Driver's Ed

by Mike McGranaghan

Driver’s Ed feels like the kind of comedy that often came out in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It would have been right at home next to the likes of American Pie and Road Trip. That is to say, it has a pleasingly retro feel. Pure teen comedies - those without some sort of genre twist - are in short supply these days. Director Bobby Farrelly, who made There’s Something About Mary and Me, Myself & Irene with brother Peter, understands how to achieve the right balance of humor and heart needed to make a story like this work.

Jeremy (Sam Nivola) is a high school senior. His girlfriend Samantha (Lilah Pate) has gone off to her freshman year at college, leaving him bereft. Pure panic sets in when the difficulties of long-distance relationships emerge. During his driver’s education course, taught by the eminently unqualified Mr. Rivers (Kumail Nanjiani), he makes a bold choice to steal the car, drive to Chapel Hill, and make a plea to save the relationship.

Three of his friends, who happen to be in the backseat during the theft, end up accompanying him. They are high-strung Aparna (Mohana Krishnan), sardonic drug dealer Yoshi (Aiden Laprete), and the very sweet Evie (Sophie Telegadis), who obviously has a secret crush on Jeremy. Meanwhile, school principal Ms. Fisher (Molly Shannon) sends a security guard to track the kids down, fearing the bad publicity that will arise should word of their escapade get out.

Driver’s Ed features a lot of wacky road trip shenanigans as the kids attempt to avoid being tracked. They meet their fair share of eccentric supporting characters, too, including an inept armed robber. The humor plays best when sticking to the interactions between the friends, as their personalities lead to wildly different takes on each new complication. Nanjiani and Shannon similarly earn laughs, with the principal comically freaking out and the teacher unexpectedly rooting for the teenagers.

As it goes on, Thomas Moffett’s screenplay takes time for important character development. Jeremy’s initially pathetic neediness eventually reveals more substantive fears, and the source of Yoshi’s malaise is brought to light. Aparna learns how to be true to herself, while Evie…well, no hints on that one. I really expected the inevitable Jeremy/Samantha meeting to be corny, yet it’s not. Their conservation takes place under suitably ridiculous circumstances, but the content of that conservation is smart and observant.

Certain plot elements are predictable, and overall, the film is more amusing than outright hilarious. Driver’s Ed remains a nice surprise, though. It’s well acted - with Laprete stealing the show - and it taps into that feeling of being young, in love, and completely panicked.