6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Les doesn't have a driving license yet, but to impress his gorgeous date Mercedes he borrows his grandpa's Cadillac for a night out... and has to witness the poor car going through more and more intense maltreatments.
Starring: Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane, Heather Graham, Grant GoodeveComedy | 100% |
Teen | 70% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
God giveth, and the DMV taketh away!
Ah, "The Coreys," -- Corey Haim and Corey Feldman -- the late 1980s performers who were two of their era's most popular stars and, together, formed
a Midas-like dynamic duo that could collectively touch anything and turn it into gold, their chemistry knowing know genre or stylistic bounds, their films
some of the more cherished that decade has to offer. They're certainly best know for their buddy-up work in the fabulous Vampire flick The Lost Boys, but License to Drive, a Comedy following hot on
the heals of Joel Schumacker's Horror film, is almost every bit that movie's equal in terms of actor chemistry, storytelling enthusiasm, and cinematic
energy. The movies are two very different animals to be sure, but The Coreys work their magic here, too, and go a long way in making the movie
more than a viable time killer, instead shaping it into a fantastic Comedy that sees the actors only improve upon a strong foundation made of a great
script, strongly-conceived characters, snappy dialogue, steady direction, and incessant humor.
No more bus for Les.
License To Drive pulls onto Blu-ray with a steady and nice looking 1080p image, particularly considering it's an aging catalogue title being released through a secondary distributor and arriving with little fanfare. The image is perhaps a touch soft in places, but it's predominately crisp, delivering steady details amidst strong clarity and a slight grain structure. Faces tend to favor a slightly soft edge, but general elements -- clothes, the car, odds and ends around the Anderson house -- enjoy satisfactory texturing. Colors are fine, neither vibrant nor dull, enjoying a middle-pack shading that handles everything from the baby blue Caddy to natural green vegetation nicely. Blacks are fine, but not as deep and true as is often seen in newer titles. The print is in good shape, sporting only the occasional nick or spot. All told, this isn't a demo-worthy transfer, but fans of the movie should be ecstatic with the results nevertheless.
License To Drive zooms onto Blu-ray with a good, but occasionally underwhelming, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music delivery is a strength; the track yields fair clarity but solid spacing -- including a noticeable surround element -- throughout, whether the opening title tune, the background beats of a club scene in chapter nine, the rousing Sinatra, or the famed Billy Ocean track that plays over the end credits. The action scenes late in the movie feature the screechy, crunchy sounds of twisting metal and crashing car with crisp accuracy and body. However, a few sound effects -- a bus crashing through an alleyway early in the picture -- sound a bit crunchy and indistinct. Ambient effects are minimal, but heavier atmospherics -- the piercing honking of a horn that settles into the backside of the soundstage -- are quite precise and satisfying. Dialogue is smooth and plays from the center, never lost to competing elements. The track is hardly memorable -- in a way it matches the video in that regard -- but again the lossless presentation is a clear step above previous home video offerings.
Unfortunately, License To Drive contains only two supplements. The Making of 'License to Drive' (480p, 7:03) is a vintage piece that features cast and crew interview snippets surrounded by numerous clips from the film. Also included is the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 2:26).
License To Drive is a contagiously fun little Comedy that features everything in perfect, working order. The script is great, the direction is smooth, the acting is strong, the characters are memorable, the laughs come nonstop, and the action is entertaining. It's the very definition of a "fun" movie. It tells a very simple story to which any teenager or parent of a teenager may relate, let alone anyone who's ever been in love or loved to drive. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of License to Drive features good video and audio but is sadly lacking in extras. Still, it comes very highly recommended.
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