‘Sex Drive’ or ‘The Amish always make good cannon fodder for comedy.’ (Review)
Directed by Sean Anders
Screenplay by Sean Anders and John Morris
Starring – Josh Zuckerman, Clark Duke, Amanda Crew, James Marsden and Seth Green
In the world of cinema, surprises are a welcome thing. So very often films you have high expectations for let you down. One of the best and most welcomed surprises in movies this year for me was the film ‘Sex Drive’. This was not a film on my radar and that’s surprising since it turned out to be one of the funniest films this year. There are only two hurdles that lay in the way of this film’s success. First off, the title of the film works as a double-entendre; the characters are driving for sex, but ultimately the title hurts the movie because it sounds juvenile and really doesn’t compliment the film. Secondly there are no headlining notable actors in this movie that really sell it; yes, there are James Marsden and Seth Green, but those names alone don’t sell tickets.- this is a shame because ‘Sex Drive’ will undoubtedly have a less than impressive theatrical run and that’s distressing since this ranks up there as one of the funniest films of the year
There is not a deep plot to ‘Sex Drive’ nor should there be. It’s not about that. On the surface it looks like a stupid teen film. The short and simple summary is that it’s a story about the lovable loser, Ian (Josh Zuckerman) who can’t seem to get a break in life when it comes to women. He’s a high school senior who gets crapped upon by his friends and families at his lack of luck in his sex-life. His borderline psychotic brother Rex (played by a near unrecognizable, James Marsden) thinks his little brother Ian will “get gay” if he waits too long before having sex. His best friend and lothario, Lance (Clarke Duke) may not look it but he is a true ladies man, and a 100% smooth talker. He cares about Ian’s predicament but cares more about himself first and foremost. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Ian has been chatting online with a Ms. Tasty (Katrina Bowden). Online he can be someone he’s not in real life and Ms. Tasty buys everything he tells her. One fateful night during a late night chat session with her she openly invites him to have sex with her multiple states away, and thus we get the titular reason for the film’s title. It’s a sex road trip (or if you will, a “sexdrive”). With sex being a motivating factor in many a Youngman’s lives for doing stupid things, Ian and Lance steal Rex’s prize muscle car (a 1969 GTO Judge), and along their best female friend Felicia (Amanda Crew) set out on what will become a life changing road-trip full of unique encounter, bizarre characters and well-learned life-lessons.
As an onscreen buddy duo, Ian and Lance are two of the most entertaining best friends to see on screen this year. It’s the typical straight man (Ian) and funny man (Lance) are a set-up that fully works. Ian is a relatable and believable character, and Lance is a “ladies man” to the point of absurdity that functions perfectly in this world. Clarke Duke who might as well been just an extra in ‘Superbad’ and starred in the web series ‘Clarke and Michael’ was unexpectedly funny in this. I would say that he steals the show in this film but that would be discounting the fantastic performances by James Marsden and the always entertaining Seth Green. James Marsden who typically plays the heartthrob-best friend type has taken an about-face in playing the character of Rex. His characterization of Rex comes across like a combination of Chet from ‘Weird Science’ grossed with that of a roid-raging pro-wrestler. Onto the subject of Seth Green, I haven’t seen him in many films recently (he seems to be more likely working on episodes of Cartoon Network’s ‘Adult Swim’ lately) but after seeing him in ‘Sex Drive’ as a deadpan, Amish master of sarcasm, I want more Seth Green back in comedies. There are scenes where his character, Ezekiel, plays off Ian and they seem to go on for a while- but I could have honestly watched them go on for longer. Seth Green is s true master of sarcasm. The entire main cast here delivers more laughs then I would have eve expected going into this movie. Screenwriters Sean Anders and John Morris who have not written anything notable prior to ‘Sex Drive’, without doubt deliver one of the most underrated comedic scripts this year.
Any criticisms have I have ‘Sex Drive’ are few and minor at that. The biggest standout problem this film has is that the first ten to fifteen minutes of the movie are not a good representation of what the film is like. A week before the movie premiered the first 10 minutes were appearing multiple places online to promote the film and that was not a brilliant marketing decision. The first 10 minutes of the movie are more uneven then the rest of the film and gives it a feel of something like the shallow and unintelligent ‘American Pie’ series. After the slightly bumpy beginning and set-up for the ‘Sex Drive’ in question, the movie finds its rhythm and try becomes its own entity.
This film offers unrelenting laughs and proves to be a much better and more fulfilling comedy other films this year. I think a film that is as under-hyped as ‘Sex Drive’ that ends up defying your initial expectations and delivering so many laughs per minute is a gratifying experience. It’s like discovering something unique you can share with others in the attempt to spreader the word-of-mouth about how fun this film is. ‘Sex Drive’ will never find its audience at the box office nor will it ever be hyped as much as the worst Apatow film. It will be an overlooked movie that will hopefully find its audience once it’s released on DVD. I love comedies that leave you tripping on a euphoric high from laugher once you leave the theater and this is one of those comedies. I can’t recommend ‘Sex Drive’ enough with it being one of this year’s best comedic surprises.
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