When it comes to creating a teenage comedy, the principle is fairly straightforward — if you throw together an abundance of sex, raunchy dialogue and crude humor, audiences will come. But if your goal is to produce the next “American Pie” or “Superbad” (or to have your film not end up in a bargain rack a year after being released), a little creativity and original thought are required. Unfortunately, “Sex Drive” gets lost while trying to equal these innovative films and ends up parked behind a long line of forgettable comedies.
This film’s pitfalls are not so surprising, however, when you look at who was sitting in the driver’s seat. Rookie director Sean Anders, who also co-wrote the screenplay with fellow newcomer John Morris, attempts to mask his inexperience by merely mimicking the formulaic approach taken by other successful movies in this genre. The result is a film that relies far too heavily on clich?d, gross-out humor, worn out plot threads and stereotypical characters.
Ian (Josh Zuckerman, “Lions for Lambs”) is just your typical high school virgin looking for an opportunity to get laid. With the help of a digitally altered photo and the Internet, he meets “Ms. Tasty,” who agrees to go all the way with him if he drives down to Knoxville to see her. With his best friends Lance (Clark Duke, “Greek”) and Felicia (Amanda Crew, “John Tucker Must Die) in tow, Ian steals his brother Rex’s (James Marsden, “27 Dresses”) vintage Pontiac GTO and heads out on a cross country drive full of raunchy escapades and disastrous outcomes.
Despite the film’s unoriginality, it still manages to pass off as a watchable comedy when the creators allow it to simply be the no-brainer, teen trash that it is. Regrettably, this is not always the case, because, at times, the film abruptly becomes very serious and dramatic. This switch in tone is so awkward and misplaced that it leaves audience members cringing as they wait for the film’s 30th boner joke to end the discomfort.
The film does have a few bright spots. After crashing his brother’s GTO in the middle of nowhere, Ian and the gang end up in an Amish colony where young teens are taking part in Rumspringa, a period of adolescence in which you are allowed to engage in rebellious behavior before choosing baptism within the church. Anders and Morris hilariously parody this event by turning it into an Amish Woodstock of sorts, complete with drunken youth, flashing girls and a Fall Out Boy concert that takes place inside of a barn. Better still is the addition of Ezekiel (Seth Green) as an Amish farmer who specializes in fixing cars and taking others on guilt trips.
In his first leading role, Zuckerman brings very little to the screen. While this is in part due to the fact that he had very little to work with as far as fresh material goes, his performance still comes off as slightly annoying and unconvincing. In fact, Zuckerman is only at his best when he is dressed up as Se?or Donut, an oversized doughnut mascot. But even then the humor only comes from the ridiculous concept of a doughnut sporting a sombrero and bushy mustache while wielding a gun.
It does not help that Zuckerman is constantly overshadowed by Duke, who effectively makes a complete turnaround from the nerdy role he plays on the college drama “Greek.” Despite lacking the appearance of the typical ladies man, Duke speaks with such witty charm that his portrayal is believable nonetheless.
All in all, “Sex Drive” is more of a loving homage to the raunchy sex comedies of the past than an original work that steps out of the box with an identity of its own. This puts the pressure on the movie to rely on a young cast of up-and-coming actors who frankly do not have the maturity to carry a film on acting alone. That said, in the end, “Sex Drive” is destined for a lonely trip to the bargain bin.
2 stars out of 5
