Review of Driving Lessons (2006) by Jade C — 21 Nov 2013

Overall the movie Driving Lessons was a decent movie, however, not my cup of tea. It is a classic coming of age story of a boy named Ben who goes to work for a kooky old woman who in the end needs a friend more than a worker, and ends up being more of a mentor than an employer.

The part I find most enjoyable in this coming of age story is when Ben finds an elderly woman in need of a house hand that teaches him more about life and driving in the small time they spend together than his entire life with his parents. She teaches him to stand up for himself (against his controlling mother) and most importantly to live life to the fullest which is the movie's main theme. Ben finally lives out the theme when he goes on a road trip with Evie and tells his mother that he will get home when he gets there.

Leaning toward the negative side, the realism of the actors was for the most part very believable except for some odd moments during the movie, such as when Evie swallows the key so that Ben has to stay the night camping with her. In all seriousness, how many people would go to such an extreme to stay the night in a tent? I found this situation extremely outrageous and unbelievable, especially when she mentions she is as regular as clockwork. Medically speaking, she is very lucky that it didn't get stuck in her intestines or elsewhere.

Another moment where the realism of a character is questionable is when Mr. Fincham begins to transform. In the beginning, it is mentioned that he ran over his wife with his car and moved in with Ben's family in order to regain sanity. However, he seems to only get worse mentally and eventually begins to dress like Laura and mimic her actions. At this point viewers, including myself, are quite puzzled at what he is doing and what it has to do with the plot until the overdramatic ending occurs. Mr. Fincham arrives at the church parking lot where Ben and Laura, his mother, are having an argument, and then proceeds to run Laura over. At this point, Ben is fed up with his mother and telling her off so it was an extremely cheesy and overdramatic way to end the scene. Also, if Mr. Fincham was really that poor mentally I feel that Laura would have removed him from their home because of how overly protective and controlling she is.

The movie was classified as a drama and comedy, however, it wasn't outstandingly hilarious nor dramatic. For the most part, cheap puns were used throughout the film mostly by Evie like when she fooled the salesman into testing out all of the camping equipment and buying absolutely nothing. The only dramatic situation that stands out to me would be when Mr. Fincham runs over Laura with her car which is so extreme that it's hardly believable as previously mentioned. The movie isn't perfect, but it's not a disappointment either.