As a raunchy film, ‘Sex Drive’ works
VIDEO VIPER with Robert Lebzelter for Oct. 9, 2009
A few weeks ago I panned a recent raunchy sex comedy, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.”
The story was predictable, the jokes fell flat, the same sad punchlines were recycled continually and enough with the gay jokes already. Aren’t they out of style yet?
So why in the world would I order the film “Sex Drive” from Netflix, which visits much of the same territory? Maybe because both films were placed on my “infinite playlist” months ago.
It’s a familiar plot: A young, wimpy virgin plans to travel several states away for the promise of sex with a beautiful blonde. We have seen this plot many times, especially in the superior “The Sure Thing.”
Josh Zuckerman plays Ian, who bulks himself up via Photoshop to impress a girl he has met and traded flirtations with online.
His primary antagonist is his brother, played by James Marsden, who reminds me of Seann William Scott’s character Stiffler in “American Pie.”
Katrina Bowden is the sexy love interest, Ms. Tasty. (In “The Sure Thing,” the girl was Nicollette Sheridan, later of “Desperate Housewives” fame.)
You won’t mistake “Sex Drive” for “Citizen Kane,” even if it was in black and white. The characters aren’t that well developed. The plot doesn’t take any new and different roads. There are still duplicative gay jokes.
I’ve decided the main difference is situations in this film are set up well and there are actual payoffs. Funny stuff happens. There are reasons to laugh.
Ian is pretty much a loser. How big of a loser? The girl he wouldn’t mind getting to know better at his job at the mall doughnut shop is taken by his 14-year-old brother!
Clark Duke plays his best friend and while chubby and not particularly good looking and is shallow, he still captures all of the babes Ian can’t.
Also going with them is the fetching Amanda Crew, who is just a friend.
Do you see where this is going? She’s just a friend, right? But do you think it could possibly blossom into more than just friendship? It would never cross the character’s minds. But we the move watchers know, don’t we?
So they steal homophobic big brother’s vintage 1969 Pontiac GTO and head cross country. In the meantime, they have some pretty funny adventures.
The Duke character romances a clerk at a service station who just split up with a boyfriend. They all end up in a rundown trailer where Ian and Crew’s Felicia cool their heels while Duke and the clerk have particularly discusting sex. Ian and Felicia make small talk with the clueless elderly parents of the clerk. The parents watch TV while drinking cheap grape soda. Dad wears shorts that are, well, too short if you get my meaning.
When the boyfriend returns for reconciliation and discovers what his girlfriend is doing, the results would make a great R-rated Three Stooges sequence.
When their car breaks down, they attempt to use urine in place of water in the radiator. It doesn’t sound like it would work that well but the writers actually come up with a funny payoff to the sequence.
Seth Green is almost unrecognizable as the Amish guy who volunteers to fix their car for free, well, sort of. His dialogue is actually somewhat subtle and very funny. He is a highpoint of the film.
The gang ends up at a festival, gets thrown in jail and in other ways have their share of bad luck.
Some of it works, some of it doesn’t. But the different between this and “Nick and Norah” is in “Sex Drive,” more of it works than doesn’t. In “Nick and Norah,” none of it works.
The Blu-Ray disc includes an unrated version which isn’t particularly good but the premise is pretty funny. It is the same film except people seemingly walk into the picture naked, smile and walk away. The scene with the clueless father in the trailer? The camera stays on the old guy’s too-short shorts the whole time. You will probably want to avert your eyes.
I couldn’t sit through the whole film a second time just for these “extras.” But I watched enough to get the idea.
If you are easily offended, this movie isn’t for you. If you like raunchy, in-bad-taste comedies that work, you might want to give this one a look.
SEX DRIVE
• Directed by Sean Anders • Written by Anders and John Morris • Runtime: 109 minutes • Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, nudity, language, some drug and alcohol use - all involving teens • 7.5 stars out of 10
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