Matt falls for Casey, the new girl in school. She's fun-loving and eccentric, but there's a darkness to her whimsy that Matt can't begin to comprehend. When Casey attempts to commit suicide, her parents place her in a mental institution. Matt springs her out, and together the young lovers head on a road trip. They believe their love can "cure" Casey's problems. Matt starts to wonder, though, if are they inspired or misguided.
Acting
Barrymore's unhinged commitment to chaos.
Direction
Bird's refusal to let this be a cute love story.
Costume
Peak 90s grunge fashion as character development.
Director
Antonia Bird
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a 90s wave of 'damaged girl' cinema (Girl, Interrupted; Prozac Nation) that walked a razor's edge between empathy and exploitation.
Antonia Bird was hired after her work on Safe—she specifically wanted to avoid making Casey 'adorably crazy,' which is why the third act gets genuinely uncomfortable.
US
