10 Reasons Why 'Can't Hardly Wait' Is the Most Underrated Teen Movie of the '90s

When people who came of age in the 1990s think of movies that defined their adolescence, there’s a canon list that no one would argue the validity of.She’s All That,10 Things I Hate About You,Empire Records,Cruel Intentions— and of course,Clueless— are all well-loved because they each had something unique going for them that ’90s teens and tweens could easily draw parallels to their own lives from.

Spoiler alert: He does.

It’s worth noting that Kurt Vonnegut/Barry Manilowfanboy Preston pseudo-stalked this girl from afar for yearsafter Pop Tart-ignited sparksflew (for him), but rest assured he and the writers somehow found a way to make it not creepy at the end when they have their first-ever real conversation in a train station and, approximately 1 minute later, share their first kiss.

Embry himselfjoked to PEOPLE in 2014of his starry-eyed protagonist: “I think that he probably would’ve taken the route of becoming a reclusive alcoholic in the hills of Connecticut, chasing his Django Reinhardt/Kurt Vonnegut to the bottom of a barrel, wondering why things never worked with Amanda.”

Jokes aside, it’s hard to nail down exactly why this movie gets overlooked or ranked toward the bottom of “best of” lists (and it’s understandable in a way, considering its peers), as there are so many reasons why it deserves more recognition. Heck, even the film’s writer/directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan stuck aCan’t Hardly WaitEaster egg in the only other film they directed together: 2001’sJosie and the Pussycats, in which if you look closely you’ll see “‘Can’t Hardly Wait’was underrated … ” scroll across a marquee.

On its 20th anniversary, here are 10 reasons whyCan’t Hardly Waitholds its own among other ’90s teen classics.

Columbia Tristar/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Can’t Hardly Waitcast: Seth Green, Charlie Korsmo, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli and Ethan Embry

1. It featured anabsolutely stellarensemble cast.

LikeCluelessbefore it,Can’t Hardly Waitincluded many different characters with ample screen time who each had their own stories going for them that just happened to intertwine in a kooky way — with a high-school party coolness level that no real-life party has ever been able to obtain.

What’s more? Preston, Amanda, Denise (Lauren Ambrose), Kenny (Seth Green), William (Charlie Korsmo), and Mike (Peter Facinelli) all kind of make up aBreakfast Clubof the ’90s. You’ve got the princess (Amanda), the basket case (Denise), the athlete (Mike), the brain (William), the criminal (Kenny, I guess?), and then…Preston. Maybe he’s the principal? Heisrather principal-esque.

Darren Michaels/Columbia Tristar/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Can’t Hardly Waitcast

2. It didn’t screw around with giving you the 411 on everyone right from the get-go.

Who has the time in an hour-and-a-half-long movie to learn the basics of six main characters? All of them get a yearbook-style freeze frame right when we meet them, listing off their school-related accomplishments.

We learn all the important stuff, like how Amanda is an extremely popular student who was a cheerleader and held the title of queen at basically all of Huntington Hill High’s school dances. Denise is a reclusiveOscar Wildefan, William’s academic prowess is more than can be shown on screen and Kenny “Yo, I Gotta Have Sex Tonight” Fisher played one game of junior varsity basketball.

3. It hit the serious depths of these six characters (and their relationships/history)in a single night, without it feeling forced.

In its mere 1 hour and 41 minutes,Can’t Hardly Waitdives deep into these six individuals’ past, presentand even future— both individually and in terms of their relationships with each other — adequately and hilariously without the story feeling rushed, also making it crystal clear that their fates have been sealed and no room for a sub-par sequel really exists.

By the end of the movie, you leave feeling not only like you’ve attended the fictional Huntington Hills High yourself, but that you 1.) Found a new best friend to relate to based on how you fit in (or didn’t) at your own school, 2.) Learned not everyone can be put into a single stereotype box, and 3.) Can’t wait to get the helloutof school, if you’re still in it.

4. It was our first real introduction to so many amazing actors we know and love today.

Ambrose, Facinelli,Melissa Joan Hart,Jaime Pressly, Clea Duvall,Eric Balfour,Selma Blair: so many stars who went on to have flourishing careers had their first (or at least a very early) movie role inCan’t Hardly Wait. Who could forgetSara Rueas “Earth Girl,” the scissors-wielding youth whom we’re not sure why she even came to the party? Pretty sure she was the one responsible for the pot brownies, though.

Can’t Hardly Waitwas alsoJason Segel‘s first movie role! He’s the less chatty “Watermelon Guy” sidekick to this other guy’s super-high and very non-helpful character.

Bonus: There’s an appearance from Marisol Nichols, a.k.a. Hermione Lodge fromRiverdale, which this writer didn’t realize until researching for this piece, proving this movie isstillsurprising fans to this day. You can see Nichols up close at 1:08 in the following clip, showing off her…estimationskills.

The film was also Korsmo’s last role (although heissigned on for a project calledChained for Life, slated for release this year). The kid we all remember as little Jack Banning fromHookwent on to become a super important lawyer after attending MITandYale — so basically, he’s the real-life William Lichter.

5. THE SOUNDTRACK.

The soundtrack spans decades and genres but still remains decidedly ’90s — further playing into the filmmakers’ dedication to representing as many different levels of the high-school caste system as possible.

RELATED GALLERY:15 Timeless Coming-of-Age Movie Soundtracks

6. It’s extremely quotable in everyday life.

Like for those times when you drink a little too much but can’t be bothered to think about which limbs are intact.

Or when your friends aren’t sticking to the agreed-upon game plan. (For parents: When you put together an adorable Pinterest-worthy surprise for your kids and they’re like, “Cool, can I go back to the iPad now?”)

What every girl named Amanda has heard more times than she’d like to admit.

And something a lot of people need to hear, probably.

7. It taught us how to look beyond ourselves and ponder the existential.

A certain Cher Horowitz may have laid out the concept of existentialism in teenage-hood when she pointed outRen & Stimpy‘s role in it, but William Lichter really drove home the point. I mean, who can argue with this?

8. We also learned what dendrophilia is.

Themore you know.

9. It taught us that being ourselves is the only path to true coolness (and happiness).

10. It proved that regardless of whether fate is real, at the end of the day, choice is what matters.

If there’s one thing to be learned fromJenna Elfman‘s cameo as the angel stripper/dancer, it’s this: “There is fate, but it only takes us so far, because once you’re there, it’s up to you to make it happen.”

Also, people change. See:Scott Baio. We can’t help but wonder what the flawless-advice-giving angel would think of her No.1 celebrity crush today.

Happy 20th birthday,Can’t Hardly Wait!

source: people.com