Drive Me Crazy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Drive Me Crazy Blu-ray Movie Review

A good package for the price.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 28, 2012

Old crushes die hard.

Teenage hormones and crushes and young love and all of the good and bad associated with those critical formative years when pre-adults are tossed into the grinder that is high school can lead young people to do some pretty outrageous, embarrassing, even stupid things, things done and said and wished and dreamed, all in the name of love -- or some notion that seems like love. These wild emotions can and often do, well, drive adolescents crazy, those on both the giving and receiving ends alike, not to mention the impact on the other "innocent" bystanders looking on in shock and awe and OMG and LOL while they themselves really have the same things at least churning in their minds, if not playing out in the hallways of school and at the parties at the cool kid's house. This is certainly not a new subject for movies. They pull in every new teenage generation, allow for fresh new faces (sans acne or looking nothing like the typical high school kid, of course) to grace the screen, and make a good chunk of change even as the same story plays out on the screen almost every time, aided by a little artificial drama and cinema magic but not all that far removed from the realities of the teenage life cycle. Oops! Studios have done it again. Drive Me Crazy hits this subject, baby, one more time, certainly not concerned with overprotecting the youth of America from another movie of this style.

We need a plan.

Next-door neighbors Nicole Maris (Melissa Joan Hart) and Chase Hammond (Adrian Grenier) were at one time inseparable best friends. And then junior high happened. Best friend went their own separate ways, discovering new friends and new interests and a little thing called puberty. They're now high school classmates. Chase is dating Dulcie (Ali Larter), and Nicole has her eye on the school's big shot basketball star, Brad (Gabriel Carpenter). But when Dulcie dumps Chase and Brad gets the hots for another girl, Chase and Nicole band together in an effort to get their love lives rekindled -- but not with one another. They hope that by sprucing up Chase, making him part of the "in" crowd, and looking like a couple that they'll leave Brad and Dulcie in jealous rages. The plan: make their exes come back to them and attend the school's centennial dance as revitalized couples. Can Nicole and Chase figure out how to keep their phony relationship strictly business or will real emotions interfere with the scheme of the year?

Drive Me Crazy hits all of the Teen Comedy/Romance/Hormonal movie plot lines, generally. The film does, thankfully, leave out an overabundance of crudeness and sex, which work in other movies but seem to sometimes detract from the story, becoming a focus rather than a supporting structure (unless, of course, the movie's entire plot revolves around sex-capades). Drive Me Crazy tones things down a little bit to better reflect a PG-13 view of high school which, while it may be NC-17 behind closed doors, suits the plot a little better, considering the movie revolves around an open, albeit supposedly phony, relationship, not anything hot-and-heavy going on behind the scenes. The movie feels a little more authentic and relatable, eschewing vulgarity and visual crudeness in favor of deeper characters and a more well-rounded plot. Drive Me Crazy shows that hormones and love and lust and the teenage mind don't have to be defined by R-rated material exclusively. This movie is all about the chase and unearthing true feelings beyond the influence of natural chemicals, true feelings that come to the forefront not through sex, sex, and sex, but through time together, sincerity, and the emergence of deeper feelings that enhance the hormonal instincts, not detract from them.

The film also largely succeeds because it paints two well-rounded characters and believably guides them towards a pleasant movie magic relationship. While the movie's largely predictable, the shortcomings of the plot are often washed away by the chemistry and genuineness the leads form and express. Melissa Joan Hart's portrayal of the typical in-girl exceeds expectations, in large measure because the script makes her into a "cool" girl without the typical "cool" girl baggage. Sure she wants to date the jock but she never comes across as too selfish, snotty, or absolutely spiteful of those who aren't just like her. Adrian Grenier is equally superb as the outsider, the anti-establishment rebel. As both characters drift towards a meeting in the middle, the themes that speak on the importance of non-conformity, being true to oneself, and true love that comes from the heart and soul and not just the eyeballs and loins take a pleasant, steady shape. It's nothing new, but it's done sweetly and evenly. Director John Schultz maintains a constant rhythm through the picture, emphasizing the character arcs and never relying on flash or sex appeal to sell the movie. Overall, Drive Me Crazy proves to be a pleasant Teen movie experience.

Drive Me Crazy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Drive Me Crazy's 1080p Blu-ray transfer won't win any picture quality honors this year, but Anchor Bay's presentation is more than adequate. The image features a rather heavy grain structure and only minimal speckling. The image lacks the authoritative crispness and sharpness of the finest new releases, but this one is at least consistent and sturdy. That said, fine detail never really rises above "average" for a high definition Blu-ray. The image picks up general clothing and facial detail like freckles and heavy lines, but fails to impress in its presentation of wooden surfaces on the basketball court or any solid backdrop. Medium and long shots sometimes appear less than well-defined. Colors are not absolutely vibrant, usually favoring somewhat dulled shadings with only a few standout scenes in the brightest of light, such as when Nicole goes up in a hot air balloon with her father. On the plus side, there's really nothing wrong with the image. Black levels and flesh tones are satisfactory. There's no heavy banding, blocking, or other unwanted elements. Overall, and despite questionable details and dim colors, this is a nice film-like image from Anchor Bay.

Drive Me Crazy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Drive Me Crazy's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack fares well, but it's not up to modern standards. Music enjoys fair spacing, a positive low end, and noticeable surround support. Clarity is acceptable, and energy is evident throughout all of the upbeat Pop tunes, whether live music or played from a stereo at a party. The track presents listeners with a typical array of minor ambient sound effects, including chirping birds, noisy crickets, and busy sprinkler systems in one early shot. The basketball game sequences don't offer as much punchy energy as the audience might expect, but light band music and crowd cheering does play with a fair surround support element. Dialogue often plays as if hollow and/or shallow. All told, this is a passable track, not one to ignite sound systems but certainly consistent in all it does.

Drive Me Crazy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Drive Me Crazy contains no supplemental features.

Drive Me Crazy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Drive Me Crazy doesn't redefine its genre, and its lack of vulgarity and sex probably hurt it with the target audience, but the movie is a sweet little picture featuring two well-develped characters. The theme of love born of the heart and not the hormones is a pleasant diversion from the typical high school movie. The performances are solid and the direction steady. It's not a game changer, but Drive Me Crazy offers viewers an above-average cinema experience. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Drive Me Crazy lacks any supplements but the disc does feature relatively good video and audio presentations. Recommended when taking the low asking price into account.