Riding in Cars with Boys
A teenage mother determined to become a writer battles poverty, an addict ex‑boyfriend, and societal scorn as she fights to raise her son and earn her degree.
“She did everything wrong, but got everything right.”
Synopsis
In 1965, a young woman who aspires to be a writer gives birth to a son at the age of 15 and faces challenges in dealing with the child's drug-addicted father.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 88+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Lawrence JordanShot by Miroslav OndricekScored by Hans ZimmerDesigned by Bill Groom
Box Office
2001 · Box office
📉 Underperformed — grossed 0.7× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$35.7M
US & Canada: $30.2M — 84% of worldwide · International: $5.5M (16%)
Opening weekend: $10.4M — 34% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $13.1M — 43% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2,770 theaters
Also known as
- Unterwegs mit Jungsde
- Écarts de conduitefr
- I ragazzi della mia vitait
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Help complete this page
We’re missing mpaa rating. Sign in to add what you know.
Cast & Crew
88 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Sara Gilbert
as Tina Barr
Drew Barrymore
as Beverly Donofrio
Steve Zahn
as Ray Hasek
Adam Garcia
as Jason
Brittany Murphy
as Fay Forrester
James Woods
as Mr. Leonard Donofrio
Lorraine Bracco
as Mrs. Teresa Donofrio
Peter Facinelli
as Tommy Butcher
Mika Boorem
as Beverly Donofrio - Age 11
Rosie Perez
as Shirley Perro
Vincent Pastore
as Uncle Lou
Maryann Urbano
as Aunt Ann
Supporting cast
62Alexia Landeau
as Jenny
Kristin Proctor
as Cindy
Celine Ordioni
as Janet Donofrio (Age 8)
Alissa Dean
as Townie Girl #1
Jessica Leshnower
as Townie Girl #2
Temple Brooks
as Karen
Lauren Lake
as Karen's Friend
Desmond Harrington
as Bobby
Jordan Gelber
as Kevin
Gabriel Carpenter
as Sky Barrister
Kevin Thoms
as Mark
Vincent De Paul
as Linebacker
Joseph Cassese
as Linebacker
Kevin O Rourke
as Jail Ward
Susan Forristal
as Mrs. Forrester
John Bedford Lloyd
as Mr. Forrester
Paz De La Huerta
as Phone Call Flirt
Olivia Morgan Scheck
as Janet Donofrio (Age 12)
David Moscow
as Lizard
Dusty Rizzo
as Wedding Singer Tony
Gene Canfield
as Pete
Carl Capotorto
as Cop #1
Robert Greenhut
as Cop #2
Heather Hodder
as Donofrio Cousin
Sean Liotine
as Zippy
Tracy Reiner
as Nurse
Joseph M Cannizaro
as Jason (Newborn)
Noah Hartwick
as Jason (Newborn)
Briana Tilden
as Jason (Baby)
Skye Arens
as Jason (Age 1)
Patrick Salerno
as Jason (Age 2)
Robert Salerno
as Jason (Age 2)
Logan Arens
as Jason (Age 3)
Samantha Reale
as Amelia (Age 3)
Wade Mylius
as Al
Jon Korkes
as Counselor
Cody Arens
as Jason (Age 6)
Samantha Lucier
as Amelia (Age 6)
Gaetano Lisi
as Sweeny's Owner
Marisa Ryan
as Janet Donofrio (Age 19)
Maggie Gyllenhaal
as Amelia
Logan Lerman
as Jason (Age 8)
Skye Mccole Bartusiak
as Amelia (Age 8)
Michael Linstroth
as Dennis Forrester
Sophia Barricelli
as Sophia (uncredited)
Shani Bayne Haller
as Waitress (uncredited)
J D Brookshire
as Jerk in Car (uncredited)
Toni D Antonio
as Tied-Dyed Girl (uncredited)
Anna Damergis
as Cop's Wife (uncredited)
Gene Gabriel
as Make-Out Guy (uncredited)
Jaime Gallagher
as Car Passenger (uncredited)
Donna Sue Jahier
as Woman in Maternity Ward (uncredited)
Rich Keen
as Passer By in Car (uncredited)
Richard Keith
as Heald Family Member (uncredited)
Sara Klingebiel
as Townie Girl #3 (uncredited)
Randi Rosenholtz
as Townie Girl #4 (uncredited)
Peter Austin Noto
as Short Order Cook (uncredited)
Dana Segal
as Hippie Neighbor (uncredited)
Mario Simone
as Student (uncredited)
Marilyn Spanier
as Mary (uncredited)
Todd Wall
as Nice Guy at Party (uncredited)
Bill Walters
as Hippie at Party (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
4Other crew
8Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for Riding in Cars with Boys yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
No trailers logged for Riding in Cars with Boys yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on Riding in Cars with Boys?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on Riding in Cars with Boys.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for Riding in Cars with Boys yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on Riding in Cars with BoysNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…