If the film, which opens Friday, is not on your list of summer must-sees, you're probably outside Hollywood's most hotly courted demographic: the teens and twentysomethings who turned low-budget fare like "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" into blockbuster franchises. ("Can't Hardly Wait" cost a modest $10 million, and marks the directing debut of its writers, Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont.)

"Can't Hardly Wait" is more John Hughes than John Carpenter, but it does borrow a star from "I Know What You Did . . . "--Jennifer Love Hewitt, 19, who within a year has gone from sensitive TV actress ("Party of Five") to movie scream queen to budding mogul (she'll write, co-produce and star in the New Line comedy "Cupid's Love").

Recently, Hewitt and five of her "Can't Hardly Wait" co-stars teamed up poolside at Beverly Hills' Four Seasons Hotel, for a session that--like the party in the film--swung from chaos to moments of reflection, with questions answered by flying chips and unprintable can-you-top-this bons mots. ("Our last interviewer was so disheartened she said, 'I can't use any of this!"' beams one participant, Seth Green. "She finally left the room.')

Joining Hewitt: Ethan Embry, 20 ("That Thing You Do!"), whose wide-eyed energy, flying hands and high decibel laugh suggest a personality bolder than the lovesick high school grad he plays onscreen; Charlie Korsmo, 19, "Hook" and "Dick Tracy's" child star grown up to be "Can't's" vengeful science nerd (Korsmo is actually a 4.0 MIT physics major); Peter Facinelli, 23 ("Dancer, Texas"), a soft-spoken brunet with a Cruise-like grin, who plays the film's heavy--a dense high school football star; Lauren Ambrose, 20 ("In and Out"), an opera-singing redhead cast as Embry's pal; and Seth Green, 24, a diminutive wisecracker offscreen and on, best known for his work in "Austin Powers" (he was Dr. Evil's cranky son) and TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Question: Jennifer, you just came from the set of "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"--what torments were you going through?

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): I was being beaten in a rainstorm and dragged by my neck, getting bruises.

Charlie Korsmo (William): That's what happened to me last night, too! (Group laughs.) You better move the mike away from me.

Question: And Seth, you're shooting a movie ["Idle Hands"]--what were you doing?

Seth Green (Kenny): I'll show you, man. (reaches into bag)

Ethan Embry (Preston): He's got a tape of him and Pamela Lee.

(Green displays photo of him, zombie-white, a beer bottle jutting out of his forehead.)

Seth Green (Kenny): This is like the first five minutes of the movie.

(Hewitt tries on Green's purple-lensed sunglasses and starts giggling--a condition that continues for most of the interview.)

Question: I'm guessing you could relate a bit more to your characters in "Can't Hardly Wait."

Charlie Korsmo (William): The only character I identified with was Lauren's character. And I read for it!

Peter Facinelli (Mike): A lot of teen movies dealing with teen love are sappy. This isn't sappy. It's great to put all these [characters] who barely talk to each other, throw them into a room and see what happens.

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): I was shocked that they could make the tone of the film work, because there's such broad comedy and real character stuff.

Question: I heard the movie went through some changes to get a PG-13 instead of an R.

Ethan Embry (Preston): There was a problem because everybody was walking around with alcohol in the movie. They could walk with it but when they were verbally acknowledging it, cheering it, that was bad.

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): [The MPAA's] big thing was, they wanted to give it an R because there was no parental unit at the party. Well, who would have a high school party and have your parents there?!

Peter Facinelli (Mike): They had to cut out one character, Crying Drunk Girl, who was really funny-- she was subtitled because she was talking gibberish, she was so drunk. Total ratings casualty.

Seth Green (Kenny): And now the pot brownies are just bad brownies . . . .

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): It makes no sense. No sense!

Peter Facinelli (Mike): No, people get it. Some stuff was cut, but I don't think it hurt the movie.

Question: How much do you think movies are reflecting what teenagers really feel? It's certainly an audience Hollywood's going after . . . .

Seth Green (Kenny): It's a market that hasn't been tapped in a few years. There's a lot of kids now and they're hungry for it.

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): Well, duh! Who goes to movies? They can't go to bars. (laughter) I'm serious!

Seth Green (Kenny): You can only see "The English Patient" so many times before you wanna see a bunch of kids at a party.

Question: How much input did you have in the script?

Ethan Embry (Preston): They gave us a lot of freedom. We did a week's worth of rehearsals. [But because of the multiple stories] I never worked with Peter, I never worked with Seth, I never worked with Charlie. Jennifer and I, we only worked together in the same scene twice.

Seth Green (Kenny): Peter bumped into me in one scene. We had a moment. (nods at Hewitt): She's like sleeping back there. I'm worried.

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): Jennifer, are you like really bruised?

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): Yeah. (Quietly, Hewitt begins talking about one of her co-stars on "I Still Know What You Did . . . ") I don't know what his problem was. Up and down my arms I have bruises everywhere. He hit me across the face and he wasn't supposed to, I'm all swollen...

