The Pleasure Drivers (2006)

Great Film overall

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I was going to review this movie, but after reading Masticator76's masterpiece I really have nothing to add. I'm giving it one more star than he did, just because the movie is so gosh-darned edgy. It's still a frustrating experience, even with the edginess. There are a great many scenes that nearly work, but nothing ever coheres into an actual movie with a believable plot. There are only a couple of characters written to have more than one dimension, and they immediately make you wish they would just shut up and let the cardboard characters take over.Go read Masticator76. His review contains SPOILERS but trust me, you really don't care that much.

This is an interesting mixture for a flick; a few funny scenes, mostly subtle humor, throw in some action, odd theme-based characters , and enough intriguing content that you can think about it for a while. Not the typical vapid thrill.A major theme of the movie is explained early on when the professor reviews the concepts of the Id, Superego, and Ego while he drives with the nympho. The description sets up the main conflict of the movie, between the Id and the Superego, which ends up affecting the Ego. There is also a subtext regarding religion and a conflict between Ego and religion. The death of the cult figurehead results in the the Id being satisfied. And the salvation of the world.The professor (Superego) is the epitome of anal retentive, cleaning even as his wife tells him she is leaving him. Even just after that, leaving tape messages for himself, he doesn't mention that she has left, he just jabbers on about bizarre dreams. The scene where he gets reamed by the lesbian hit-woman using her gun is funny in how he instantly loves it.Daphne (Ego) is a chain-smoking nervous wreck, even as she makes a bold move, bashing a couple of guys from the church and kidnapping their cult goddess. She's constantly going back and forth between action on an ill-conceived plan and trying to make everything OK.The nympho (Id) is pure fun; whatever pleasures her at the moment. But by the end of her interaction with the professor, she is frustrated, which isn't surprising.Tom, a mental case, is purely innocent. He starts off pretty much totally whacked out and dependent on his medications, which have run out. As the movie progresses he has moments of increasing lucidity and in the end drives off towards his dream with the hot chick happily coming along for the ride. His improved mental state with increasing time off medication just occurred to me, but fits with other themes in the movie.Lacey Chabert playing the nympho is fun to watch in this part, but maybe that's just pandering to my inner id.There are some lingering questions, such as how a figure as pathetic as the professor was able to get a beautiful wife and house to begin with, or how he has a wife leave him and never mentions it. How Daphne can brutally pound a couple of guys in the head with a baseball bat and not feel a bit of remorse or second guessing. How Tom, who is clueless and confused suddenly gets his head together and leaves with the girl, which is a great ending, but a bit surprising that he can drive. Or how the professional hit-woman is such a terrible shot at the end. The lesbian hit-woman is completely superfluous, but hey, why not.All in all, it's fun to watch, if a bit slow in parts, particularly dealing with the professor's character development. I loved the anti-religious undertones, which are subtle and humorous, pointing out the controlling, and often two-faced and hypocritical nature of it.

This is a really, REALLY bad movie that thinks it is absolutely amazing. To all those people who say that it is a brilliant piece of art cinema and should be judged accordingly - it comes of much worse by those standards than if it is judged as a cheesy action thriller. Complex inter-related plots are all well and good, but these plots are not complicated, and they are only related by the most token gesture at the end. The nurses's patient's mental health oscillates wildly - depending on the needs of the so-called plot, he's a semi-comatose mess or a lucid if troubled young man. The college professor is NOT an amazing, brave role, it's pop Freudian psychology at its absolute worst. I thought he was introduced as a caricature who would be the butt of some joke (see what I did there?), but no, his stupid clichéd ways of thinking all prove to be insightful and accurate - riiight. Chabert's character, while being completely pointless, is indeed a hot nympho - the only reason to watch this movie is to enjoy hot nymphos and lesbian assassins.

I'll level with you...this is a lame movie with mediocre acting & totally uninteresting characters. It starts out strong & shows some promise but, just give it another 10 minutes....your thumb will find the eject button. HOWEVER, there is one saving grace....her name is Lacey Chabert! Trust me, guys (and girls who like other girls), you should really rent this flick just to see the delicious Lacey in rare form! This adorable morsel (who was age 23 at the time of filming in 2005), absolutely has one of THE Best figures I've ever seen!! Unfortunately, we don't get to see all of her (which is seriously weak for an unrated film!) but, our girl does juuuust fine. Skip to chapters 9 & 10, and see if you agree. ;)