What Do The Critics Say?

"The title Sex Drive is a pun about a road trip in search of nooky, but it's also an apt image of what it's like to be a teen guy. You're the car. The stick shift is driving you. There are interesting characters and a disarming innocence. John Hughes' "Sixteen Candles" is to this movie's writer-director Sean Anders what John Woo movies are to Quentin Tarantino." Kyle Smith NEW YORK POST "The cast is fresh-faced and likable, and the movie is able to boast a bizarrely amusing performance by Seth Green as an extraordinarily sarcastic Amish man. Enough laughs to make it worth the trip." Eric D. Snider FILMCOM "In the tradition of 1999's "American Pie" and Judd Apatow's repertoire, "Sex Drive" is a raunch-packed comedy, funny as all get-out, but underneath that politically-incorrect hilarity is a big softy. Sex Drive is a teen comedy pulled off with unusual flair." Dustin Putman THE MOVIE BOY "Sex Drive twits its own lost innocence with a knowing backward glance (the winsome leads deserve a more humane movie), and Seth Green is uproarious as an Amish farmer who speaks in sentences so passive-aggressive, they're like tiny slaps." Owen Gleiberman ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "If Judd Apatow revived the raunchy sex comedy with such films as Superbad and Knocked Up, Sean Anders happily advances the genre with Sex Drive. Like Apatow's best films, Sex Drive has heart. The characters, despite various masks of bravado, do care about each other, and it shows. Without that, Sex Drive would still be funny. With it, it's something more." Bill Goodykoontz ARIZONA REPUBLIC

"Sex Drive is absurdly funny and a perfect example of nice guys always finishing last. Overall, for a movie that has been done a million times before, the jokes work really well and the two main characters, Ian and Lena are very likable. Marsden and Green have smaller parts in the film but deliver some hilarious performances." Kevin McCarthy CBS RADIO "A cut above a lot of the garbage aimed at the nation’s hapless 18 to 24 year old moviegoers." Jason Heck KANSAS CITY STAR "Just about as raunchy as a comedy like this can possibly get. It's 'American Pie' with the brakes off." Pete Hammond HOLLYWOOD.COM "Director Sean Anders returns raunchy teen comedy to the no-expectations pre-Apatow era." John Beifuss COMMERCIAL APPEAL "The bar for teen-sex comedies has never been very high, but this one clears it and then some." J. R. Jones CHICAGO READER "Look at that title, know what you’re getting into. But if you’re game, the ride’s a smooth one." Joshua Rothkopf TIME OUT NEW YORK "Move over, Judd Apatow. There's a new comedy sheriff in town. The actors, most of whom are unfamiliar except for Marsden and Seth Green as a bright, sarcastic Amish car buff, are a talented bunch who create one of the most entertaining ensembles of 2008. It's a tale that's told with wit, compassion and sympathy. And its outrageous laughs are sure to make it a sleeper hit, a cult favorite, or both." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES

