License to Drive (1988)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Plot; A 16 year old boy fails his drivers exam only to be approached by his dream girl for a date. His solution? Steal his Grandfather's mint condition Cadillac and take her out regardless.A vehicle--no pun...okay, pun intended--for the two "Coreys" (Haim and Feldman), this is actually an energetic, quirky and surprisingly well made 80s teen comedy. I don't know that Haim was one of our great thespians, but he makes for a plucky and likable hero here. It helps that he's surrounded by a talented and game supporting cast, including Carol Kane, Richard Masur and an impossibly gorgeous Heather Graham, who takes what would otherwise have simply been a one dimensional "Hot object of the hero's affections" role and makes her charming and likable. It's far from a classic, but certainly worth checking out for those who are fans of the 80s teen genre and may have forgotten about it.

The sixteen year-old Les Anderson (Corey Haim) has a crush on his schoolmate Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham), but he is shy and she has a boyfriend, Paolo (M.A. Nickles), who has a fancy car. Les and his twin sister Natalie Anderson (Nina Siemaszko) are preparing to the driving test and while Natalie studies the questions, he does not pay attention to them. Les fails the test but is not brave enough to tell neither to his father Mr. Anderson (Richard Masur) nor to his pregnant mother Mrs. Anderson (Carol Kane) and his best friends Dean (Corey Feldman) and the clumsy Charles (Michael Manasseri). When Mercedes has an argument with Paolo, she invites Les to date her to make Paolo jealous. Meanwhile Les' parents discover that he has flunked his driver's test and they ground him. However, when Mercedes calls him asking if they are not going to date, Les sneaks away from his house and drives his grandfather's Cadillac that is parked in the garage to date Mercedes in the beginning of a nightmarish night of adventures."License to Drive" is a comedy from the 80's still very funny after almost thirty years. This is one of the best roles of Corey Haim in the top of his career immediately after the cult "Lost Boys" and "Lucas" and the debut of Heather Graham. The plot would be considered "politically incorrect" in the present days but fortunately it was not a problem in 1988. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Sem Licença para Dirigir" ("Without License to Drive")

Loud, energetic, fun teen comedy about Les (the likable Corey Haim), a typical kid eager to start driving. Despite his having flunked his driver's test, he's not about to let anything stop him from being with Mercedes (Heather Graham, in her first substantial movie role), the girl he adores. So he makes off with his grandfather's prized Cadillac for one incredible, long night of misadventures. Now, admittedly some viewers can find certain elements objectionable - the protracted sequence with the drunk driver, or the fact that Mercedes gets herself drunk - but this movie still provides lively, zany entertainment for a very well paced 90 minutes. It resonates with so many of us who saw that driver's license as one of our first steps towards freedom and maturity, seeing all the possibilities before us for good times. Les just couldn't have predicted the kind of stuff that happens to him and his buds Dean-o (a priceless Corey Feldman) and Charles (Michael Manasseri). The aforementioned problem with the drunk driver (Harvey Miller) is just one of them. The highly quotable dialogue includes such gems as "I'm so dead they're going to have to bury me twice.". The movie gets off to a fine start with its hilarious opening sequence, and the supporting cast is full of familiar and reliable actors, starting with a delightful Carol Kane as Les's pregnant mom and the always solid Richard Masur as his flustered dad. Graham looks great, and is perfectly cast. Nina Siemaszko is a hoot as Les's uptight sister, as is Grant Heslov as her boyfriend. Other amusing contributions are made by Grant Goodeve, as the most relaxed driving tester on Earth, and James Avery, as a far more intimidating one, Michael Ensign in a dual role as the bus driver & driver's ed teacher, and Helen Hanft as the scary Miss Hellberg of the DMV. "License to Drive" just breezes along (it certainly would out pace a street sweeper), coming up with some irresistible gags, and suffice it to say, that poor Caddy takes a lot of abuse before the movie is over. It wouldn't be inaccurate to regard this movie as perhaps the ultimate teaming of the two Coreys; it's definitely a career highlight for both. Eight out of 10.

License to Drive (1988) *** (out of 4) Even though he failed his driver's test, a teen (Corey Haim) decides to steal his grandfather's Cadillac because the girl of his dreams (Heather Graham) asked him out on a date. After picking up his two best friends (Corey Feldman, Michael Manasseri) they head out for what's suppose to be a good time but they hit one disaster after another. This was one of my favorite movies before I hit 16-years-old because it was always a fun movie to watch and fantasize about what my first day out with a driver's license would be like. Watching the film now I was a little surprised to see how well it stood up and especially by how many of the jokes still pack a lot of laughs. This movie was clearly made to get the two Corey's together and they do a terrific job but the main reason for this is that the screenplay is so spot on and smart in terms of what happens. I think the screenplay perfectly builds up that teen spirit of being a dork and wanting the most beautiful girl in school. It perfectly builds up all the fun stuff that one does when they get a car. It perfectly builds up the two friend characters who are constantly want to do more and more simply because they're not the ones who own the car. The performances in the films are extremely good with Haim doing a great job with the nerd role. That shyness and laid back style of his perfectly fits this character and it's really the perfect mix for all the craziness that's going on in the movie. Feldman, to no shock, plays the wilder one and the two of them blending their styles makes it easy to see why they were so popular together. Graham isn't too bad either as she gets quite a few good scenes. Another major plus is Richard Masur and Carol Kane who play Haim's parents. They are both perfect in their roles and really add a lot of great laughs and especially Masur who pretty much steals the film with his lovable bear type performance. The soundtrack is totally 80s with The Breakfast Club doing a cover of The Beatles' "Drive My Car" and we've got Billy Ocean's smash "Get Out of My Car" and even a couple Sinatra songs added for great effect. This film isn't an Oscar-winner and it will never be confused as one. It is a great throwback to the 80s with some extremely good performances and a winning screenplay and that alone makes it worth viewing.