should know, was Steve Urkel on the television show Family Matters. Of course he portrayed a nerd, but in real life was an athletic teenager, much like Steve's alter-ego, Stefan. White has since been hitting the television circuit in the form of guest roles, most recently on Boston Legal. He has also had small parts in movies like Big Fat Liar and Dreamgirls.

Jonathan Brandis

Brandis was a huge star in the '90's, both with his looks and with acting. He had starring roles in such films as Lady, The Neverending Story II and Sidekicks. His most famous role, however, was his portrayal of Lucas Wolenczak on television's SeaQuest DSV. Brandis had sort of dropped off the map in acting, but was hoping to get back in with a role in Hart's War. However is scenes were all cut, and Brandis fell into a depression - committing suicide. It was a tragic loss, for such a talented actor.

Ariana Richards

Best known for her work in Jurassic Park as Lex Murphy, Richards made a handful of movies in the 90's, but has not been in a movie since Tremors 3 in 2001. She has since become a successful painter and is an apprentice under a professional painter in Oregon.

Danielle Fishel

Fishel is another Boy Meets World veteran who has yet to make it out of the show's shadow. She has been on a few shows in a guest starring role, such as Yes, Dear, and has made a couple of B-movies like Dorm Daze and Dorm Daze 2.

Staci Keanan

Keanen made a pair of popular shows during her time on television in My Two Dads and Step By Step. Since the cancellation of Step By Step, however, Keanan has only been in a couple of movies.

Mayim Bialik

Bialik was the star of the television series Blossom. Since it left the television waves, however, Bialik has only been a guest star on multiple television shows - most recently Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Danica McKellar

McKellar has sort of made a small comeback by posing in men's magazine Stuff and being a guest star on How I Met Your Mother. But, she was the girlfriend of Fred Savage in The Wonder Years and has yet to make as big of a splash since then. She has, however, made a huge splash in the world of math - as she graduated from UCLA and has written a book entitled "Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail". She also has a second book "Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss" coming out in August.