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): And he just decided to? In the moment?!

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): Yeah. He thought it would look "really cool." (The group commiserates--then starts passing around Seth's purple sunglasses.)

Question: So what actors do you look up to?

Peter Facinelli (Mike): Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Seth Green (Kenny): I pretty much look up to everybody I meet. Hey, I'm little!

Ethan Embry (Preston): We all went to Vegas together to [promote the film at] ShoWest, and Nick Cage was on the plane and I freaked out.

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): I got to fly back with Frances McDormand, just chill and talk to her. She essentially rules my world.

Question: Being in movies, you're going to inspire more young people . . .

Charlie Korsmo (William): Take a quick look around this table and say that again!

Question: Let's talk about how you all got started. Jennifer, when you told your mother you wanted to be an actress, the two of you moved from Texas to Los Angeles. [Hewitt still lives at home with her mother.] When someone says to you, I want to be an actor, what do you tell them?

Seth Green (Kenny): "Don't step in my key light." (laughter)

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): I love being an actor. I think it's the best job in the whole wide world, and if somebody wants to be an actor they definitely should. I would just say that you have to be really determined and ignore everyone around you and make your own path and follow it.

Ethan Embry (Preston): If you really want to do it you'll do it.

Question: Charlie, as a kid you co-starred in "The Doctor," "Hook" and "Dick Tracy" . . . you partied with Warren Beatty and Madonna . . . then you risked ending your acting career to go back to school.

Charlie Korsmo (William): Yeah, I was missing everything. It had been three years since I'd been to school, I'd lost touch with my old friends, I missed junior high . . . the first dances, parties... that's why I'm a loser today!

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): That's why I love to live in Connecticut, away from it.

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): Where in Connecticut?

Seth Green (Kenny): Have you two met?

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): Pretty much, no! [Laughter; the two have no scenes together in the film.]

Seth Green (Kenny): Lauren, this is Love . . . .

Question: Did you feel like you've missed "normal" experiences?

Charlie Korsmo (William): No. There've been a whole lot of experiences we've been part of that we wouldn't have been part of.

Seth Green (Kenny): I couldn't have gotten so close to Michael Jackson.

Ethan Embry (Preston): I never went to high school. Really. I've been working since 10.

Seth Green (Kenny): Did you see "Greystoke"? It was based on Ethan.

Ethan Embry (Preston): I was home-schooled. But going to high school I never would've been able to travel the U.S., or been able to do acting.

Question: Are you all in acting for the long haul?

Ethan Embry (Preston): Charlie's going to Mars in a couple of years.

Charlie Korsmo (William): Damn straight. My big dream is to be an astronaut. If [acting] works out, fine, if it doesn't, I've got a backup plan.

Seth Green (Kenny): "Let's see, should I do this buddy picture with Marlon Wayans and Pat Morita . . . or . . . should I go on the space shuttle?"

Ethan Embry (Preston): Whenever you're an actor you have to have a backup plan.

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): No you don't because then you'll use it! My goal is to revolutionize the opera world by making it as much about theater as it is about music.

Ethan Embry (Preston): Lauren's got the raddest voice.

Seth Green (Kenny): Yeah, perform for us, monkey girl!

Question: Do you feel pressure to be role models? Jennifer's become one . . .

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): I don't think I'm as much the role model as my character is on "Party of Five," and I think Sarah's a great role model.

Question: But you as a person are looked up to by your peers . . . someone who's. . .

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): Boring. (laughs)

Seth Green (Kenny): She's the anti-Shannen Doherty.

Question: And she's about to become a movie producer. What are your different roles on "Cupid's Love"?

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): I'm executive producer, co-writer, and star.

Peter Facinelli (Mike): And craft service. Did you go in and do a pitch?

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): Yeah. I had a solid week of wearing the business suit and not being the actress, the 19-year-old, trying to convince New Line this was a good idea. We did five pitches a day to all the executives. It was very nerve-wracking. But they were very kind, very open to the idea. It's exciting.

Question: And you're now shooting "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"-- which I hear surprises you.

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): I didn't think the first one would do very well, so I'm very shocked that we're back doing another one. This one's a lot scarier, and it's not a cheesy sequel. It can stand on its own.

Question: How much do you all go to the movies?

Lauren Ambrose (Denise): Ohmigod, when I stayed out here Seth took me to some of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life.

Seth Green (Kenny): You gotta see 'em all, to have a frame of reference. "Mercury Rising" was so bad that I took a picture of Charlie and I watching the film, 'cause we were laughing so hard! When the flash went off the eight people in the theater were like "WHAT THE [expletive] . . . " [laughter] I had to take another picture because that was even funnier.

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): I cannot wait to read this article.

Seth Green (Kenny): You can't hardly wait?

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Amanda): Can't Hardly Wait. (breaks into laughter) Sorry.