LICENSE TO DRIVE
US, 1988, 88 minutes, Colour.
Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane, Richard Masur, Heather Graham, Nina Siemaszko.
Directed by Greg Beeman.
License to Drive is a teenagers' film. Young Corey Haim has dreams of getting his licence and the freedom that will follow. He fails the test, but takes Grandfather's car for a night on the town with literally smashing results. A very good cast which includes Carol Kane and Richard Masur as his parents and Corey Feldman as his friend does its best with this nightmare comedy - but it is too fanciful and is certainly not the best ad for safe driving.
1. Teenage fantasy? Impact on teenage audience? Adults? Americans?
2. The locations in the city, school, city at night? Cars, special effects and stunts? Musical score?
3. The title, the licence for freedom? The farcical aspects of the film? Serious?
4. Les and the opening dream, the macho fantasy? The reality in his family, twin sister? His friendship with Dean and Charles, their urging him on? The attraction towards Mercedes, her presence in his dream, offering the date? Relationship with his parents, brother and sister? His going out, leaving his father on the side of the road and taking Mercedes how? The nightmare of the test, his almost reprieve, the failure? The reaction of the family, friends? At night at home, the phone call to Mercedes, the decision to take the car, the globe, the lawn, not willing to park the car, then getting, it towed away, paying out the money to get the car back, Mercedes and her dancing with her shoes on the car, her being sick, on the lookout over Los Angeles, encountering the police, the drunk and his taking the car, the elaborate chase, crash, rivalry with the gang, at the diner, the protest march, eventually getting home? His mother and her pregnancy? Having to reverse all the way to the hospital, Grandfather coming home and crashing the other car?
5.. Mercedes, the girl of Les' dreams, fight with her boyfriend, the glamour, going out, rivalry, being sick, dancing, in the trunk of the car, the happy ending?
6. Dean and Charles: school the licence, types, urging Les on, sharing the night, the photography and the dangerous driving? Jokes and irresponsibility?
7. Parents and their relating to Les, discipline at home, letting him go out, his father and the buying of the car, his mother and her pregnancy, sleeping through the night with the car absent, getting up to get the car ready? The discovery? Going to the hospital?
8. The test, the fierce lady, his sister getting through the test easily, the black supervisor and the cup of coffee - and later passing him?
9. His sister, the socialist boyfriend, the demonstration?
10. Enjoyable teen comedy? The image of teenager-s? The serious and the comic?