The Inside Story "Sex Drive" is a simple story with simple ingredients. It involves a young man named Ian, who is about to start college as a virgin!. A a flaming hot blonde name Ms Tasty, who Ian has only met on-line. His best friend and worldly young man, who has no trouble getting laid: Lance. Then there's his super best friend, Felicia, who despite her supressed feelings, wants her and Ian to stay, 'best friends'. Then there's Ian's macho, stud brother Rex. He's worried Ian may be turning to the dark side. Other than worrying about whether his little brother might be turning gay, Rex's preoccupation in life is his pride and joy 'The Judge', a vintage Pontiac GTO which is in immaculate condition. Egged on by Lance, Ian risks life and limb by appropriating 'The Judge' for a cross-country 'sex drive'. With Lance and Felicia in tow, he hits the road for a one-time rendezvous that will rock his world! But the planned eight-hour drive turns into a three-day marathon as the trio loses its way in the Heartland and ends up taking a scenic tour of Midwestern back roads. With his would-be lover growing increasingly impatient and his older brother due back from a weekend trip at any moment, Ian is in a race against the clock. Car trouble, a stint in the pokey, a detour to an Amish farm and an afternoon at a roadside carnival all complicate Ian’s journey, but it’s Lance’s overactive libido that really threatens to derail his plans, as Lance enters into a dangerous liaison with a loose local and hooks up with an Amish girl enjoying Rumspringa. As Ian presses on to get to Knoxville before Ms Tasty gives up and goes home, the trail of mayhem and misadventure that he and his companions have left in their wake is closing in on them with hilarious consequences. Will Rex find him before he reaches Nirvana? Will a cuckolded husband exact revenge on Lance just as he seems to have found true love? Will Ms. Tasty live up to her Internet profile? Will Ian realize what it is he really wants? And most importantly, Will Ian, Felicia and Lance survive the perilous road to adulthood with all its unexpected twists and turns? So jow did this deliciously tempting tale come about? And, how did it make it to the bigscreen? Producer Bob Levy ("The Clique") didn’t have to look far to discover the source material for his latest feature film project. Levy is head of the film and television division of Alloy Entertainment, which published "All the Way", the young adult novel by Andy Behrens on which "Sex Drive" is based. Alloy, which was founded by Leslie Morgenstein ("The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"), also a producer on "Sex Drive", has found a unique niche in the entertainment industry. The company previously produced the popular "Gossip Girls" television series and The Sisterhood of the "Traveling Pants" movie franchise, both developed from books that Alloy publishes. With the novel in hand, the producers’ next step was to find screenwriters capable of translating the story from the page to the big screen. Levy and Morgenstein met with a number of writers before selecting the team of Sean Anders ("Never Been Thawed" and John Morris ("Never Been Thawed") to adapt the book into an outrageous and uproarious script that was eventually dubbed "Sex Drive". "Once we met Sean and John and heard their vision of this movie, it was clear sailing," says Levy. "They came in and blew us out of the room with a take that was a thousand percent smarter, funnier and more real than anything else we heard. They had figured out exactly how to translate the book into a movie." The pair took inspiration for Sex Drive from the films of 1991 ShoWest Producer of the Year John Hughes, the auteur of adolescent adventures like "Pretty in Pink" and "Sixteen Candles". He also wrote the screenplays for such celebrated films as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Home and Alone", "Dennis The Menace", "Wierd Science" and most recently, "Drillbit Taylor". "Like Hughes we started with story and characters," says Anders. "When we felt we had that nailed down, then we would think, how could this be funny? And we would try to make it funny." According to Levy, that’s an understatement of the team’s talents. "It’s one thing to be funny: there are a lot of funny writers in Hollywood," he pointed out. "“These guys are also smart. They’ve created great, original jokes, but they’re also telling a magnificent story filled with really deep, rich characterizations. To find that skill-set in one package is a very rare thing. Hollywood is the last great meritocracy and their rise has been really meteoric. John and Sean are the real deal." How does he described the storyline then? "It’s about looking for love in all the wrong places. It’s about thinking what you want is sex and realizing what you need is love." That underlying theme is what Levy says makes the film work on many different levels. "It’s smart. It’s stupid. It’s emotional. It’s physical. It’s witty. It’s sexual. It’s about courage and fear. Putting so many different kinds of things together makes the storytelling richer, makes all the jokes funnier and makes you love all the characters even more." Actor Clark Duke, who plays the likeable Lothario, Lance, notes: "Of course, the film has a fair share of broad, as well as smart, humor. I wouldn’t compare the movie to American Pie so much as to an 1980s comedy. It’s sort of screwball, but Josh, Amanda and I went at our characters