Enough reviewers here on IMDb have made a comparison of this film to "Stand By Me" that for me to mention it, it would be redundant. Nevertheless, the story did have a Stephen King vibe to it for a number of other reasons. It's a small town coming of age story told in flashback, with the character of Samantha (Demi Moore) narrating her experiences in the past and present with her closest childhood friends. The King novel "It", admittedly a horror story, possibly serves as a better comparison to "Now and Then" in as much as both have a cast of characters who have made a pact to reassemble as adults if any one of them needs help for a stressful situation. If that weren't enough, the storm drain scene had me dreading some demonic clown villain reaching out and grabbing Samantha to pull her under, until I realized that as the narrator, she would have to have survived that awful experience in order to tell the tale.
Though on the surface the picture is positioned as one for women and young girls, I think there's some value in applying a more global perspective to the idea of nurturing friendship and loyalty throughout one's lifetime with those we grew up with. The four teen girls in the picture stuck together through thick and thin, searching for the truth about their home town and it's past secrets in a way that helped them grow as individuals. Realizing that not everything can be perfect in one's life is an important lesson to learn, and having a support system to help one grow through those rough patches is a valuable memory one can look back on as the years roll by.
I liked the way the picture weaved the Crazy Pete/Dear Johnny subtext into the story, and how it helped Samantha come to grips with the father that abandoned her family. That dynamic further reinforced an idea offered by the returning Vietnam vet (Brendan Fraser), who's best advice to the girls had particular resonance in hindsight - "You can believe in yourself, if you're lucky."
Though on the surface the picture is positioned as one for women and young girls, I think there's some value in applying a more global perspective to the idea of nurturing friendship and loyalty throughout one's lifetime with those we grew up with. The four teen girls in the picture stuck together through thick and thin, searching for the truth about their home town and it's past secrets in a way that helped them grow as individuals. Realizing that not everything can be perfect in one's life is an important lesson to learn, and having a support system to help one grow through those rough patches is a valuable memory one can look back on as the years roll by.
I liked the way the picture weaved the Crazy Pete/Dear Johnny subtext into the story, and how it helped Samantha come to grips with the father that abandoned her family. That dynamic further reinforced an idea offered by the returning Vietnam vet (Brendan Fraser), who's best advice to the girls had particular resonance in hindsight - "You can believe in yourself, if you're lucky."