6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Eighteen-year-old Ian finally gets the opportunity to lose his virginity when a woman he meets online offers to have sex with him if he drives to Knoxville to meet her. Accompanied by friends Lance and Felicia, for whom Ian has a thing, but she in turn has a thing for Lance, take off on a road trip in Ian's brother, Rex's beloved 1969 GTO—without permission, of course.
Starring: Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke, James Marsden, Seth GreenComedy | 100% |
Teen | 37% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps) only on rated version.
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Between the arrested development of Step Brothers, the pot-addled hijinks of Pineapple Express, and Tropic Thunder’s A-list, meta-movie hilarity—not to mention Zack and Miri, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Burn After Reading—2008 was a crowded year for comedy. Pushed aside to a mid-October release date, Sex Drive was the year’s requisite and overlooked teen sex flick, a genre that’s been legitimatized lately in the wake of director/producer Judd Apatow’s crude ‘n cuddly coming-of-age comedies. While the teen sex films of yore often had a leering, seedy quality—I imagine middle-aged lurkers in trench coats scattered throughout the audience—today’s iterations try to underscore the rampant T&A with a little bit of H, for heart, mixing the horny ogling of Bob Clark’s Porky’s with the emotional, archetypal teen drama of a John Hughes film. And the emphasis here is definitely on try. While Sex Drive has a few funny moments, and though it wants to be a heartfelt story of a loveable loser trying to get his nut, when it comes down to it, the emphasis is still on stale dick jokes and flashes of boob.
Señor Doughnut
Sex Drive comes to Blu-ray with a well-endowed 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. For a relatively low budget teen comedy, the overall look of the production is great, with a sharp, detailed image and a warm, sun-soaked tone that's totally appropriate for a summer road trip. Colors are bright and bold throughout, but the image really pops during some of the outdoor daytime scenes. Just check out the vivid orange/red of Rex's vintage GTO as it tears southbound and sex-ward. Skin tones—and there's ample flesh—are definitely healthy, if a hair unrealistic, as faces can veer toward yellow in the saturated sunlight. Along those lines, contrast is perfectly tuned during daylight, but darker scenes have a flatter look, with blacks that are ever so slightly washed out. Remarkably, there's very little grain to the image at all—just enough to give it a definite filmic appearance—and fine detail is apparent in facial features and clothing textures. As a whole, I have to give Sex Drive credit for avoiding the flat, sterile look that a lot of teen comedies have. Tim Orr's cinematography definitely puts out with a warm, summer of love vibe.
Unfortunately, the film skimps out on HD audio, giving us instead a meager and halfway flaccid Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The mix isn't bad by any means, but the dynamic range simply isn't as full- blooded as it could be. This is especially apparent when soundtrack cues kick in, like MGMT's "Time To Pretend." It's easy to imagine a track with better bass response and more articulate clarity in the upper registers. Still, this is a comedy, and the mix does what it needs to do—make sure the jokes come through clear and clean (or, in this case, clear and dirty). Dialogue is well- established in the front channels, so you'll never miss a punch line because of an overcrowded mix. While the rear speakers don't exactly languish, they aren't given too much of a workout either. There's some occasional ambience in the rears, like during Lance's big party, and there are a few stocky pans—mostly cars zooming past—but that's about it for this largely front-heavy production.
Commentary by Writer/Director Sean Anders, Writer John Morris, and Producer Bob
Levy
Right off the bat, director Sean Anders admits that, having not gone to film school, much of his
and Morris' knowledge about filmmaking comes from a handful of excellent director
commentaries. As their way of reciprocating, they load up this listenable track with "rookie
filmmaker" insights. Anders and Morris are definitely a duo, and so they dominate much of the
conversation, leaving Levy to chime in occasionally. The track is pretty typical—they even pull the
old trick of calling up Clark Duke and having him talk about a scene over speakerphone—but it's
worth a listen if you're up for watching the film again, sans sound.
Sex Drive: Making a Masterpiece (SD, 11:41)
This "making of" featurette differentiates itself from other talking head, EPK pieces by refusing to
take itself seriously. Sarcastic answers abound from cast and crew alike, who all seem to
recognize that the film isn't exactly Oscar-worthy. There are a few funny moments, but this isn't
a must-watch by any means.
The Marsden Dilemma (SD, 4:48)
This is basically a miniature roast of prettyboy James Marsden. The other actors and the director
give him a good tongue-in-cheek lambasting for being a totally unfunny, talentless
douche.
Clark: Duke of the Internet (SD, 3:58)
Likewise, feature film newcomer Clark Duke gets jokingly torn a new one by his fellow cast
members.
Sex Drive has a few good gags—I cracked up anytime the donut or Seth Green's sarcastic Amish mechanic were on screen—but the film really doesn't bring anything new to its seamy, libidinous genre. I'm sure the genital jokes and brief glimpses of flesh will be enough for some, but I felt like the film was hobbling along on three flat tires. There so many better, longer-lasting comedies on Blu-ray, so if you must take Sex Drive for a spin, I'd recommend a test-drive rental first.
2018
2008
2004
2015
2009
2009
2013
2017
2009
2011
Unrated Extended Edition
2007
Choice Collection
2001
2019
2015
Fully Exposed Edition
2009
2017
Unrated + Theatrical
1999
2001
2014
2000