from a naturalistic place. Some of the stuff that happens is ridiculous, in a good way, but the main three characters are going at it from a realistic perspective." Seth Green, who played Scott Evil in the Austin Powers franchise and who is unforgettable in "Sex Drive" playing a terrific supporting role as a sardonic Amish car mechanic, notes that the alchemy of comedy is more art than science. "It’s always a roll of the dice and somewhat lucky when you get the right group of people together with the right director and the right material. You never know until you get there. I was happy that when I got here that’s exactly what I got." Producer Bob Levy confirmed my thoughts that they must have had a heck of a lot of fun making "Sex Drive". "It was such a pleasure to be on the set and watch brilliantly funny people do what they do best," says Levy. "To see Sean give them the comfort and security and license to be themselves and to be funny and to be comedians was inspiring." Part of the filmmakers’ vision for Sex Drive was to assemble the funniest people they could find and turn them loose. "We cast really talented funny people and gave them a blueprint in script form. Sean allowed them to bring their own sensibility and their own vision to the journey," says Levy. Both Anders and Levy revealed that they were surprised and amused when they realized how much the three leading actors actually resembled their characters. Director Sean Anders says it was just a matter of turning the camera on. "Josh is a really nice guy and a little bit awkward. Clark is kind of the chick machine; he gets all the ladies. So we just put the camera in front of them and let them do their thing." "For me, Josh was the perfect choice for Ian," says Anders, who also directed "Never Been Thawed". "He definitely is an attractive kid and a likeable guy. And as a person, he’s really sweet, polite and decent. And yet, at the same time, he’s like anybody his age. He’s insecure and he’s got all that post-teen craziness that fits the character." For his part, Zuckerman, who played the Young Dr. Evil in 2002's "Austin Powers in Goldmember", was happy to find that the teen sex comedy worked on multiple layers and that the characters grow throughout the course of the story. "When I first read the script, I thought it was very funny. It’s got great gags, but I also really responded to the degree of character development in Ian and Felicia and Lance. On the surface, it’s all about sex, but it becomes so much more than that." The costume, which Ian is forced to wear for his summer job at Señor Donut, transforms the teen into a gigantic walking pastry and makes him a target for crude jokes as he patrols the mall trying to drum up business. "It made me laugh every time," says Duke. "I’m a big fan of the donut costume. I wanted to get him one of those big signs they have out in the corners in L.A. that the guys flip around." For the role of Felicia, the filmmakers held a series of auditions in Los Angeles planning to tailor the part for the actress they selected. "Then we got this tape of Amanda Crew," Anders recalled. "Suddenly there was no question about who should play Felicia. Amanda was absolutely the Felicia I had in my head." "She was pretty, but also edgy and she seemed real and cool. She seemed like the kind of girl that hangs out in your neighborhood and who is friends with all the guys, but she’s still hot. She’s just really together and you’ve got to be careful around her, because she has a sharp tongue." "Amanda is Felicia in ways none of us knew before we met her on the set," says Levy. Not playing a stereotypical 'chick' in a teen movie was what attracted 2007 Leo Awards winner Crew ("Whistler") to the role. "Usually young actresses have to play the hot sexy girl next door that all the guys want. Felicia is a tomboy with this really tough exterior, but really, inside she’s like any other girl who has a soft interior that she’s trying to protect. When I read the script, I was like , 'I have to play this character.' I think I’m a lot like her." The filmmakers scored a real coup when James Marsden, a heartthrob well known for his romantic roles in films like "The Notebook", "Enchanted" and "27 Dresses", signed on to play Rex, Ian’s ridiculously cocky older brother. "When you work with an actor of James Marsden’s stature, you have to be concerned about whether or not the actor is really going to commit to playing an unflattering character," says Levy. "From the first take of his first set-up, he locked into Rex and was fearless and hilarious. He relished the opportunity to play against type. He loved being the jerk that Rex is." 2007 Hollywood Film Award winner Marsden ("Hairspray") says the script was one of the funniest he’d ever read. "But when you’re reading a script, you have to consider the execution. You know, who’s the director? Who are the other actors? Are they going to do the dumb version of it or are they going to do the really smart version of it? Comedy’s harder to do than serious dramatic work." Finally, the actress cast as Ms Tasty, Ian’s Internet hottie, had to be beautiful and sexy, but not intimidating. Katrina Bowden who played Cerie in 33 episodes, (2006-2008) of TV's '30 Rock', "has to be the ultimate lure, the girl that nobody could resist driving from Chicago to Knoxville to see," says Anders, adding, "It was kind of funny watching a really sweet girl having to work that hard at being a bitch." Synopsis

