License to Drive (1988)

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Hey, I like a cheesy 80s movie as much as the next guy, but this one was hard to watch. Compare this scenario with another Feldman-Haim movie, "The Lost Boys". Though not a comedy, "Lost Boys" is much, much more funny than the explicitly comedic "License." The latter movie telegraphs its jokes and plot twists from a mile away, while the former movie is far more sophisticated and original. Maybe that's it though - "License" is so cliché (not that that's necessarily a bad thing) that the laughs are corny while "Lost Boys" has an originality and freshness that delivers funny dialogue AND funny situations.I tell ya, it was hard to watch. Some scenes are so bad they're cringeworthy. The "Mercedes" line in the final minutes of the movie made me throw up a little bit in the back of my throat.And yeah, the dad is the dog-keeper guy from "The Thing." I knew I recognized him, but couldn't place him. A quick IMDb search got that all straightened out.

Despite failing his test for a driver's license, nice guy 16-year-old Les Anderson (a fine and engaging performance by Corey Haim) decides to sneak out of the house and use his grandfather's prized '72 Cadillac for a date with the luscious Mercedes Lane (an extremely sweet and delectable Heather Graham in her first substantial film role). Les' brash hipster best friend Dean (Corey Feldman in top-rate supremely cool form) and their nerdy pal Charles (a charmingly geeky Michael Manasseri) tag along for the wild and outrageous ride. Director Greg Beeman, working from a smart and witty script by Neil Tolkin, relates the eventful and entertaining story at a zippy pace, maintains an amiable good-natured tone throughout, and adroitly milks the funny sense of inspired zany humor for loads of major laughs (the final gag concerning Les' grandpa in particular is a gut-busting corker!). Moreover, this movie deserves extra praise for having actual teenagers portraying adolescents. The lively acting from the able cast helps matters a whole lot: The strong and appealing chemistry between the two Coreys keeps the picture humming, with sturdy support from Richard Masur as Les' easygoing father, Carol Kane as Les' wacky pregnant mother, Nina Siemaszko as Les' stuck-up snob sister Natalie, James Avery as Les' hard-nosed DMV examiner, Helen Hanft as formidable DMV head honcho Miss Hellberg, and, in an especially bravura uncredited turn, Henry Alan Miller as a raucous drunk driver. Jay Ferguson's rousing score and the spirited rocking soundtrack both hit the stirring spot. The polished cinematography by Bruce Surtees gives the picture a pleasing bright look. A total blast.

..because seriously, they are nothing but trash, filth, sex, and farts nowadays ! I adore such a movie. It's a decent comedy, non-stop action, and centering on beating fear by facing its worst nightmares. It succeeds in every each way it goes, with fascinating sense of creativity.How can any comedy be smarter ? See for instance the character of the father apart; the way he celebrates his son's faultier as a driver and why, his scenes with the about-to-give-birth wife, and his threatening speech near the end. Just unforgettable. The thing about this movie is that it knows its characters and their lives, then could mix that with a lovely touch of craziness where everything you don't expect happens. So, it wins at being truthful and lively. This is one way to be a classic. Not by the heaviest amount of toilet humor !Despite being not highly charismatic Corey Haim was wonderful as the perturbed aghast and eager teen. Heather Graham was fabulous in pink, being every teen's dream back then (and look closer to her name; Mercedes Lane !). Loved her performance as always-happy unconscious drunk. The minor parts were done no less than excellent, even the drunken old driver. Then the best credit must go to that incredible climax; now the teen gets his full chance to drive outrageously by the approval of his parents, winning the recognition he dreamed of, achieving rescuing his mom and her baby on the nick of time, yet that itself was done in one outrageous piece of cinema. Again, this script is smart, smashing smart !It evoked many similar themes and atmospheres from the same era : the suburban teen who wants to challenge his fear, a ride of a lifetime in the city; John Hughes's Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), a hellish night of accumulative misunderstanding and funny circumstance; Adventures in Babysitting (1987). My conclusion : Is the 1980s cute or what ?Remember the moment in which the lead lives a cassette tape crises, where the thin brown strip explodes. Ahh, this is something only the audience born before the 1990s knows well, suffered from and laughs about. With CDs and else more advanced devises now, plus teen comedies that have become all about obscenity, you must think; does more development mean more degeneration ? or when things grow less complicated, other things grow more ugly ?Anyway, this is a teen comedy and decent classic. Now the 4 words don't meet together in one sentence at all !

After the success of the now cult classic vampire flick "The Lost Boys", one year later, the popular 80s and 90s duo Corey Haim and Corey Feldman star in a fun-filled Comedy about a serious part in all of our lives, that part is our driving test. "License to Drive" is a fast-paced, original Comedy which is probably my favorite Haim/Feldman movie.The most embarrassing part of a teens life is being driven to a party or school by their parents. The parents are the ultimate antagonist when caught dropping their kids off because that means the teen doesn't have a driver's license. I'm sure it will be like that when I reach High School.Les Anderson (Corey Haim), the slacker type, crashes the computer on accident in anger after failing his driver's test. His teacher can't find the score to his test, which leads him to take the driving portion of his test, coached by a certain uncle, from a certain Will Smith show.He passes that test, but the teacher recovers his score, realizing he failed, rips up his driver's license, leaving Les to be driven by his parents. He then unwillingly takes out his grandfather's prized Cadillac to take out his new girlfriend Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham) who gets drunk and passes out on their date. He goes to his friend Dean's (Corey Feldman) house. Les, Dean, and their geeky friend Charles (Michael Manasseri) embark on a journey to a drag racing competition in Les' uncle's Cadillac.I have always had a weakness for 80s Comedies that depict the life of true teenagers (most of which are John Hughes movies). This, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Days Off, Career Opportunities, and so many others deal with real conflicts that teenagers have consistently. Though I have to feel bad that this one is overlooked and almost like it is never spoken about anymore seeing as it's very touching and funny.Perhaps one of the best 80s Comedies I have seen, "License to Drive" delivers heavily and keeps the laughs coming.Starring: Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Heather Graham, and Michael Manasseri. Directed by: Greg Beeman.