There are several people who say that critics don't know anything... I find it funny in Hollywood how the best movies get rated terribly, and have a 28% rating on rottentomatoes 'tomatometer'...
I saw the preview for Sex Drive on myspace. The preview started off as a typical drive-across-the-country crazy-things-happen teen sex party movie. About halfway into the trailer I found myself laughing... and thinking "wow... something about this movie feels different. I think it's going to be really good. I don't want to wait til October, I want to watch it right now".
THREE WEEKS later three of my friends and I decided to see a last minute movie- I looked up Sex Drive only to find that it was only playing in one theater in our entire city (Denver) with only one showtime! 10:30 was the only showtime, if this was any indication of how the movie was I figured that it was going to be terrible- but I remembered how much I enjoyed the preview and coerced my friends to go see it. When we arrived the theater had only two other people in it, both middle-aged males sitting separately by themselves. Again- not a good sign...
The movie started out, and was instantly funny. We laughed, so did the others. I thought, "ok, any movie can make people laugh... it's not that hard a thing to do... let's see where this goes". The movie continued on, and I found myself loving the plot. Loving the script. Loving the (no-name) actors. Loving the directing. Loving the editing. Loving everything about it. But that's just me... everyone has different opinions. My three friends (who- might I mind you, have very different senses of humor) all felt the exact same way. We were crying at certain parts because we were laughing so hard. The other (two) people in the theater were laughing hysterically as well. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better- the movie turns to a love story, and everything throughout the whole movie comes together.
It finally ended, and I, and my three friends, sat there, in awe, about what we just saw. We left the theater and could not have been any happier about our movie choice.
I returned home to instantly look up reviews online about what others thought of this movie- and it blew my mind. The most terrible, awful things were said, and the movie's gross domestic total? $8,402,485. A BOMB.
I don't understand what it is people are looking for in a comedy. I will agree with others and say- yes, this has been done before. Yes, this movie is exactly what I thought it would be and what I wrote above (a typical drive-across-the-country crazy-things-happen teen sex party movie). Yes, this movie is predictable and familiar- but back to the question- what is it people are looking for in a comedy? This movie had every element of the $100,000,000+/movie American Pie series. Sex Drive should of made AT LEAST half that much.
I saw College recently- NOW THIS is a movie that deserved it's abysmal earnings of 4.5 million dollars. College's jokes were cheap, and seemingly desperate, as if almost begging for a laugh. And once again- yes, College made me (slightly) laugh- as I said before any comedy can- but what it did not do was leave me with a feeling of sheer joy and happiness that I took the time out of my night (and life) to watch it. Sex Drive left me with this feeling.
I believed Sex Drive to be perfect. In every aspect. I will address that, again, everyone's taste is different; everyone's brains interpret things differently and because of this not everyone will find Sex Drive to be perfect, in fact some may not find it funny it all- but I believe THE MAJORITY of people (9 out of 10) will realize, upon DVD release and word-of-mouth, that Sex Drive was the sleeper hit of 2008.
See this movie. It deserves much more money than it made and is well, well worth your time.
