Sex Drive: Unrated and Cream Filled Edition (Summit Blu-ray + 2-Disc Special Edition DVD)

 

Picture: B/B-     Sound: B/B-     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

There has been a growing trend since the 1970’s for teen driven comedies that are filled with sex, violence, and a number of other absurdities.  From Porky’s to American Pie we have seen a lot over the years and Sex Drive continues the outlandish tradition of pitting hormonal teens against all odds to fulfill their primal desires.

 

Sex Drive stars Josh Zuckerman as Ian, a nerdy high schooler who has no bigger desire to find a girl and…well you know.  He spilts his time between internet chatting with a mysterious hotty that he has led to believe he has an awesome car and is a football star and working at a mall donut stand that shrinks his ego, more than it adds to his bank account.  Ian also must endure the beatings and insults of his older brother (played by James Marsden) who gets no bigger joy then breaking his brothers back.  The story takes off as Ian’s mystery girl invites him to a hotel for a night of sexually explosive romance; the only problems being he has no car and hardly any guts.  After some persuasion from his friend Lance (Clark Duke), the duo set out on a mission of teenage sexual frustration.  Before the horny high schoolers hit the road they first swipe Ian’s brothers car and are unexpectedly joined by Ian’s longtime female companion (“just friends”) Felicia (Amanda Crew).  Together the three set out on the trip of a lifetime; placing them in some of the most dangerous and oddest situations imaginable.  Even Seth Green makes an appearance as a witty, yet extremely sarcastic Amish super mechanic.  The film is crazy from beginning to end, bringing just as many groans as it does laughs; but in the end shapes up to a light, sexually charged teen comedy.

 

Sex Drive for the most part is like every other generic, rude, crude, nude, teen sex comedy that has come along in the 30 years; but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  The cast is likeable and the film is solid enough to highlight that some money was put into the shooting.  There is not much substance from beginning to end, with the predictable storyline merely being a shell to contain each ridiculously raunchy, but it is still fun.  It would be nice to say that Sex Drive is the next Animal House, but in actuality it is not setting out to reinvent the wheel and instead just ride out what has worked in the past.  The film is busting at the seams with sexual tension, slap stick action, and many of the other unbelievable features that have made teen comedies profitable.  This reviewer enjoyed the film, but it is the same as all the rest.  Granted the film does an excellent job of showcasing a Mexican Donut with a gun and making a mockery of the internet obsessed world we live.  The best part of the film is Seth Green’s cameo as an Amish Mechanic whose super dry sarcasm will win you over…really, you’ll love it…no I would love nothing more than to tell you more about Seth Green (you’ll get it later).

 

The picture, sound and extras on the Blu-ray and DVD do not go above and beyond, but for the most part get the job done without too much trouble.  The picture on the Blu-ray of Sex Drive: Unrated and Cream Filled Edition is presented as a 1.85 X 1 matted letterbox (the R Rated version is a 1.78 X 1 image) that is not perfect as the image is not always clear and is hazy around the edges.  The video has adequate colors, only a hint of grain, and strong detail even after the haziness of certain aspects.  The sound is a Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kps) track that demonstrates clear and crisp dialogue, but the rest of the audio is kind of a “get what you pay for” situation as the atmosphere and bass are strong, but certainly not anything that will wow you or take your speakers to their limits.

 

The DVD picture and sound are a downgrade from the Blu-ray and for this particular release it is noticeable.  The image loses much of its bright palette and detail; whereas the sound does not move across the speakers as fluidly, leaving much of the crispness and fullness behind.  For this film (and most) Blu-ray is the way to go.

 

The extras are included on the Blu-ray and DVD are Filmmaker Audio Commentary, Sex Drive: Making a Masterpiece, The Marsden Dilemma, Clark: Duke of the Internet, Killing Time in Hollywood: Florida.  Most of the extras feature the cast goofing off and making fun of each other.  The “Making Of” featurette is poking fun at the film as it openly acknowledges the silliness and unserious nature of the film; basically citing that the film by no means will be picking up any Oscars.  The other features have the cast busting on each other with overflowing sarcasm; James Marsden especially taking a beating for being the “pretty boy” on the set.  The Audio Commentary is hilarious and the cast/crew make good use of their time as they spout out fact after fact about the “creative process” and other trivial film notes.

 

It should also be mentioned that the “Unrated Edition” itself is an extra.  The Unrated Edition features the occasional appearance (quite random) of naked women and men, as well as replacing some dialogue with some odder phrases.  The directors warn the viewer up front, not to watch the Unrated Edition before the R-Rated version, but in all honesty it matters very little.  The extra add-ons are obvious and only give you more bang for you buck (no pun intended).

 

The film was fun and is best if watched in a group setting.  The film is crude, but that is the point of any film such as this.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II