Now and Then (film)

Plot

Cast

Main

• Roberta Martin is the proclaimed tomboy of the girls, stemming primarily from her upbringing in a family consisting of her father and three older brothers, her mother having been killed in a car accident when she was four. She tapes her breasts to flatten them, plays sports, and never hesitates to fight a boy. She usually leads the girls in their rivalry with the Wormer brothers, but eventually shares a kiss with Scott. Afterward, she no longer tapes her breasts, indicating that she accepts that she is growing into a woman. Her struggle to come to terms with her mother's death is highlighted in the film when she fakes her own death before her friends by pretending to have drowned while they were swimming, as well as in another instance in which Samantha recalls her having jumped off the roof and pretended to have broken her neck earlier that summer. As an adult, she is an obstetrician and lives with her boyfriend. At the end of the film, she delivers Chrissy's baby. Although it is never shown or mentioned who her boyfriend is, the film hints that it might be Scott.
• Tina "Teeny" Tercell lives with her rich country-club parents who are rarely around, which according to Samantha's narration, is "a typical upbringing for actors and pathological liars". She loves glamour, dressing up, and wearing makeup, and watches the films at the drive-in movie from her rooftop. Among the girls, she is the most interested in sexuality and boys and often flirts. She desires a bigger bust, and has breast implants when she is an adult. She is now a successful actress and has had multiple marriages. The limousine she arrives in is later used to transport Chrissy to the hospital when she goes into labor.
• Samantha Albertson narrates the film. She believes in the paranormal and conducts the séances in the cemetery with her friends, who for the most part believe it to be all pretend. From the outside, her home life appears normal with her parents and younger sister, Angela. However, her parents had been having marital issues for some time now, much to the point that it had reached a level of consistency that never seemed to bother her. However, this came to an abrupt change when one night, her father moves out, and within a few weeks, she learns her mother is seeing another man named Bud Kent. As an adult, she is a popular science-fiction author who has commitment issues. At age 12, she was the most invested in the mystery of Dear Johnny, whose spirit the girls believe they have resurrected from his tombstone. She alone learns the truth behind his death, and receives valuable advice that later helps her come to terms with her current struggles in life.
• Chrissy DeWitt was raised by an overbearing, fastidious mother who sheltered her. Her naivete, particularly about all things sexual, is often laughed at by her friends. She is the "good girl", who chastises the others for cussing. Being the most responsible, she closely monitors the "tree house money" they are saving. She always questions the others' schemes, but is fiercely loyal to them. As an adult, she marries the nerdy Morton Williams, and they live in her childhood home and later have a baby girl. The pending birth of her first child brings Samantha and Teeny back to their hometown.

  Supporting

• Devon Sawa as Scott Wormer, one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls, but later reforms and shares a kiss with Roberta
• Walter Sparrow as Crazy Pete, an old man who only comes out at night and scares the girls, but they later learn he is nice after he rescues Samantha. He is later revealed to be Peter Sims, the father of Jonathan and husband of Beverly Anne.
• Cloris Leachman as Grandma Albertson, mother of Mr. Albertson and grandmother of Samantha and Angela. She becomes very upset when her son leaves and worries dearly about her granddaughters. She is an avid poker and bingo player.
• Lolita Davidovich as Mrs. Albertson, mother of Samantha and Angela who recently got divorced and gets a new boyfriend, Bud Kent
• Janeane Garofalo as Wiladene, a diner waitress and spiritual reader and adviser whom the girls visit to tell them that they have been contacted by Dear Johnny's spirit, to which she tells them that he and his mother, Beverly Anne, were murdered
• Hank Azaria as Bud Kent, Mrs. Albertson's boyfriend whom she meets after her husband leaves. Angela takes a quick liking to him, but Samantha does not. He volunteers to take them to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
• Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. DeWitt, mother of Chrissy who shelters her and uses plants and gardening to explain sex to her and also informs her that all hippies are sex fiends
• Rumer Willis as Angela Albertson, sister of Samantha who misses her father dearly but takes a quick liking to her mother's new boyfriend, Bud Kent
• Bradley Coryell as Clay Wormer, one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls
• Justin Humphrey as Eric Wormer, one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls
• Travis Robertson as Roger Wormer, one of the Wormer brothers who bullies the girls
• Brendan Fraser as the Vietnam veteran, a soldier who fought in the Vietnam War whom the girls meet while riding their bicycles and on whom Samantha seemingly develops a crush. He informs them that although their parents are adults, they are not always right.