License to Drive (1988)

That was an excellent one.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Too embarrassed to admit that he failed his driving exam, a teenager is coaxed into taking a girl who he fancies and two friends out for a crazy night on the town in this Corey Haim and Corey Feldman comedy. Fresh from 'The Lost Boys', Haim is well cast as the nervous teen protagonist and it is fun to see Heather Graham younger than ever as Haim's girlfriend to-be. Amusing moments include the harsh driving test that James Avery makes Haim undergo and a drunk driver appropriating Haim's car. A number of jokes do, however, backfire - though the most underwhelming aspect of the film is that it never really reaches its potential. Having a passed-out Graham in the boot of the car could have easily been played for bigger laughs. The supporting characters are also not nearly as wacky and memorable as those in the slightly similar Keanu Reeves comedy 'The Night Before' or even 'After Hours' and 'Into the Night', to name a couple of other iconic nighttime mischief movies. The film is pretty lightweight on the message side of things too with the idea that Haim will learn more about how to drive in one crazy night than in a hundreds textbooks very obvious from the get-go. If one does not dig too deep into things though, 'License to Drive' is a largely enjoyable affair. Clocking in at under 90 minutes, it is very briskly paced to accurately reflect how overwhelming the seeming non-stop madness is for Haim. The film isn't scared of being zany either; just listen to what the DMV lady tells Haim not to do with them since they "can make your life a living hell"!

I freaking love this movie!Its hilarious!The bit with the drunk just kills me every time.This is an absolute classic,one of the best 80s movies.Haim is SO funny in this(RIP)!and so is Feldman.I laugh so hard every single time I watch it, it just never gets old!Carol Kane does a great job as the pregnant mother and Richard Masur is brilliant.This is a timeless film, I showed it to my friends and they loved it!I may turn them into Corey fans!Heather Graham does a good job in this too, she was quite funny and I like the dress she wears at the party.If you have not seen this movie yet, then rent it,order it,it is well worth it!Id recommend it to Corey fans and comedy lovers.8/10

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.

This banal film would surely only appeal to twelve to fifteen year-olds with little or no taste. Written by Neil Tolkin and directed by Greg Beeman, "License to Drive" finds the Corey twins (Haim and Feldman) as young teens who would do anything to obtain a driver licence, even lie! When young 'Les' (Haim) does just this in order to take out the girl of his dreams, all hell breaks loose.All the humour (or at least ninety-eight percent of it) fails in this pathetically predictable teen-flick. And the film's main draw cards, Corey and Corey and of course Heather Graham, put up a poor showing in this stupid movie. Don't bother!Sunday, September 20, 1992 - Video