Can't Hardly Wait: 8 Things You Didn't Know About The Movie
Can't Hardly Wait has developed a cult following over the years. Details like it being Jason Segel's first movie might be surprising to fans.
Can't Hardly Wait has joined the ranks of 10 Things I Hate About You and She's All That as a cult teen comedy from the late 1990s. Some fans call Can't Hardly Wait an undeniably 90s coming-of-age movie. Most teen movie fans know about the story taking place during the party to end all parties.
However, audiences perhaps don't know everything about what went into filming the modern classic, or some of the easter eggs presented throughout. Some facts might surprise fans more than others.
Jason Segel has appeared in several highly-rated movies. Furthermore, the actor is known by a wide range of audiences thanks to his longstanding role in TV's How I Met Your Mother. Fans might not know his first feature role comes in Can't Hardly Wait.
Viewers might remember when Amanda Beckett asks an airheaded party-goer about Preston Meyers next to a teen who is focused on a piece of watermelon. The Watermelon Guy, AKA Matt, is Jason Segel. He has a few lines but is rarely shown in his first movie role.
William Lichter is perhaps one of the most memorable characters in the movie. The bookish student has the time of his life in an attempt to enact revenge on his bully, Mike Dexter.
Charlie Korsmo plays William, who fans might remember from his role as a youngster in Hook. Can't Hardly Wait gives him his follow-up to Hook, 7 years later. For many years, it would be his last movie, although he recently appeared in Chained for Life in 2019.
Fans of the movie might say Can't Hardly Wait has a quintessentially 90s soundtrack, and that it is full of hits. 90s pop icons like Third Eye Blind and Smash Mouth can be heard, along with Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott.
Some songs like Guns N' Roses' "Paradise City" make iconic sequences in the film. Furthermore, Can't Hardly Wait's title is in reference to the classic Replacements song of the same name. The stacked soundtrack peaked at 25 on the Billboard Top 200.
Several cast members in Can't Hardly Wait have appeared in other projects together. Seth Green and Clea Duvall have appeared in Buffy The Vampire Slayer together, while Marisol Nichols and Jerry O'Connell act alongside each other in Scream 2.
However, early 2000s teen movie fans might notice some similarities between Lovebürger and Josie and the Pussycats' Du Jour. Breckin Meyers and Donald Faison, who appear in Lovebürger, act as musicians in Du Jour. Seth Green, who plays Kenny, and Alexander Martin, who plays the foreign exchange student at the party, join them in the group in Josie and the Pussycats.
Can't Hardly Wait comes from directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. Audiences might assume the two were involved during the time of filming, but Deborah Kaplan actually dated one of the film's actors during shooting.
Fans might remember the argument between members of the party's house band Lovebürger. Breckin Meyers, who plays the lead singer, was dating Kaplan back in the late 90s. They would marry a few years after the film's release.
Directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont told Ringer a few details about the production of the film, and some surprising tidbits about star Ethan Embry. He wasn't the first pick for the starring role of Preston.
To make matters more complicated for Embry, he was injured during the time of his audition. The directors say he had fallen off his skateboard and was banged up when he insisted on going for the lead role.
Devotees of the movie know that Preston Meyers has to leave his hometown quickly after graduation. He has the opportunity to work with his idol, literature's Kurt Vonnegut.
During the opening sequence of the movie, the characters' yearbook quotes are presented with their introduction. Preston's says "beware of all enterprises that require new clothes" by Henry David Thoreau. The line is featured in Vonnegut's Welcome To The Monkey House.
Can't Hardly Wait shows a clear appreciation for music with its title, soundtrack, and performances. However, there are also a few references to other movies in the film.
When Lovebürger fights, the drummer says the lead singer looks like Lestat, a reference to Interview With A Vampire. When Watermelon Guy and his friend talk about Velma from Scooby-Doo, she's referred to as a "hip, hip lady." A partygoer uses this exact phrase to describe Marth Washington in a similar scene in Dazed and Confused, giving the movie a long-standing quote.