A Middling Road Trip Coming of Age Comedy
I’m actually quite fond of irreverent road trip/coming-of-age comedies. I find the simple premise of a ragtag group of unlikely friends taking an unlikely journey for a pretty silly reason (usually a girl) and getting into hijinks along the way a lot of fun. It’s a repetitive narrative that never really gets old to me, so something like Driver’s Ed should be right up my cinematic alley. Unfortunately, the film only sometimes succeeds, keeping the framework intact but never really going for broke in any direction. Constantly oscillating between heart and humor, the key to success in these kinds of film is to pick one and dial it up to 11. It’s typically either really funny or deeply heartfelt, and Driver’s Ed can’t seem to switch into the right gear to speed down the highway.
There’s enough charm to power it through to its final destination, but only entertaining enough to provide a few chuckles along the way. For something like Driver’s Ed to really shine and take its place among the coming-of-age road trip comedy greats, It needs to blow past the speed limit instead of cruising 5 miles below. Tropes and cliches only work when they execute well, and while Driver’s Ed has both in spades, it sadly falls short in its effort.
Bobby Farrelly has delivered some of the best comedies in the genre. Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, and a personal favorite, Kingpin. All of Farrelly’s films – whether solo or with his brother Peter – share the same bones. Not all of his films work, but Driver’s Ed is surprisingly restrained for a filmmaker who typically knows how to push the limits.
Surprisingly Light on Laughs
Everything in Driver’s Ed feels muted and handcuffed, like it wants to really floor it but keeps hitting on the brakes right when it’s about to hit its stride. The premise is simple: 4 unlikely friends taking a driver’s education class decide to steal their campus vehicle and drive to a nearby college campus so Jeremy (Sam Nivola) can check in on his long-distance girlfriend in college. Of course, there’s a story for each passenger and they all discover something new about themselves on their trip. And there is, of course, a collection of bumbling adults comprised of Molly Shannon, Kumail Nanjiani, and Tim Baltz who are all trying to track down the students and stolen vehicle.
Because Driver’s Ed never really pushes any limits, none of the stakes or delays feel all that pressing. The colorful, larger-than-life characters we usually meet along the road are few and far between and rarely leave a lasting impression. Despite a campus security guard pursuing them, not having their phones, being forced to read a physical map, and no one knowing how to drive, their biggest hurdle is running out of gas. Everything about the setup is a recipe for a hilarious disaster, but Farrelly seems either uninterested or incapable of doing anything with these elements. Driver’s Ed just kind of putters along until it reaches its inevitable conclusion, removing the fun out of the predictability and never really bringing everything together in a satisfying and laugh-out-loud way.
Final Thoughts
Though the script seems to be actively working against them, the young cast does the best they can with what they’re given. The charm of Shannon and Nanjiani can’t be denied no matter how hard the script seems to be trying to stifle them. Driver’s Ed has potential, and the aforementioned charm works just enough to keep it moving. But it ultimately isn’t enough to sustain even the most basic story, and struggles to bring consistent laughs or learn any valuable lessons from the journey. There’s some fun to be had in Driver’s Ed, but not enough to stand out among the rest. It’s a disappointing road trip to nowhere, one with enough charm in the gas tank to get to the party but not enough laughs to get us back home safely.
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