DRIVER’S ED (2026)

May 15, 2026

Greetings again from the darkness. The Farrelly Brothers (Bobby and Peter) were the creative force behind such comedy classics as DUMB AND DUMBER (1994), THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998), and one of my personal favorites, OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE (1999). At some point, the brothers decided to split up and work on their own projects. Peter won a couple of Oscars for GREEN BOOK (2018), and now Bobby, working from a screenplay by Thomas Moffett (AN ACTOR PREPARES, 2018), delivers one more in line with the brothers’ early works.

Sam Nivola (“The White Lotus”, and son of actors Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer) stars as Jeremy, a high school senior – lovesick and concerned since his girlfriend Samantha (Lilah Pate, MONSTER SUMMER, 2024) headed off to college a year ahead of him. In a setup that would have been unimaginable back in my day, Jeremy and three other seniors are taking part in a Driver’s Ed class. Aparna (Mohana Krishnan, “I Am Frankie”) is the class valedictorian, Yoshi (Aidan Laprete, SWIPED, 2025) is the school’s drug dealer, and Evie (newcomer Sophie Telegadis) seems to have a growing attraction to Jeremy.

Their substitute driving instructor is Mr. Rivers (Kumail Nanjani, THE BIG SICK, 2017), who is battling not one, but two broken arms … neither of which slow down his one-liners or his lackadaisical approach to the assignment. A certain spontaneous decision finds the drivers-in-training on a road trip for romance, sans instructor, to reunite Jeremy and Samantha. This also sends Principal Fisher (Molly Shannon) into a frenzy and campus security guard, Officer Walsh (Tim Baltz, “The Righteous Gemstones”) on their trail.

This teenage road trip has some comical moments, and getting to know each of the participants is the film’s strength. The actors each have an opportunity to shine, and as we would expect with students this age, there are moments that find us rolling our eyes and others that leave us impressed with the emotional depth shown. This is a film that features such highlights as reading a sext out loud in class, introducing us to teen phone separation anxiety, educating us that far too many students are prescribed anti-depressants and mood drugs, and what a frat party looks like these days (not much has changed evidently). There is also a three-legged cat, a Vintage Furs van, a hillbilly bandit, and a hot Good Samaritan (Marley Aliah) who appeals to a couple of the renegade students.

While most of the time is spent on a misguided romantic road trip to save a relationship, it evolves into a journey of self-discovery, as most things do at that age. It’s quite fun to watch this group of fairly young actors do their thing and outperform the adults, and the best line in the film is an odd one: “Most 8th graders don’t generally read obituaries”.

In theaters and On Demand beginning May 15, 2026

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

AN ACTOR PREPARES (2018)

August 29, 2018

 Greetings again from the darkness. Does a kid ever lose hope that what was once a horrible/absentee parent might magically evolve into a dependable, caring parent – even as an adult? Is it ever too late for that parent to make amends? Director Steve Clark co-wrote this story with Thomas Moffett about a narcissistic actor (is there any other type?) and his feeling-slighted grown son being forced to take a road trip that likely won’t lead to bonding, but could result in their better understanding each other.

The film opens with a sweeping overhead shot of the Hollywood sign and the glittering lights below. It’s fitting since a big part of the story is the level of entitlement and garish ego proliferating the industry that put the town on the map. Legendary actor Atticus Smith is being presented a lifetime achievement award. We see that his career has been widely diverse with project titles ranging from the legitimate sounding “The Language of Men” to those with significantly more shock value like “Throwdown at Bitch River”. His speech is quite awkward, but it serves well as our introduction to the character which Jeremy Irons makes his own.

Mr. Irons goes over-the-top to play Atticus. His blustery mannerisms, ever-present scarf, and center-of-attention-seeking personality dominate much of the film and allow us to understand why his grown son Adam (Jack Huston) carries such a grudge for the man who never really tried to be his father, and who readily admits that the younger daughter (Mamie Gummer) is his favorite. It’s really the only empathy we can muster for Adam, since he early on establishes himself as a pretty unlikeable and quite annoying professor of film. In his first scene, he actually tries to lecture a class of female students on the real meaning of feminism (the class is “Cinema through a Feminist Lens”). The next time we see him, he’s being rude to his father Atticus, who has just suffered a heart attack. You know the type.

It’s that heart attack that puts these men together on the road – initially in a luxury tour bus, and later in a classic Plymouth Barracuda. Their destination is the daughter’s wedding, and the trip includes stops at the Chateau Marmont and The Drake Hotel in Chicago. Along the way, we see a bit more of a post-shower Atticus than we would prefer, watch one of the worst baseball scenes in movie history, and witness Atticus sneaking booze and porn on the bus, and then finally drugging his son.

The title of the film comes from a book by acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavski, which makes total sense once we realize these two men have been acting their way through life. Adam is terrified of becoming a parent like his father, keeps his own health issues a secret, and is apparently inept at documentary filmmaking, which he claims as his profession. On the trip, Atticus is prepping for his next role – he is to play God, which he seems to think is perfect casting … although the studio and his manager (Ben Schwartz) are quite concerned about his health.

Mr. Huston does finally bring his character along to the point where he seems more tolerable, and the film might surprise you on where it ends. There is some decent comedy and a yin and yang with father and son that adds enough entertainment value, as long as you can enjoy the flamboyant approach taken by the venerable Mr. Irons.

Watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson