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Sex Drive

7/10

Stars: Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke, James Marsden, Seth Green, Alice Greczyn, Katrina Bowden, Charlie McDermott, Mark L. Young, Cole Petersen

Director: Sean Anders

Essentially, the title tells all. This really rude riff on the 1985 John Hughes/John Cusack comedy The Sure Thing follows the lewd, crude, hormone-driven adventures of 18-year-old virgin Zuckerman, podgy pal Duke and high schooler Amanda Crew as they drive cross country after stealing Zuckerman's homophobic brother Marsden's car so that Josh can finally lose his virginity to a girl he met on the net.

The linear plot concocted by (with John Morris) director-cowriter Anders serves splendidly as an adequate narrative framework on which Anders and his cooperative cast hang a series of regrettable – but often regrettably funny - low gags and vulgar slapstick that recall and frequently outdo the profitable comic excesses of the Apatow-Rogen comedy machine.

Good taste is notably lacking and some of the humour might even bring a blush to the cheeks of Jonathan Ross. That said if you’re in the mood for a seriously silly, firmly foul-mouthed comic caper with no deeper intention than to entertain its obvious demographic, Sex Drive does the business. Zuckerman and Duke give their all and then some to raise low laughs, Crew is decorative, while Seth Green is improbably cast as a savvy bearded Amish car mechanic (my guess is that Sex Drive didn’t play well in Pennsylvania) – and there's a drink-fuelled Amish party that resembles a teenage rave and includes a lesbian kiss that guarantees to steal the show.

If you’re in the mood for another teen-oriented farce in the gross-out tradition of Superbad and its kin, Sex Drive delivers the defiantly filthy but sadly and deplorably funny no-strain-on-the-brain definitely-not-for-your-maiden aunt goods. And it’s hard to resist an all-action climax that features Our Hero making mayhem while dressed as a giant doughnut.

Alan Frank

USA 2008. UK Distributor: E1 Films. Colour.
109 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 3, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 2, Swearing 3.

Review date: 11 Jan 2009