'Drive' cruises with right mix of raunch, sweetness
"Sex Drive" (Unrated and Cream-Filled Edition) Surprise, surprise! Given the speed with which this flick entered and then vanished from theaters, I expected the worst. But "Sex Drive" is a sweet and often hilarious sex comedy that deserves new life on DVD.
The plot is a mash-up of elements from classic teen/sex comedies of yore ("yore" being the 1980s) - think "Porky's" mixed with "The Sure Thing" and seasoned with two or three John Hughes flicks. Endearing but awkward high-school virgin Ian (Josh Zuckerman) decides to steal his brother's car and drive 800 miles to sleep with a blond hottie he met on the Internet. Along for the ride are Ian's buddy Lance (Clark Duke) and his childhood friend Felicia (Amanda Crew, channeling '80s Molly Ringwald), whom Ian harbors secret feelings for. Along the way, the three get into all kind of wacky adventures, from a trailer-park tryst that goes bad to an impromptu dance with a group of beautiful girls who belong to an abstinence group.
OK, the story's not too original, I grant you. But "Sex Drive" overcomes its formulaic plot with well-drawn characters and a sense of humor that's raunchy without being mean-spirited. The three lead actors are great, and James Marsden (Cyclops from the "X-Men" films) is hilarious as Ian's abusive older brother (even if the role is a rehash of Bill Paxton's Chet character from "Weird Science"). I rooted for these characters, and when the inevitable kiss came at the end I smiled like it was 1986.
The two-disc DVD set comes with some decent extras, including a commentary with director Sean Anders, a funny making-of featurette and brief segments about Marsden and Duke (material from the making-of is repeated in these, which is a pet peeve of mine). Also on board is an intentionally silly unrated cut loaded with added nudity and outtakes; it's really more of a parody of other "unrated" DVDs than a legitimate cut of the film. (R; Summit Entertainment, $26.99)
"Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season" Here is the other new drama (besides "Mad Men") that's turning cable channel AMC into the new HBO. The seven-episode first season of "Breaking Bad" is a darkly funny trip through hell with Walter White (Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston), a high school chemistry teacher who learns shortly after his 50th birthday that he has terminal lung cancer. Desperate to make sure his family - his teenage son has cerebral palsy and his wife is pregnant with their second child - will be OK after his death, Walter tries to make some cash by creating and selling high-grade crystal meth. Needless to say, his plan goes horribly wrong. The first season of "Breaking Bad," while not for everyone, is great television drama - challenging, well-written and beautifully acted. The solid collection of extras on this three-disc set include commentaries on two episodes, making-of featurettes and more. This is a show worth discovering. (NR; Sony, $39.95)
Also out this week "Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder" (Fox); "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" (Fox); "Last House on the Left" (MGM); "What Just Happened?" (Magnolia)