Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston
Trailer
It is quite possible that I am the only woman alive who does not find Ryan Gosling appealing. I don't dislike the man, but I have never felt strongly one way or the other, either about his acting or his looks. Frankly, he always looks rather sleepy to me. Recently, while saying this very same thing to a friend of mine (who happens to be a straight male), I received the usual jaw-open-in-disbelief response. He added, however, that the movie Drive would change my mind. Challenge accepted.
As the film opens on a sparsely-furnished apartment, we listen to Gosling's voice outlining the terms of a clearly criminal agreement to an unseen/unheard client. In the living room, a television set displays the score of a baseball game in progress. By the time this game is over, so is the job. If the name of the movie doesn't make it apparent, the audience now knows that Gosling's character is a getaway driver for hire. He is a pretty slick one at that, but of course we all knew he would be. As it turns out, Gosling (his character does not have a name) isn't just into cars when he's aiding and abetting. He also has a job as a mechanic AND a stunt driver AND he does a little stock car racing on the side. It seems our car guy is a loner without much of a social life. That is, until he meets his neighbor Irene (Mulligan) and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). Their budding relationship suffers a major downer when Irene's husband is released from prison. And while Standard (Oscar Isaac) is a little suspicious of Irene's new friend, he appears to be a fairly decent family man. Well, maybe not so much. It doesn't take long before some of his prison buddies come around to collect a debt. This debt, naturally, isn't one that Standard can pay and in steps our hero Driver to save the day. He agrees to do a little driving in the interest of keeping Irene and Benicio out of danger. So, the heist goes smoothly, nobody gets hurt, and all of the characters go home rich and happy. Well, maybe not so much.
I really did want to give this movie a chance. About fifty percent of it is made up of really fine elements that warrant serious credit. However, the other fifty percent of it consists of such colossally bad elements that they almost negate the positive ones.
To its merit, Drive was very nicely filmed with a few particularly stellar shots - Gosling's first entrance into his buddy Shannon's garage is a lovely example. The plot, although not a particularly original one, is carried out with a few detours from the typical testosterone-fueled, grand-theft auto, jock-fest. For that, the movie gets a good measure of respect. Irene is a pretty girl-next-door sort of person who doesn't spend any time jiggling her boobs for the camera. She and Gosling don't hit the sheets like horny teenagers either. I also enjoyed the driving in this movie. While there are moments of tire-squealing and metal crunching, there are also more subtle, graceful maneuvers that make the action seem a little more intelligent. (Pay close attention as Gosling executes the perfect parking job without the slightest glimpse at anything but the two suspicious characters strolling through the parking garage.)
On the flip side, what the eff is going on with the soundtrack in this movie? Let's set aside the fact I wouldn't be caught dead with a single track from it on my iPod. The volume and timing of the music is entirely inappropriate. It fades in at odd moments and doesn't add a single embellishment to the plot, mood or style of any scene. The lyrics are irrelevant. Now, I'm not implying that every song in a movie needs to have vocals that narrate the action. I am saying, however, that lacking all other aforementioned redeemable qualities, a song should at least speak to what's going on with the characters.
Now that that's off my chest, let's talk about the nearly complete lack of interesting characters. Everyone in this movie is so incredibly bland! First of all, Gosling's character is the mysterious, brooding type. So, for approximately the first half of the movie he hardly changes facial expression. Granted, it adds to the mystery of who he is and what his past might be, etc., but it doesn't make for much in the way of exciting dialog. Irene isn't chock full of personality either. She is very quiet, polite, tentative, nervous. Apparently, there isn't much going on in her life that isn't domestic and there's no sign of a hobby or quirky character flaw anywhere. The husband, Standard is, ironically, the only character who surprised me. Despite being a hoodlum, he appears to genuinely care for his son and show appreciation and respect to his wife. While that should be the "standard" way for a man to treat his family, in the scope of action films, it's not the usual case for his type of character. All of the other characters are beneath mentioning.
I even have a problem with the opening credits. Was that Purple Rain font? WTF?
In summary, I felt about Drive the way that I still feel about Ryan Gosling, which is, "meh". It was just on the verge of being an exquisitely Grindhouse homage that truly honors the subtle greatness of the genre. Left to age, it could have been a cult classic in ten or so years. But, a few absurdly lame details wrecked this movie's potential ambiance. That, coupled with acting that could put a crack-head to sleep, left me truly disappointed. Sorry Ryan. Better luck next time.
Bechdel Test Results: Fail
Second Opinion
Hottie Rating: 3 of 5
Overall Rating: 2 1/2 of 5
