For his third solo feature, Bobby Farrelly waxes a bit nostalgic, at least for those who remember those Saturday afternoon matinees slumped down in the back of the theatre watching those coming-of-age teen comedies that were a little bit sweet, a little bit sexy, and the stuff of which are memories are still made. 

Driver's Ed, a Vertical Entertainment release, centers around a high school senior, Jeremy (Sam Nivola) whose high school sweetheart Samantha (Lilah Pate) has sworn her love and devotion despite heading off to college in Chapel Hill, North Carolina a year ahead of Jeremy's graduation. 

You can already kind of tell where this one's going to go, can't you?

You're mostly right, though Thomas Moffett's lo-fi script keeps it interesting and Driver's Ed is one of those films I like to call a comfort film. You know what I mean. It's the kind of film you look back at with a smile. It's not because it's a great film. Driver's Ed isn't a great film. It's not because it's a particularly original film. Driver's Ed is a fairly familiar film that's relatable in all the right ways. A film doesn't always have to be brilliant. A film doesn't always have to be challenging or thought-provoking or aiming for awards season. Sometimes, all a film has to do is make you feel better about life. 

Mission accomplished. 

After a late-night, alcohol-fueled phone call, Jeremy's fears are stoked that Samantha has moved on. Impulsively, he commandeers his school's driver's ed car from a hilariously incapacitated Mr. Rivers (Kumail Nanjiani) with three classmates not so willingly, at least initially, along for the ride - the affluent and attractive Evie (Sophie Telegadis), the class valedictorian Aparna (Mohana Krishnan), and the school's drug dealer Yoshi (Aidan Laprete). 

You know the mission. Get to Chapel Hill. Get Samantha. 

In Driver's Ed, it's definitely about the journey and not the destination. 

Is Driver's Ed more than a little contrived?

You betcha. 

It's also a satisfying little film, the kind of coming-of-age story with which so many of us can identify no matter how absurd it gets. For 24 hours, we follow this quartet through the usual road trip hijinks and buddy flick lessons that are zany yet sincere, hilarious and often heartfelt. 

While the young folks are the focus here, Farrelly has looped in some comic big ballers like Nanjiani along with Molly Shannon as the distracted high school principal chasing tenure and Tim Baltz as the school's "wanna be a real cop again" Officer Walsh. All three add just the right doses of heart and humor. Nanjiani's the big winner among the adults, though Molly Shannon is always reliable and the film could have used even more of Baltz's ballsy bravado. 

I grew up in the 80's. I lived on the John Hughes films along with flicks like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porky's, Weird Science, and a host of others. My family didn't have much, but whenever I could talk my parents into a few bucks I'd be spending my Saturdays at the local multiplex watching films that made me laugh a lot, cry a little, and feel not so alone. 

It's clear that Bobby Farrelly understands that world. 

Driver's Ed feels 80s. Some people will like that. Some won't. So be it. 

I enjoyed these characters and I enjoyed the actors playing these characters. Sam Nivola, mostly recognized from The White Lotus, is an absolute gem as Jeremy, a wannabe filmmaker earnest yet naive and so drippingly sincere that his trio of companions can't help but look at his puppy dog face and absolute know that he's setting himself up to be hurt. 

Nivola's scenes with Telegadis are among the film's best serving as a cinematic hug, each character subtly developing in all the right ways. If you don't fall in love with Telegadis's Evie you're just plain stone cold. Mohana Krishnan's Aparna has her own quietly funny and warm scenes here, though it seems like we get to know her the least and own growth feels just a tad uncooked. The film's real scene-stealer is Aidan Laprete as Yoshi, whose presence feels like a high school-aged Steven Wright. I would watch an entire film centered around Yoshi. 

Driver's Ed isn't early Farrelly, though you can see glimpses of that early Farrelly style amidst a more grounded, heartfelt, and sincere motion picture. I will always love films like There's Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber, but years from now I'm pretty sure it's going to be Driver's Ed that lingers in my heart and in my mind. 

While Driver's Ed may not have much new to say, sometimes all a film really has to do entertain and engage. Driver's Ed accomplishes both of these things in abundance and succeeds on the strength of Moffett's storytelling, a strong ensemble, and Farrelly's obvious love for the story he's telling. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic