RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS (Cert 12, 131 mins) Drama. Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn, Brittany Murphy, Adam Garcia.

Penny Marshall steps behind the camera for the first time in five years for the true story of writer Beverly D'Onofrio's journey of self-discovery.

Regrettably, the wait hasn't been worthwhile. Barrymore plays D'Onofrio from age 15 to 36, beginning in the 1960s when she meets slacker Ray Hasek (Zahn) and gets pregnant after a drunken fumble in the back seat of a car.

Determined to give her baby a stable home, she hastily marries Ray against her parents' wishes.

The couple move into their new home and the relationship quickly deteriorates. Ray gorges himself on alcohol and drugs to escape the responsibilities of fatherhood.

Desperate to keep a roof over her head, Beverly tries to win a college scholarship to give her son the best possible start in life.

Riding In Cars With Boys cuts between Beverly as a teenager and a thirtysomething mother, failing to connect with her now adult son (Garcia).

The film is an acting showcase for Barrymore who wins sympathy and admiration as a plucky teenage mother trying to make the best of a bad situation.

But present-day sequences fail to convince as Garcia looks far too old to be Beverly's son. In fact, he's two years older than Barrymore and on screen they have the appearance of siblings rather than mother and child.

A mildly diverting journey into familiar territory.

OUT! rating: 5 out of 10