Comedy has been the best genre of the past several years with a high quality and high volume to match. Almost everything from the Apatow camp (most recently Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express) and titles like Juno, Role Models, and Tropic Thunder. Plenty of others have came out in the last three years to raise the bar of what comedy in America can be. Even great comedies can get overlooked, as was the case of Sex Drive.
Ian (Josh Zuckerman) is a bit of a putz with women in real life but suave and savvy with “Ms. Tasty” (Katrina Bowden) over the Internet. She wants to meet in person to have sex, but theres one problem: she lives in Knoxville, TN. With his best friends Lance (Clark Duke) and Felicia (Amanda Crew) in tow, they steal the car of his brother Rex (James Marsden) and drive on down to try and seal the deal. But what starts out as a simple road trip to lose a boys virginity turns into something much more profound by the end, including an amusing trip into Amish country.
And in a year of great comedies, Sex Drive was one with a small budget that didnt break even but not for lack of effort. Opening in October in the middle of prestige season, it was overlooked despite solid reviews. And its hard to see why this film failed to find an audience since it goes for the same sorts of humor that Superbad did and contains the same flaws that film did as well.
The films main character may be Zuckerman, but its Clark Duke that steals the movie out from under him. Gaining a measure of Internet fame as one half of Clark and Michael with Michael Cera, Duke shines in this feature film as the comic side of the equation. He and Zuckerman have good but not great chemistry and its the films biggest flaw. Zuckerman makes for a solid protagonist but doesnt add anything special to the film, adding a bland but forgivable performance. He does just enough to make us want to see him succeed but not enough to distinguish himself other than being a generic actor in the genre. Hes funny and contributes some good moments, but the films quotable moments come elsewhere.
Sex Drive itself seems to follow this formula as its supporting cast as James Marsden and Seth Green (as an Amish car mechanic) steal the scene as often as Duke does. Marsden seems to be having the time of his life away from being the typical leading man, vigorously embracing the comedy and providing the films more quotable lines. Green has a lesser part but with what little hes given he creates some comedy gold out of it.
For a film that few saw in 2008, Sex Drive was a comedy that deserved to be viewed.
Presented in a Dolby Digital format with a widescreen presentation, the film looks and sounds terrific. The transfer is excellent; this is a very color intense film with lots of variety and everything comes through with significant clarity. The film also has a solid soundtrack that comes through wonderfully.
The Marsden Dilemmais a piece on the films unlikely star, James Marsden, and completely satirical. Running a shade over four minutes, its a funny piece about Marsden and his apparent lack of comedic chops.
Sex Drive: Making a Masterpiece is another tongue in cheek piece about the film. Going for the classy presentation, complete with an over the top attempt to make it look like a prestige picture feature, its got some solid comedic moments in it.
Clark: Duke of the Internet focuses on Clark Duke who went from being an internet sensation to a mainstream actor based on an Internet series with Michael Cera of Superbad fame. It runs about three minutes.
Killing Time in Hollywood (Florida) is a piece with Clark Duke behind the camera, Josh Zuckerman and another gentleman dressed up as Randy “Macho Man” Savage as they enjoy a day off from work.
The DVD also advertises an “Unrated” version of the film thats nearly identical to the regular version of the film that appears in the film. There isnt anything significant to warrant it as an “Unrated” version.
For a two-disc edition, Sex Drive doesnt contain a whole lot one would consider special. It is competitively priced for a two-disc edition, however, and with no single disc coming out its a solid pickup.
………………………………………
20th Century Fox presents Sex Drive. Directed by Sean Anders. Starring James Marsden, Seth Green, Josh Zuckerman, Clark Duke, Amanda Crew. Written by Sean Anders and John Morris. Running time: 111 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: February 24, 2009. Available at Amazon.