At 18, Ian Lafferty is struggling through his last summer before college, and he can’t seem to catch a break. He’s taunted by his cocksure older brother Rex, shown up in the romance department by his fourteen year old younger brother and humiliated by his job at the donut shop in the mall. But Ian’s biggest problem is that he’s about to start college as a virgin! He’s determined to rectify that before he officially becomes a freshman and his devil may care pal Lance is on hand to help. With Lance and his best friend Felicia, Ian sets out on a cross country drive in his brothers Rex's prized vintage Pontiac GTO in order to lose his virginity to a red-hot babe he's met on the Internet. She thinks he's a football jock. His dreams of her result in an embarrassing loss of body fluids. But the journey, filled with hilarious misadventures and raunchy escapades, turns out to be a life-changing experience.

The Verdict "Now here's a teen flick that will tickle your fancy, even if you're not a teenager. Think "American Pie", "My Best Friend", "Sixteen Candles", "Road Trip" and you have a pretty good inkling as to what "Sex Drive" dishes up. Surprise! Surprise! Despite the raunchy moments, this is pretty good fare when it comes to American made teen flicks, which generally are made to rattle the chain of the politically correct, right-wingers in the U.S.A. It's their way of making a point and, a statement that filmmakers and writers aren't about to bow down to those elements in society who want to censor their artistic worth or keep the film industry on a short leash. It's their way of venting their anger and frustrations by producing 'in your face' comedy using situations that should be 'taboo'. "Sex Drive" is a sweet tale about the one thing hormonal driven teenagers, going through puberty are continually challenged by: SEX!! For some teenagers, keeping their virginity intact is a must and they need to be applauded for their conviction. But, as we all realize, this isn't the case for many. For far too many teenagers, not having had sex is generally seen as undesireable. And who can blame them for succumbing. The pressure to have sex is enormous. It will come as a surprise then that "Sex Drive" isn't just a raunchy tale about sex. It's a film about making the right choice when it comes to sex. Sex isn't the answer to all our woes, as "Sex Drive", after taking some pretty outrageous swipes, points out. Loads of laughs thanks to a delightful cast mix which includes: Josh Zuckerman ("Surviving Christmas"), Amanda Crew ("Final Destination 3"), James Marsden ("Hairspray"), Seth Green ("Rat Race") and the endearing Clark Duke ("Superbad") as Lance. Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." Crew Bytes "SEX DRIVE" was .......
directed by Sean Anders ["Never Been Thawed"]; set decoration by Jennifer M Gentile ["I Am Sam", "Unaccompanied Minors" and "Step Up 2: The Streets"]; art direction by Erin Cochran ["Employee of the Month", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "Unaccompanied Minors"]; costume design by Kristin M Burke ["The Cooler", "Red Ribbon Blues" and "The Grudge 2"]; production design by EMMY Award winner Aaron Osborne ["Employee of the Month", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and TV'S "Without a Trace"]; edited by George Folsey Jr ["Cheaper By The Dozen", "Hostel", "The Pink Panther" and "Hostel: Part II"]; director of photography 2000 Stockholm Film Festival Best Cinematography Award winner Tim Orr ["George Washington", "Raising Victor Vargas", "Choke" and "Pineapple Express"]; original music by 2002 FFCC Award winner Stephen Trask ["Hedwig and the Angry Inch", "Prey for Rock & Roll", "Camp", "The Station Agent" and "Feast of Love"]. Who's Who

Josh Zuckerman Amanda Crew Clark Duke James Marsden Seth Green Alice Greczyn Katrina Bowden Charles McDermott Mark L Young Cole Petersen Dave Sheridan Michael Cudlitz Allison Weissman Andrea Anders Kim Ostrenko Brett Rice David Koechner Caley Hayes Michele Feren Shay Roman Bella Salinas John Ross Bowie Keith Hudson Jessica Just Brian Posehn Scott Klace Allen Zwolle Cleo King Josh Duarte Marcia Koch

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Ian Felicia Lance Rex Ezekiel Mary Ms Tasty Andy Randy Dylan Bobby Jo Rick Becca Brandy Ian's Stepmom Ian's Dad Hitchhiker Sandy Drunk Amish Girl Pregnant Kristy Fundraising Girl Dr Clark Teddescoe Angry Cop Lindsay Carney Lance's Dad Men's Room Predator Abstinence Host Brandy's Dad Brandy's Mom

Run Time 101 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Hoyts Distribution - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.