The essential American movie

Rating: 10/10 (23 June 2005)

This movie has it all. Coming of age. A few plot swerves. Great American music. Young people in the fullness of life. I highly recommend it. There are so many positives here. The newness of some of the actors mix so well with established ones. There are almost too many cameos (including Rita Wilson) to catch. And Hanks works in so many old friends plus the record company he created for the movie now actually exists to carry all the soundtracks for his subsequent works. I like the music, all of it, from the featured tracks to the subtracks to the background noise of the other performers. The chronology is very believable as are the sets. The recreated hotel in LA matches everything you'd dream up. The bit with the beach movie (more cameos) is hilarious. You'll watch it to see what you missed the first time. Truly America in an innocent age.